Never Mind the Joneses: Building Core Christian Values in a Way That Fits Your Family [Hardcover]

Tim Stafford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 23, 2003

Messages from the media and pressures from peers all seem to conspire against raising children with strong Christian values. As kids grow older the potential for things to go wrong just seems to multiply. How can parents nurture their families with confidence, without the fear that they are making some big mistake? Tim Stafford sets you free from worrying about the Joneses or anyone else. He shows you how to build core Christian values into your children in a way that fits who God made your family to be, unique and different from every other family.In this practical and freeing book, you'll find:

• Why your family doesn't have to be like other families
• How to build core values into your children that will last a lifetime
• How you can find the patterns that fit who you and your family are
• Ways to build family life that kids enjoy and that parents find satisfying
• Why there's more than one, good, right way to be a family
• How to build grace and freedom into your family life while still providing structure and security
• Release from the fear that you are parenting the wrong way

Stafford identifies thirteen core biblical values and describes a wide variety of ways to build these into families. He explores the many options that are available for parents to help their children develop in truthfulness, contentment, hard work, joy, rest, forgiveness and putting God first.Some books suggest there is only one right way to parent, no matter who you are. In Never Mind the Joneses Stafford frees you to explore the ways God has provided that fit your family best.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Stafford, a senior writer for Christianity Today magazine and author of Knowing the Face of God, suggests ways that parents can form family habits or rituals-a "family culture"-based on Christian values. In a clear, conversational style, Stafford gives 14 values a chapter apiece. Many of the tips-such as making church attendance a priority or setting aside money for the offering plate-are basics that might enlighten new or newly enthusiastic Christians. But there's something here for veterans of the faith as well: how many have thought of gardening or hiking as promoting a biblical agenda? Particularly helpful is the chapter about developing concern for others by serving at a soup kitchen, inviting someone to a holiday meal, befriending a missionary or an international student or adopting a child. Leaning heavily toward the practical, Stafford takes a soft-spoken approach: "Most of our differences have to do with taste and style, not right and wrong," he writes. He gleans his values from scripture, but he treads lightly, when at all, in theology, and therein lies the book's weakness: The reader knows what Stafford considers an important value, but the reader does not always know why he considers that value important. Scripture is referenced here, but it is rarely explicated. Those who wish to lay a solid doctrinal foundation for their families will need to look elsewhere; others will find some sound ideas here.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (December 23, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830832017
• ISBN-13: 978-0830832019
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,095,480 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Tim Stafford is an award-winning author, a regular contributor to Christianity Today and Campus Life magazines, and co-editor of The Student Bible.

Tim Stafford is a freelance writer, Senior Writer for Christianity Today Magazine and a regular contributor for Campus Life magazines. He's written more than twenty books, both fiction and non-fiction. His most recent works are Personal God: Can You Really Know the One Who Made the Universe, and Shaking the System: What I Learned from the Great American Reform Movements. Stafford is also a co-editor of The Student Bible.
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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for couples starting a family, April 6, 2006

By 

Briana Harmon - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Never Mind the Joneses: Building Core Christian Values in a Way That Fits Your Family (Hardcover)

This book is amazing. It is a must read for anyone who is thinking about starting a family and a great resource for those who already have. The advice Stafford gives is extremely practical and can be shaped to work for every family. The core values he writes on are values that any family should possess whether Christian or not. This would be a great gift for a baby shower and a very valuable addition to your library.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Practical Book!, June 2, 2008

By 

Dsazzy1 (Chicago) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Never Mind the Joneses: Building Core Christian Values in a Way That Fits Your Family (Hardcover)

The title threw me off a little. I thought it would be about how to raise a family free from consumerism or free from comparison. Instead, it gives great examples and suggestions for instilling various positive values in your family culture. Examples and applications are given on child raising topics such as: strong work ethic, sexual fidelity, charity, truthfulness etc... The book's centralizes on the premise that each family is it's own mini-culture and explains that the suggestions given in the book may work for one family yet not for another (so there's no pressure to apply them all to your family). I'm sure I will want to re-read this book occasionally as our young family evolves.