by Pastor Tyler Powell

Next to our own relationship with Jesus and our role of being a loving spouse that reflects the relationship of Jesus Christ (Eph. 5:22-33; role of the husband) to the church (role of the wife), shepherding your kids is the most important thing you will do.  Our Praxis class, “Shepherding Your Kids”, this fall will be a great opportunity for parents, or soon-to-be parents, to learn what it means to speak to the heart of your child to see the gospel of Jesus transform them to obedience and to honor God and parents (Eph. 6:1-2).

This weekend, Mars Hill Church has an amazing opportunity to have Tedd Tripp, renowned author of “Shepherding a Child’s Heart” and “Instructing a Child’s Heart” (two books that will help guide our study this fall),  teach us solid and trustworthy biblical principles for parents, at the Shepherding a Child’s Heart Conference.

The biggest responsibility of parenthood is teaching your children to love Jesus with all of their heart, soul, and strength. For parents with children of any age, Dr. Tripp’s insightful, biblical teaching provides perspectives and procedures for shepherding your child’s heart into the paths of life.

Dr. Tripp has 30+ years of experience as a counselor, school administrator, father, grandfather and pastor of Grace Fellowship Church in Hazleton, PA.  Tedd says, “Parents tend to focus on the externals of behavior rather than the internal overflow of the heart. We tend to worry more about the ‘what’ of behavior than the ‘why.’ Accordingly, most of us spend an enormous amount of energy in controlling and constraining behavior. To the degree and extent to which our focus is on behavior, we miss the heart.”

The goal of our Praxis “Shepherding Your Kids” class is to build on this conference and continue to equip parents to lead their children spiritually, to impress God’s truth on the hearts of their children, and to point them to the great joy and happiness that they can experience through delighting in God and the goodness of His ways.

I hope you are able to join us this weekend and I look forward to having many of you in our class this fall.