Shepherding a Child's Heart

Application Questions for Chapter 3
1.
Do you tend to be a determinist in the way you look at
childrearing? Are you able to see that your children are active
responders to the shaping influences in their lives? How do you see
them responding?
2.
What do you think is the Godward orientation of your
children? Are their lives and responses organized around God as a
Father, Shepherd, Lord, Sovereign, and King? Or do you see them
living for some sort of pleasure, approval, acceptance, or some other
false god?
3.
How can you design winsome and attractive ways of
challenging the idolatry you may see within your child?
4. How can you make your focus in correction the deeper issues
of Godward orientation? How can you help your child see how he is
investing himself in things that cannot satisfy?
5. Are you and your spouse spending time in prayer for God to
reveal himself to your children? Ultimately, God initiates any work in
your children’s hearts.

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Chapter 4
You’re in Charge
The boys were out in the shed working on the go-cart. Our
daughter went out to call them for dinner.
“You both are to go inside, wash up and get ready for dinner.
Right now!” she announced authoritatively.
“Are the boys coming in?” my wife inquired, when our daughter
had returned to the house alone.
“I called them,” she said, with a look that betrayed her attempt to
pull a power play on the boys.
Why hadn’t the boys come in? Because it was their sister who had
called them and they were not about to obey based on her authority.
She returned to the shed with the same message and added two
powerful words, “Mother said … ”
Our daughter did not have the authority to order the boys into the
house. The second time she called the boys, she called them as the
agent of their mother. They knew it was time to come.