JED BREAKS BREAD

The four "expenses" that parents must be willing to pay to cultivate a life of communication?

The relation between authority and influence. For this discussion, authority is defined as what you can accomplish because you're bigger, faster, stronger, than your children. Influence is what you can accomplish because your child is willing to place himself under your authority. As your child gets older your authority (in this limited sense) decreases, while your influence should increase.  

What percentage of your communication with your children is "actual" (our normal pattern of communication) compared to the percentage which is "ideal" (according to God's standard)? 

Actual = focus is on communicating rules, correction, discipline

Ideal = all of the above + Rebuke, entreaty, encouragement, teaching, warning, instruction, and prayer.

Key passages: Deut. 6:7-13, 1 Cor. 13:4-7, Eph. 4:29

Today we discuss the philosophy about how to implement Biblical methods:

1. Cultivating the right mindset: proactive, focused on deep communication, a "long-term view," and a commitment that you are more like your child than unlike him. 

2. The two tools that the Bible gives for the process of shepherding: the rod and communication.

Have you ever taken a bird's eye view of your parenting goals? What are you hoping to accomplish through your education and training of your children? 

One of the challenges that Christians face is unconsciously cultivating unbiblical goals - due to pressures from society and culture. Today we examine several areas of life where Christians can have unbiblical goals and what the correct Biblical perspective in those areas should be. 

Mark 7:14-23 - What is it that defiles a person? The food that he eats or the thoughts of the heart? Jesus provides a concrete answer.

Children live out of the abundance of the heart and one of the primary goals of parenting is to discern what that abundance is. The challenge for parents is to take time to disern the thoughts and intentions of the heart and then to know which Scripture passages and principles will address those intentions. 

How does our culture think about authority? How has the culture's perspective influenced Christian parents? What is Biblical authority and how is it applied?

Biblical authority results in Biblical discipline - defining discipline and explaining the difference between discipline and punishment. 

Question of reflection: If I don't practice Biblical authority or discipline in my child-rearing, what does that say about my love and devotion to God?

What is the Worship Orientation of the Heart? 

How are parents and children similar when considering worship orientation?

**Re-published due to audio glitch in original episode**

Look for the episode on authority to drop on Monday! 

How to interpret and identify the idols of the heart. 

Differences between Biblical sanctification and behavior modification.

What are the influences that shape children? 

This series will focus on raising children from a Biblical worldview. 

Children live out of the abundance of their heart - and guess what? So do parents! In this episode, I will define and clarify what it means to live out of the heart and I will explain how the idols of our heart influence behavior and decision making. 

Many thanks to Tedd Tripp and Stuart Scott for helping me understand these principles.