Getting to the Heart of Parenting

Written by JD Hettema, Connections Minister at Foothill Church

Have you noticed that is nearly impossible to correct someone else’s parenting? Most of us shudder at the thought of a conversation with a friend over coffee about how they don’t discipline their kids enough… or too much. For those who have tried, we are often met with skepticism at best, anger at worst. “How dare you tell me how to parent MY kid! Who do you think you are?”

And so that is how it is left. “I parent my way, you parent yours,” is the cry that comes from our post-modern society. The result is that most parent with a hodge-podge of techniques that they learned from books they read or the way their parents did it. Some have no plan whatsoever. We have become like the children of Israel in the Old Testament: “There was no king in those days and everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

Are there any rules to this game? Does God actually have a say in how we parent? Even a cursory glance at the Bible reveals that He does, but how do we take these biblical principles and apply them to our parenting today?

That is what our upcoming conference, “Getting to the Heart of Parenting”, aims to do. We want to let Paul Tripp, a pastor and author who has helped thousands of parents, help us to understand what the Bible actually says about parenting.

Come join us on Friday, Feb 9^th and Saturday, Feb 10^th for “Getting to the Heart of Parenting.” To sign up, go to the Foothill Church website (www.foothill.church/parenting). The cost is $10 for an individual, $15 for a couple. Childcare is provided (Toddlers through high school).