Real World Parents - by Mark Matlock (Paperback)

About the Book

Culture expert and veteran youth pastor, Mark Matlock, will help you become a proactive parent when it comes to the faith of your children. Rather than trying to raise kids who are "good Christians," you'll find the tools to help you live out a faith that allows your children to see what it means to live as a Christian. As a result, your kids will learn about real faith by living it out with you.

Book Synopsis

"Christian families today often find themselves stuck between two stories--their own family's story and God's story. It's like they're living two lives: their Christian life and their "real world" life. The trick is figuring out how to get your family's story to line up with God's story in the world around us, helping you raise children who have the character, values, and mission that allows them to go out into the real world and live out a real faith. Real World Parents is a parenting book that helps you to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to raising Christian kids in a world that is filled with contradictions to a life of faith. Rather than trying to raise kids who are "good Christians," you'll find the tools to help you live out a faith that allows your children to see what it means to live as a Christian. As a result, your kids will learn about real faith by living it out with you. Culture expert and veteran youth pastor, Mark Matlock, will help you explore issues such as: - Helping your child make decisions - The importance of failure - Knowing God's story for your family - Changing the story your family is in - The pursuit of wisdom, and much more God has placed us here to interact with and represent him to the world by engaging with the culture--not retreating from it. Rather than trying to isolate your children from the world or draw lines that keep them from truly engaging in the world God calls us to help and heal, you can learn how to lead your family towards an integrated life where your story and God's story come together to make a difference in the world around you."

From the Back Cover

'Christian families today often find themselves stuck between two stories---their own family's story and God's story. It's like they're living two lives: their Christian life and their 'real world' life. The trick is figuring out how to get your family's story to line up with God's story in the world around us, helping you raise children who have the character, values, and mission that allows them to go out into the real world and live out a real faith. Real World Parents is a parenting book that helps you to be proactive, rather than reactive, when it comes to raising Christian kids in a world that is filled with contradictions to a life of faith. Rather than trying to raise kids who are 'good Christians, ' you'll find the tools to help you live out a faith that allows your children to see what it means to live as a Christian. As a result, your kids will learn about real faith by living it out with you. Culture expert and veteran youth pastor, Mark Matlock, will help you explore issues such as: * Helping your child make decisions * The importance of failure * Knowing God's story for your family * Changing the story your family is in * The pursuit of wisdom, and much more God has placed us here to interact with and represent him to the world by engaging with the culture---not retreating from it. Rather than trying to isolate your children from the world or draw lines that keep them from truly engaging in the world God calls us to help and heal, you can learn how to lead your family towards an integrated life where your story and God's story come together to make a difference in the world around you.'

About the Author

Mark Matlock has been working with youth pastors, students, and parents for more than two decades. He's the Executive director of Youth Specialties and founder of WisdomWorks Ministries and PlanetWisdom. He's the author of several books including The Wisdom On series, Living a Life That Matters, Don't Buy the Lie, and Raising Wise Children. Mark lives in Texas with his wife, Jade, and their two teenage children.