Customer Reviews

Sacred Parenting: How Raising Children Shapes Our Souls

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As a parent, it's common to get stuck in the mundane, the trivial, and the completely earthbound. Sacred Parenting lifts us above that plane for a little while and helps us to see "the other side of the tapestry," to glimpse what God may be doing in us and our children through the everyday, both good and not-so-good. Exploring parental guilt and anger, encouraging joy in parenting, and especially helping us see the work the Father has already done in us are some of the hallmarks of this book. Somehow Gary Thomas manages to walk the tightrope between practical and theoretical, neither wallowing in the "how-to's" so typical of parenting books nor neglecting the sidewalk-level realities of how hard this job can be. He plants hope, ironically, by admitting that parenting is hard and that kids don't always "turn out right," but that we know without doubt that God is teaching us unique lessons through it that we would otherwise never learn.

For years my wife and I had debated whether or not we should have a child. My wife just didn't have that strong emotional drive some women have to procreate. My desire to have a child would come and go. Finally, when my desire to have a child came again, we prayerfully decided to go for it. The pregnancy was filled with painful and expensive complications, which was followed by severe postpartum depression. I felt terrible guilt for asking my wife to do this. My daughter is a year old now. She's perfect. God couldn't have made a more beautiful child. But parenting is a lot tougher than I'd imagined and I was fighting the notion that I'd made a mistake. After the first frustrating, sleep deprived year, I felt that I was clearly not cut out to be a parent. However, Sacred Parenting changed my mind. It showed me there every single parenting experience, whether good or bad, was a gift from God that would shape my soul for eternity. He also pointed out all the simple pleasures that awaited me in the future. Thanks for showing me the light, Gary. You are wise beyond your years.

If you are looking for a how to book this is not it. If you are looking at what God does in our lives in shaping us spiritually through parenting then this is the book for you.

You know what's cool about this book? Most parenting books focus the how-tos of caring for and developing children. Gary Thomas is able to take his knowledge of practical child-rearing,which he gained from real-life experiences and relate it to the deeper, spiritual levels of the parent's soul. "Sacred Parenting" underscores the fact that both children and parents are locked in a soul-shaping experience, with God clearly at the helm. No parent is perfect. In fact, effective parenting will challenge a father's deep-seated, petty selfishness. There will be times in which a parent must humble himself and ask His daughter to forgive him. There will be times when a wife desires a moment of intimacy with her husband, but must put her personal needs on hold so as to tend to a little boy's sudden nausea. Gary helps his readers understand that such scenarios are normal and part of the process of conforming to the image of Christ...which, of course will always benefit other people, including one's family. What I appreciate most from this book is that its author doesn't write as an expert, but as a fellow sojourner. Thomas' points are helpful and relevant and his anecdotes are humorous and...very human. If you have been parenting for a day...a week...a month...a year...or longer, "Sacred Parenting" will inspire you to appreciate what God can do in your life through the grimy and glorious art of parenting.

As a Christian mother of toddler triplets, I have read lots of books on parenting...but never one that has effected my persective as positively as this one. I highly recommend this for anyone who wants to positively impact the attitude of their heart for parenting. This is not a How To...it is much richer!

As I was reading this book, I felt like my mission as a parent became more clear. As a mother of four children ages five and under sometimes I can lose focus on what my role as a parent is. Sacred Parenting served to remind me once again that being a parent shapes my soul as well as the souls of my children. God uses my experiences as a mother and the experiences my children have through my parenting as ways to make us more like Him. It was comforting to read from an author who was writing from his heart and learning right along with the rest of us.

This book is a nice change of pace from most "how to" guides on parenting. This doesn't give you instructions or tips or tricks. Instead, it gives you a fresh perspective on how God intended parenting as part of his plan to shape Christians. If you have the right perspective on life, that can help more than trying to force a few tricks into your daily routine.

Sacred Marriage is an excellent book that any married Christian couple (or about to get married) should read. Sacred Parenting isn't as good. The points are somehow more vague and less impactful. The stories and anecdotes drag a little, rather than really breathing life into the lesson. Sacred Parenting is still a good book, but not as good as I hoped after reading Sacred Marriage.

Sacred Parenting is in the same vein as Sacred Marriage: God wants to change you through parenting (or through your marriage). It is not a how-to book, so you might be disappointed if you thought it to be so, like Dave, one of the other reviewers. While it is not exclusively written to Christians, it will find its best audience in those who know the Lord and are willing to be brutally honest in self-evaluation, and admit that they need to change. And by the way, it will make you a better parent. I found the book so good that I heartily recommend it to others, and have committed to re-read it on a regular basis.

I read this while pregnant w/our first baby and it was not only great reading at the time, but the lessons from it have sustained me through the trials of parenting a newborn. Much better than any of the "how to" books I've read on raising kids!!!

I read this book 3 short months after my first child was born. I am so glad that I came across this Biblically sound view of the responsibilities and treasures of parenting at that early date. I also was greatful for the perspective that this book offered on my relationship with my own parents. Every child who longs to honor his parents and raise a child who does the same will take joy in reading this book.