As many of you know, we have planned a conference for parents on April 25. The conference, called “Parenting on Purpose,” will deal with a number of specific topics (see below) but the overall theme will be parenting intentionally.
We all have hopes and dreams for our children. We want them to be followers of Christ. We long to see them develop into responsible, productive adults. We hope that they will often use good judgment and discernment. We want them to marry someone who will love and encourage them. Eventually, we want to see them become well-equipped parents themselves.
While we have these hopes and dreams, it is also true that we live in the real world. For many of us, life is just plain hectic. We work, we volunteer at the church, we coach, we drive a minivan full of kids half an hour across town to ballet practice (only to find that it was canceled at the last minute!). In the hustle and bustle of everyday life, it has never been easier to lose sight of the big picture. Conversely, it has never been harder to parent intentionally.
When we’re in the midst of this “hustle and bustle” it can be extremely helpful to stop, take a deep breath, and evaluate how things are going. Our prayer is that this conference will be one of those times for you. This will be a time to take a step back from the trees and look at the forest. A time to take a deep breath and examine how things are going at home. A time to remember God’s desire for you as a parent and for your children. A time to remember that He loves our children more than we do. Most of us desperately need to do this.
“Parenting on Purpose” will begin at 10:00 AM. During the conference we will discuss topics that affect all parents.
The conference will be divided into five sections. Dr. Caines will speak first about discipline. After a short break Ken Henry will speak about effective methods to use when communicating with your child. This will be followed by a complementary lunch.
Our final speaker, Tony Souder, will speak about the different ways to fuel your child’s passion for Christ. After this we will have a time dedicated to asking questions
of our guests and sharing in general. The conference will end at 2:00 PM.
Our desire and our privilege is to come alongside you. We long to see you, as parents, be “thoroughly equipped for every good work.” We sincerely hope that you will take advantage of this conference. Feel free to bring friends. This event is for anyone seeking to Parent on Purpose.
Chris Gregory