E3 Parents

Finally Got my Copy!

December 9, 2008 at 1:34 pm Leave a comment

I had pre-ordered this book as soon as I found out about it and I finally got my copy last weekend! Steve Wright wrote ApParent Privilege as a follow up to his book reThink, which challenges pastors and student ministers to rethink the way we approach student ministry. The new book is written for parents as a source of encouragement and practical application in the opportunity and responsibility we have to be the primary influencers in our children’s lives.

I have only gotten through the first chapter. One thing stood out to me in some of the research Wright has been conducting. He surveyed about 900 teenagers in 16 different states and shared the top responses  to one of the open-ended questions: “I wish my parents __________.”

The answers that appeared over and over were:

I wish my parents…

• would take my Christianity seriously.
• would pray with me every night.
• would start family devotions.
• read the Bible with me more.
• helped me understand the Bible.
• would stay faithful to each other and God.
• would spend time together.
• would relate problems in life to Christian stories.
• would read the Bible with me more and pray with me more.
• did more things with the family.
• would stay the same forever.

Does it surprise you what didn’t show up in the responses? Nothing about friends, cars, rules, money, or other material possessions. Wright answers the question “Why?” “Because God wired our children to hunger for it [a family spiritual emphasis].”

I look forward to reading the rest of this book and sharing more with you. If you would like a copy of the book, they are available now. If there is enough interest, I can order them in bulk and make them available for as little as $13 apiece.

Entry filed under: Family Ministry, Parenting. Tags: Family Ministry, parents.