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“Parenting in Christ: Lessons from the Parables” by Christina Dronen
Parents love reading stories to their kids, right? Jesus told a good story too. That’s how He taught his followers— through parables.
A good story grabs your attention. It helps you better understand concepts and ideas. It makes you feel. Stories live on through the ages. In fact, storytelling is the earliest form of oral tradition and means of mass communication, long before the written word was ever created.
In her Bible study guide, “Parenting in Christ: Lessons from the Parables,” Christina follows Jesus’ story-telling approach and uses His parables as a “go-to guide for Christ-centered parenting.” She shares on her author website, “To me, scripture speaks volumes on the kind of parents we should be. Let’s learn together what it means to parent through the lens of the Gospel.”
The book cover reads:
“Parenting, like any good adventure, can be scary, challenging, and fun. But parents aren’t meant just to be along for the ride, we are to lead the way. It’s a job that requires us to give up time, money, and energy. We teach our children not just with our words, but also with our behaviors and attitudes, how to understand the world that is seen and unseen.
We are more than rule makers and caretakers, we are soul shapers.
The lessons in this book examine the parables for the treasures of wisdom and knowledge within that can apply to parenting. Jesus told these parables, or stories, to teach us about who we are, who God is, and the way of God. Within these stories are hidden the secrets of the invisible world and truths to help us live well, like Jesus did. But is not just in living like Jesus that we honor God. Rather it is through our union with Christ that we can grow into his likeness.
When we join with Christ in the work of conforming to his character, we are able to more effectively teach our children to do the same.”
The Parables…
“Parenting in Christ: Lessons from the Parables” retells ten parable stories we all know and love, but then Christina digs into them a little bit deeper and effectively applies them to every-day-life parenting situations.
- Helping the Truth Take Root and Grow (Parable of the Sower)
- Acting with Humility (Parable of the Wedding Feast)
- Choosing Gratitude (Parable of the Workers)
- The Responsibility of Authority (Parable of the Talents)
- The Importance of Trust and Obedience (Parable of the Shepherd)
- Love and Integrity (Parable of the Good Samaritan)
- Perfecting Love and Mercy (Parable of the Unforgiving Servant)
- Repentance and Forgiveness (Parable of the Lost Son)
- The Value of Never Giving Up (Parable of the Friend at Night)
- Finding Contentment (Parable of the Rich Fool)
Applicability…
If you don’t have a lot of time, and you’re looking for a quick (but excellent) read, this book is a great fit since it is only 41 pages long. It took me about one hour to read it in its entirety. If you stop at the end of each chapter to ponder the reflection questions, which I highly encourage you to do, then it may take you a little bit longer to go through the book, start to finish.
If, however, you like to journal, are looking for a Bible study or devotional resource, or you like to dive in deep with your reading material, then this book is also a great fit for you because it, 1) encourages you to deeply reflect on your own walk with God and how you parent your children, and 2) it helps you to find tangible and applicable ways to deepen your relationship with God and to lovingly disciple your children.
“Parenting in Christ: Lessons from the Parables” is an EXCELLENT resource for Sunday School classes or Life Groups!
The book could be used over a period of 10 weeks, 1 chapter per week.
- Each chapter starts with an “Ice Breaker” question, which is great for building rapport among group members and setting the stage for the lesson topic. Some examples include, “Share an embarrassing story” or “What are you most thankful for?”
- The “Lesson” reviews the parable story itself, and then it insightfully examines the deep message that Christ has for our lives.
- Following the “Lesson” are a series of short “Questions” that can be used for individual reflection or group discussion.
- Lastly, each chapter ends with a challenge, “Trying on the way of Jesus,” to become more like Christ in our individual walk and parenting journey.
Overall, “Parenting in Christ” is an excellent read and a great resource for parents! Thank you, Christina, for sharing it with the world and for helping parents become “soul shapers”, not just “rule makers” and “caretakers”.
More recommendations…
If you like this book, I highly encourage you to check out Christina’s other books in the “Parenting in Christ” series:
(Volume 1) “Parenting in Christ: Treasures for Parenting from Jesus”
(Volume 3) “Growing in Christ: Lessons from the Parables for Kids”
(Volume 4) “Parenting in Christ: Training in the Disciplines of Jesus”
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From one imperfect parent to another,
Amy
Faith & Family First, LLC 