Book Review: Teach Them Diligently - Raising Children of Promise

Often times when a child is born into this world, people say they do not come with an owner's manual on how to raise them. I would disagree with that statement and honestly every Christian parent should realize they do have a owner's manual for how to raise their children. Sadly, even Christian parents won't use it since many think it isn't practical or it is out-dated. However the best manual to raise a child is found within God's Word! God is the Creator of everything and He knows exactly how to raise children. I believe this is what Teach Them Diligently - Raising Children of Promise, calls our attention to.

The author of the book, Leslie Nunnery is the co-founder of Teach Them Diligently Convention along with her husband, David. This book, Teach Them Diligently - Raising Children of Promise, is the first book by Leslie. I believe Leslie does a great job with calling Christian parents attention to how to use the Word of God to train up their children for the Lord. Too many Christian parents these days are using humanistic and secular approaches to parenting God's heritage ("our children") and therefore when the children become adults they either do not follow the precepts of the Lord or if they do believe in Jesus Christ, they are not prepared to either in mind, heart, or spirit to do the work of the Lord.

One of the most revealing aspects of this book is how Leslie uses the nation of Israel and their journey to the Promised Land. Specifically, Leslie discusses the events leading up to the calling God has for parents to teach their children diligently in Deuteronomy 6. Understanding these events and how God chose teaching their children The Way of the Lord as one of the first things for the nation of Israel to do when they arrived in the Promised Land is significant to a Christian parent's life today, just as it was then.

I also was encouraged and convicted by how Leslie shared one of the fundamental things that must occur before we can parent our children the way God has called us to. We have to make sure our hearts as parents are right with God first! We have to be willing to humble ourselves and submit to the authority of God's Word when it comes to all things in life, including how to parent. We have to ensure our hearts are focused on God's will for our life and our family's life above our own fleshly desires. I believe for many parents today, this will be difficult to adjust to since, as stated before, many Christian parents are so caught up and indoctrinated into raising children from a humanistic and secular mindset. However, where a genuine heart resides, God can cultivate a desire in that person to please God and change their ways for His Glory!

This book is filled with short chapters (which is great for the busy parent) that provide Godly wisdom every Christian parent can trust in. This book provides a biblical worldview of parenting and provides practical examples of how to implement God's way of parenting into everyday life. For example, at the end of each chapter, Leslie poses self-examining questions for us pray on and consider for how we can apply what we just read to our daily routines. Also, at the end of the book Leslie provides a whole chapter on practical examples of discipleship-based parenting (and that leads me to my last point).

Discipleship-based parenting seems to be non-existent in our culture among Christian families. Because many Christian families are utilizing humanistic and secular ways of parents, they are training them up often times for the wrong purposes in life. This book helps the reader better understand what discipleship-based parenting is and the importance of it. Children will one day be adults that pattern their lives after someone or something. As Christian parents, our goal is the teach and train them up to pattern their lives after Jesus Christ. By this book's practical examples and easy to understand discussions from scripture, any Christian parent should be able to take this book and start examining their life and applying something from it right away.

I believe every Christian parent who loves their children and truly wants the best for them, should read this book, pray over it, and let the Holy Spirit transform their mind, heart and spirit so their ways and goals of parenting are aligned with God's Word and His Desires.