How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph: A Practical Guide for Growing Great Kids

by Linda Massey Weddle

As parents, we strive to help our kids grow into their full potential. We help them with their homework, get them involved in planned activities, and invest for their college education. But while we may plan for their success, we can overlook a vital part of their personal Nurturing and encouraging a solid foundation of faith. It can be easy to assume our children are growing spiritually in church youth groups and programs. Yet it's vital that we take an active role in guiding them in their relationship with Jesus. The life of Joseph offers parents a Biblical standard for building children of character. Drawing from his story, this book will help you do just that. Inside you'll find a unique guide for creating a personalized plan for your child's spiritual growth, from preschool through high school. This practical guide will help your The Children and teenagers who know, love, and serve the Lord. So invest in their spiritual development. And create a legacy of faith that will last a lifetime.

Genres: Parenting

224 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

Reviews

[Chickadee · Rating 3 out of 5]

How To Raise A Modern-Day Joseph by Linda Massey Weddle, is a well written guide to help parents, teachers, church leaders and anyone else interested in shaping the lives of children.

The author states that the book is based around the biblical example of Joseph because in spite of coming from a dysfunctional family and being raised in a less-than-perfect environment, Joseph knew, loved and served the Lord. Joseph’s life reflects five godly character qualities which the author refers to as “Master Life Threads”.

Respect, Wisdom, Grace, Destiny and Perspective make up the “threads” on which this program is based. The first part of the book focuses on giving parents age-appropriate suggestions for their child’s spiritual development, while the second part of the book focuses on ways that the church can partner with parents in the spiritual development of children. Weddle makes it clear that the ideas presented in her book are merely suggestions, and that no parent or church can do everything listed.

Each chapter of this book targets a different stage of a child’s life and focuses on an appropriate life thread or quality. In every chapter, the reader will find a “What They’re Like”, “What They’re Asking”, “What You Can Do”, “Bios and Verses”, “What Not To Do”, “Checklist” and “Family Itinerary” section. Example questions (and answers) are given to help springboard conversations with your child along with ideas and suggestions for bible studies for each stage of growth.

Linda encourages her readers not to despair if their children are older and they have missed a few years – these concepts are good for all ages, including adults. I found this guide to be very thorough and helpful and would highly recommend it.

[Wyndy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the guide to the book How to Raise Modern-Day Joseph. It is plainly writen in a manner that any parent could understand. I like it because it puts the responsibility for raising a spiritually sound child directly on the parent where, in my opinion, it belongs. This book is full of ideas on how to incorporate spiritual training in the home for all the different times in a child's life. It has suggestions for fathers and for mothers. As well, it has a second section that is for the church, where it can support the parents with personal help and with classes for both parents and children, and what to teach at different stages in life as well as set out some guidelines so that parents know what to expect from their church support groups. It's not a day-by-day bible study but rather gives directions on how to establish a plan for your family (very important) and ways of including different projects and ideas into that plan. The author is an experienced member of Awana so many of her ideas also come from that area. Definitely a great read full of usable ideas for parents of children at any stage in life.

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a wonderful guide in helping to instruct parents and other fellow leaders in raising a child in the way they should go. I enjoyed the fact this book starts even before the birth of your child and continues all the way up to the 12th grade! You’ll find this book listing major questions you should consider asking yourselves like “What Does The Bible Say About Raising A Child?” for example and it encourages parents to study the Bible together to find out before your child’s birth.

You should know that this book is divided into two sections, one for parents and one for the church. Through out the chapters you’ll find it focuses on age appropriate life threads such as respect, wisdom and grace to name a few. Sample family itineraries which include things like which bible verses you are going to study throughout the year, spiritual goals, are also included.

I will continue to use this wonderful guide and resource through out the course of raising my children. I definitely recommend it to all.

[Rachel Lundy · Rating 5 out of 5]

How to Raise a Modern-Day Joseph is filled with helpful information and practical advice for teaching our children and teenagers. It is written by Linda Massey Weddle, who has over 40 years of experience in children's and youth ministry. The wisdom she shares in this book will be valuable for parents as they seek to raise their children in accordance with God's Word.

The first section of the book has chapters for various age groups: babies and toddlers, preschoolers, early elementary, older elementary, middle school, and high school. Each chapter includes characteristics of that particular age group, questions they have, what parents can and should teach them, and common errors to avoid.

The second section of the book is specifically for churches. It is filled with advice for partnering with parents and equipping them to raise their children.

This book is an excellent resource for parents and churches!

[Abbie Riddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book and did the bible study in our Monday Night Mom Group. It was very insightful. I especially liked the breakdown of ages and what to expect in each age group and what Godly characteristics to work with at that age.

[Kris · Rating 4 out of 5]

To read my review - go here: http://booksandneedlepoint.blogspot.c...