- Widen the Circle - The day is coming, if it has not yet come, when your children will seek affirmation and approval from adults other than you. What are you doing to strategically place adults in their lives who will speak the same truth and point them in the same direction as you would?
- Imagine the End - Decide what you what your kids to become, and focus your priorities and those of your family on the things that will take them there. Spiritual leadership is simply helping your kids take their next step in their pursuit of a relationship with God.
- Fight for the Heart - During their teenage years, your kids need to know that you can be trusted more than you need to know that they can be trusted. Their trust in you is affected when you discipline in anger, use words that communicate rejection, ignore their voices, don't try to understand who they really are, break your core promises, and take things too personally. Instead, communicate in a way that gives the relationship value.
- Create a Rhythm - The rhythm in the life of your family communicates what is important to your family. What are the things you are prioritizing to be a part of the rhythm of your family, and do those need to be adjusted. It is not the quantity of time you spend with your family that is most important, or the quality of time, but the quantity of quality times.
- Make it Personal - If you want it to be in them, it has to be in you. If you want your children to have a thriving relationship with Jesus, you can't force it on them if you don't have one yourself. You don't have to be perfect, just authentic.
This is a VERY brief outline of the book, so I encourage all of our parents to pick up a copy of the book and read it and incorporate it into their families. I think it will be beneficial to you and your kids.
