Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children [Paperback]

John Younts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2005

God first gave specific instructions for being a parent in Deuteronomy 6. He instructs parents to talk to their children everyday about God and His ways. Everyday Talk offers practical, creative ways to do that. Learn how to use ordinary conversations to show your kids the goodness and wisdom of God. With clear biblical teaching, John Younts illustrates how to lead your children into a greater awareness of the presence and glory of God.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This book gives great hope and encouragement to us. It is amazingly practical and refreshingly biblical. By God’s grace we plan on implementing Everyday Talk today!” —- Lance and Beth Quinn, Pastor & Wife, The Bible Church of Little Rock “Everyday Talk is a masterful book. It provides valuable talking points for conversations about everything from weather, to sex, to music. The two essential features of biblical parenting are properly aligned in this book: penetrating insight into the heart and the centrality of the gospel, not only for salvation, but for life.” —- Tedd Tripp, pastor, author, conference speaker --This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Shepherd Press (January 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 097230469X
• ISBN-13: 978-0972304696
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #169,153 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Straightforward Discussion on an Important Topic, September 11, 2007

By 

Tim Challies (Oakville, Ontario) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children (Paperback)

In recent weeks I have been attempting to make my way through some of the Shepherd Press catalog of books. Many of the titles and some of the authors were unfamiliar to me. Yet it seems that every time I read one of these titles I unearth some new treasure. Books like Polishing God's Monuments and When Sinners Say "I Do" have blessed me greatly, have stirred my heart and have strengthened my faith. So it was with some expectation that I turned to Everyday Talk by John Younts, another selection from the Shepherd Press catalog.

Everyday Talk is, according to the subtitle, a book about "Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children. With my children often asking about God and with my wife and I trusting that God will, in time, lead them to Himself, I was eager to receive guidance on how I can speak to them in spiritually meaningful ways.

While many books focus in on the few moments in life where you can make a deep and immediate impact on your children--those moments when they come to you broken and hurt and questioning life--this book focuses instead on the other moments. It focuses on the myriad moments and the millions of words that are doubtlessly among the primary influences on your children. As the author says, "The most powerful personal influence in your child's life is everyday talk." Reflecting on Deuteronomy 6 he writes, "Your everyday comments are the ones that teach your children most profoundly about your view of God. Your interaction with God in everyday, ordinary, non-church life is the most powerful tool of influence that you have with your children. It communicates what you really believe."

Younts discusses the importance of talking to children about God everyday and in every way, offering practical ways of doing that. Though certainly not a how-to book, it is practical and creative. As the back cover states, the reader will "learn how to use ordinary conversations to show your kids the goodness and wisdom of God. With clear biblical teaching, John Younts illustrates how to lead your children into a greater awareness of the presence and glory of God."

Reflecting on the book a week or so after finish it, I think I found it most helpful in dealing with the subject of obedience. As the parents of three young children, my wife and I often struggle with this issue. We want our children to obey us and to do so with joy rather than anger or unwillingness. We want to teach them the importance of obedience. We know that we have sometimes done very well with this and at other times have done poorly and are seeking to do better--to be more consistent. Younts teaches that "the goal of your instruction is not only to [for example] have the garbage taken out, but also, primarily, to teach your children the joy of obeying God." It is pleasant words that promote instruction, and not angry or undignified ones. Looking at the example of God's patience with the people of Israel, I learned that I need to stay the course, remaining kind and pleasant even while demanding obedience from my children. And when my children do refuse to obey, or refuse to obey willingly and with a joyful heart, my job is "to recognize their sin for what it is and teach them how to deal with it God's way." I can only do this when I understand that their sin is primarily an offense against God rather than being against me. I need to help them understand that though they may have sinned against their parents, the greater sin was against God and they must be reconciled to Him.

"Parents, when you give in to anger, resentment or self-pity at your children's bad behavior, you make yourself the center of the problem. You are loving yourself first and most. You must love your kids enough to show them the danger of their behavior. They need to see that their first problem is with God, and only secondarily with you. ... You must be more concerned for them than for yourself, and you must be concerned most of all for God. By modeling patience, love, self-control--and all the fruit of the Spirit--you teach your children how extraordinary God is."

In the book's opening pages Younts says, "My prayer is that this book will help you learn how God wants you to talk about Him every day." And later he writes, "the purpose of this book is to help you, parent, to reflect the power of gospel grace in your everyday talk." While God certainly has a lot of work to do in helping me consistently reflect the power of gospel grace in my everyday talk, this book has already helped me see the importance of considering the words I use and the attitudes I convey through all of life's moments. Already it has given me new ears to hear my words and my wife's words to ensure they communicate the fruit of the Spirit and it has given us new ways of considering how we can ensure that our everyday words impact our children for their good and for God's glory. I'm glad to recommend this book to you!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Biblical Insights!!!, February 25, 2005

By 

B. Myers (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children (Paperback)

It is rare that I find a book which describes a pertinent problem, illustrates it and then clearly outlines its solution, but Younts does this deftly in his new book, EVERYDAY TALK.
Few would dispute that there are increasing problems with the youth in America today. The increasing crime and suicide rates, drug and alcohol problems, and teenage pregnancies are testimonials to the alienation from God and our fellow man that children are experiencing. As with every complex problem, the causes involved are varied and diverse. In dealing with such a pervasive and complex issue, these causes must be identified and fixed one at a time .
In his work, Younts selects the aspect of everyday interaction with our children and clearly defines, with both explanation and example, how this impacts our children. Further, he then, by instruction and example, outlines ways for correcting the situation. As opposed to a list of rules, he gives us guidelines appropriate to any given situation.
All who read this book will realize that following its precepts results in drawing closer to both God and man, and achieving the clear benefits derived from that. The instructions are outlined in a simple, clear and easy to understand manner. The precepts are not burdensome, but refreshing. This is not an ordinary, but an extraordinary volume; I would recommend it to anyone who interacts with youth in any capacity.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simple, convicting and practical!, March 23, 2005

By 

J. Jones (Constantine MI) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Everyday Talk: Talking Freely and Naturally about God with Your Children (Paperback)

Be prepared to be challenged! This book is easy-to-read, conversational, and gives practical ideas on how to talk to your children about God in everyday situations. It is an enjoyable book, and I consider it a must read for every parent, young or old! You cannot read this book without being challenged and inspired to change.