Who Cares for our Children?


Book Description

Valerie Polakow spent a year traveling around the country listening to low-income women from diverse backgrounds tell their stories of struggle, resilience, distress, and occasional success as they encountered ongoing child care crises. The resulting work is both a compelling account of the lived realities of the child care crisis, and an incisive critique of public policy that points to the United States as an outlier in the international community. Drawing on historical and international perspectives, Polakow creates a groundbreaking analysis of child care as a human right, persuasively arguing for a universal child care system. “Who Cares for Our Children? is one of the most disturbing books I have read in a long time. It should have a major impact on debates over poverty and social policy.” —From the Foreword by Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed “In this beautifully written and provocative volume, Polakow deftly steps aside and lets real mothers, struggling against the odds to keep their families safe and sound, speak for themselves about what they need. This book delivers a timely message: Child care should be viewed as a human right.” —Martha F. Davis, Northeastern University School of Law “A collection of moving and often chilling personal narratives. . . . Who Cares for Our Children? is a powerful and well-documented analysis of the worlds of low-income families.” —Beth Blue Swadener, Arizona State University “Thoroughly researched and grounded in a heartfelt sympathy for the struggles of families . . . that face such painful choices and dilemmas in meeting the needs of their children.” —James Garbarino, Loyola University Chicago







Like Our Father


Book Description

Reveal God to your children by parenting them like He parents us. Tired of all the parenting books full of strategic checklists, how-to advice, and quick tips? Instead of focusing on parenting techniques, Like Our Father is about who God is, who we are in light of that, and how God's character gives form to our parenting. Christina Fox invites you to explore the Scriptures and discover the goodness of the God who makes us His own. As God's beloved creatures, we bear His image--that is, we reflect Him to others. Is anything more important to pass on to our children than this? Though it's tempting to want an instructional manual on child-rearing, what you really need is a grander vision of your Heavenly Father. As your kids share in your magnified vision of God, they'll begin to live as the image-bearers that He made them to be.




Helping Our Children Grow in Faith


Book Description

Children have serious faith questions that require serious answers, answers that adults often find themselves under-prepared to give. But the Christian community has a responsibility to help its children develop a three-dimensional faith--a faith that affects their heads, their hearts, and their spirits. Helping Our Children Grow in Faith is designed for children's ministry and worship leaders, Sunday school teachers, and pastors--as well as parents--who want to nurture the spiritual development of the children in their lives. It shows how to integrate children into congregational worship, how to teach them the Bible but leave room for the mystery of God, and how to distinguish the difference between faith development and moral development.




Who Cares for Our Children?


Book Description




Prayer of Petition


Book Description

When God's people pray, they want answers. Yet many Christians don't know how to pray both effectively - in a way that gets results - and humbly - in a way that aligns with God's will. Prayer is a powerful weapon against the true adversaries of God's people: principalities, powers, dark rulers and spiritual wickedness in high places. These forces are the perpetrators of all kinds of evil: Addiction, abuse, poverty and spiritual bondage run rampant through families, churches, cities and nations. What can believers do to battle these forces? They can pray. Not just any prayer: the prayer of petition, known throughout Christian history as the prayer that gets results. Prayer of Petition explores this powerful prayer in detail, from the many examples found in God's Word to more recent instances of incredible miracles ushered in by this prayer. Readers will learn the biblical definitions of petition and supplication, and examine the key components of preparation, thanksgiving and humility. As readers learn to petition the Ruler of All, their confidence that God will prevail - no matter what - will grow, and as they learn to rest in His promises, peace will reign over their hearts through the coming revival.




Love-Powered Parenting


Book Description

Love-Powered Parenting is written out of a love for parenting and a deep desire to encourage parents. Yes, there are experiences in parenting that can cause deep hurt. Yes, there are realities in parenting that certainly will cause you to feel inept. Yet at the core of it all there is a deep gratefulness for the gift that God gives in the opportunity to love a child. This book is a biblical guide to parenting. And by "biblical guide" we mean these pages are intended to take you on a journey through what the truth of God's Word has to say about parenting. The main goal is not to uncover psychological truths about your child--there are many good resources on psychological theory; nor does it include practical tips for everyday circumstances such as how to get your kids to eat their green beans. Here, we will explore the simple and profound principles of God's Word to distinguish psychological truth from error, educational reality from untested theory, and we'll be looking at these tips within the broader context of God's principles for parenting.




Your Children Are Under Attack


Book Description

How to protect your children from popular culture.




Why Are We Losing the Kids?


Book Description

I found this book on Bookbub, and am thrilled with what I've read. I wish every Christian would read it--especially every pastor and leader. My husband (who is a pastor) and I had already come to these conclusions before I found this book, but it gives me great hope that others are seeing the same disastrous problems. We have created a "monster" that we call "church" which little resembles the New Testament kind, and people are fleeing it. For all the promise of the "contemporary" style church, it isn't really much better. The church is failing to make disciples and failing to make any real impact in the culture, and it's all because we have failed to make authentic (true) converts. It's that simple. It's easy to make a disciple of someone who has been truly converted. Otherwise, with our usual crop of "decisions," it's like pushing a rope to get any serious commitment or Christlikeness out of them. The Bible says that Jesus is the Door, but to be brutally honest, the only way through that Door is to crawl--in repentance, submission (brokenness), and faith. We are no different than the church of the Middle Ages that baptized babies for salvation, leaving millions of people still in their sins. There isn't really any such thing as "a church for the unchurched" as many like to claim today. We should be the church of the redeemed, but we have become a church of the unsubmissive, unrepentant, unconverted, uncommitted, and unfaithful. And it all goes back to one thing--real salvation thru real repentance and real faith in Jesus Christ."-M.J. Freeman ..". thought provoking book showing true believers in Jesus Christ the need to examine the methods we are using to evangelize our children... the author backs up all of her writing with scripture, the true Word of God." -Alicia Canner " ...Wow what an eye opener, it opened my eyes to the real meaning of being born again. Not only a book to help with the youth but for everyone..."-Malinda Zemrose As Christian women, there is probably nothing more heartbreaking than seeing our children turn from God. We spend thousands of dollars, and sacrifice countless hours to VBS, Bible clubs, Youth outings, Church camp, and children's parties every year. We build elaborate stage sets, plan fantastic carnivals, and youth extravaganzas and bus in all the children and teens we can find in the hopes of leading them to Christ; and yet we are still losing them. We see the grown-up children, the "fruits" of our outreaches, living as practical Atheists. They walk and talk and act like the world, even loving the world, and though they claim to be saved, evidence of life in Christ is conspicuously absent. Even our own children are abandoning the faith. They have asked Jesus into their hearts and yet we see them turn from God at staggering rates. Statistics show that no less than half have turned from God by High School age and closer to two thirds by the time they finish college. What we're doing is just not working! In Why Are We Losing the Kids? You'll see where we have gone wrong and where to go from here. - We can turn the tide on our failing ministry efforts! - We can share the gospel without creating false converts or backsliders! - We can keep the kids if we'll follow God's plan! The Bible has the answers if we're willing to hear them!




Let Them Be Kids


Book Description

As parents we want to safeguard our children from the pressures and influences of the world, but also prepare them for age-appropriate realities. How do we find that balance? Jessica Smartt shares ways to be more aware, proactive, and protective, but also adventurous with our kids. A former English teacher and homeschooling mother of three, Jessica Smartt felt the weight of helping prepare her kids for life, seeking to raise her children with a sense of adventure, self-confidence, manners, faith, and the ability to use technology wisely. Let Them Be Kids is Jessica’s offering of grace and confidence to moms, providing practical ideas to meet the challenge of raising children. Part story, part guidebook, every chapter includes doable parenting strategies and encouragement for the journey, equipping moms with ways to provide a safe, healthy, Christ-centered upbringing for our children. Her well-researched, tested methods, woven together with her personal stories and witty humor, deliver wisdom on tough topics, such as: Managing technology and fostering creative playtime Balancing family time versus sports and extracurriculars How and why to let your kids be awkward Protecting innocence and purity Showing grace when kids disobey If you want to conquer fear and find the truth that transforms entire families, Let Them Be Kids will show you that it’s not only possible but essential to enjoy every special moment of building family values together. And it serves as a gentle reminder that, someday, you'll be very glad you did.