Raising Biblically Resilient Children

What do I hope my children are like in 10 years? 20 years?

It’s hard to imagine their tiny little bodies being full grown, my son having a deep voice and my daughter grown out of her princess phase. I hope that with all their grown up changes, comes biblically resilient children. 

I want them to love Jesus with their whole hearts, and to love others the way God loves them. I want them to be spiritual champions that pray hard and lean in to the Bible for their standards, not our culture. 

How do I play my role as mother and guide them in the ways of the Lord? With the Bible as my number one parenting book, I’m also reading lots of other books to try and figure out the best path for gospel-centered parenting techniques that work for me and my family. You can learn more about that journey through my devotionals.

Resilient: Child Discipleship and the Fearless Future of the Church

I was given a copy of Resilient for free in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own. 

Here is a portion of the book’s description:

“The most powerful way to shape the future of the church is to effectively disciple kids who will thrive in a culture that aggressively runs counter to their faith in Christ. But in this season, we must ask new questions. As the world around us is rapidly changing, are the methodologies and assumptions from past decades still working? Is today’s KidMin built to produce disciples who will lead the church with courage and compassion in a culture that is becoming increasingly hostile to the gospel? In order to thrive in this unknown future, our kids will need to be Resilient!”

The topic and description of Resilient made me want to devour the book as quickly as possible. My son is entering his school-age years, so the topic of raising biblically resilient children has been on my mind quite a bit. I couldn’t wait to dive in.

The introduction was captivating, raising up a real life example of a biblically resilient child who stood at the flagpole by himself on a See You At The Pole day. No other students participated in that morning of prayer, but he stood by himself and prayed, regardless of what others thought of him. Inspiring. Heart wrenching. Man, do I want my kid to be like that!

The introduces the concept of our children as fire carriers, a term taken from native americans who would carry a flame from one camp to another so they never went without fire to keep warm, cook, and provide light. The analogy is a great one, as we need to see our children as the future of the church, carrying the flame to the next generation, just as has been done since Jesus walked the earth. Without fire carriers, the gospel would have never reached us. And without our children, the gospel will not reach our grandchildren’s children.

The book also includes lots of interesting data on children’s ministry and practical suggestions on how to keep a healthy mindset around church. For example, don’t ask your kid, “did you have fun?” when you pick them up from their church class. Instead ask, “did you spend time with Jesus today?” Framing their involvement as not always needing to be fun is a healthy way to prepare them that following Jesus is not always fun. 

Overall, I enjoyed the book but it wasn’t what I was expecting. It’s very conceptual, with practical steps and strategies only towards the end. The author is a bit difficult to follow at times, and doesn’t introduce her affiliation (Awana) well. She also uses “KidMin,” which I figured out several chapters in is jargon for kid’s ministry. The book is also very negative focused throughout, pressing the urgency of the issue that our kids are not going to be able to lead our church if we continue in the direction we are going. It’s an important message, but one that I had hoped was paired with more practical solutions to implement. 

Even with my critical eye, I would still recommend this book to parents who are looking for knowledge in raising biblically resilient children. The concepts and stories are good, and inspiring. I’d suggest pairing the book with a discussion group so that you can brainstorm options for strategies and action with the children in your life.

ENTER TO WIN YOUR OWN COPY OF RESILIENT!

If this book on child discipleship sounds like one that you would love, enter to win a copy here. You can also purchase a copy directly from Amazon here. 

MORE RESOURCES FOR THE GOSPEL-CENTERED MOMMA

Check out our resources page for even more game-changing resources for the gospel-centered momma. All of the resources have been or are personally used by me (Kristina) and are among the best of the best: resources to dive deeper into your faith, children’s books and bibles, and parenting books.