A Journey in Faith Parenthood 101

By David Hill

PRAYING BEFORE I go to sleep at night has been a habit since
childhood. The night I thought of writing this book I prayed,
God help me have good dreams and good thoughts as I sleep tonight. That is
a prayer I have prayed ever since I was a child growing up.
During the night I started thinking of ways we should raise our
children, and how they need to be prepared for life. I told myself, I
should write a book about this: ways to raise a successful child. I was afraid I
would forget this idea by morning, so I arose at 3:00 AM and went to the
kitchen to start writing down my ideas.
I began to consider just what would be my definition of a successful
child or adult. I realized that it depends on whose point of view we are
coming from. The world defines success quite differently from God. The
world would say it is to be rich and famous. However, since we are made
in the image of God, it seems only logical that we should be a reflection
of Him in our daily lives.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Feb 18, 2014
• ISBN: 9781493169023

David Hill

David Hill is a writer from Hot Springs, Arkansas. His work has appeared regularly in Grantland and The Ringer, and has been featured in The New Yorker, The New York Times, GQ, and New York magazine, as well as on This American Life. He lives in Nyack, New York, with his wife and three children, where he serves as the vice president of the National Writers Union.

Book preview

Copyright © 2014 by David Hill.

Library of Congress Control Number:    2014901747

ISBN:                  Hardcover                        978-1-4931-6903-0

                            Softcover                          978-1-4931-6904-7

                            eBook                               978-1-4931-6902-3

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Rev. date: 02/14/2014

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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Contents

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Chapter 1   A Good Foundation

Chapter 2   How We Talk To Our Children

Chapter 3   Attitudes Lead To Actions

Chapter 4   Love And Discipline

Chapter 5   Making And Maintaining Friendships

Chapter 6   Know Your Children’s Friends & Family

Chapter 7   Be Involved In Children’s Activities

Chapter 8   Work Ethics

Chapter 9   Setting Goals

Chapter 10   Money Management

Chapter 11   Eating Habits And Exercising

Chapter 12   Self Defense

Chapter 13   Get A Pet

Chapter 14   Quotes And Scripture Verses

Acknowledgements

I first want to thank God for giving me the vision and the words to write this book.

I would also like to thank Gloria Hill, who is my mom, for praying with me each week and for her contribution.

Additionally, I would like to thank Dan Valahu, Ph.D., for helping to edit the book.

A big thank you goes to my wife Laura, family and friends for their loyal support.

You have all helped me achieve one of my dreams and goals.

Introduction

P raying before I go to sleep at night has been a habit since childhood. The night I thought of writing this book I prayed, God help me have good dreams and good thoughts as I sleep tonight. That is a prayer I have prayed ever since I was a child growing up.

During the night I started thinking of ways we should raise our children, and how they need to be prepared for life. I told myself, I should write a book about this: ways to raise a successful child. I was afraid I would forget this idea by morning, so I arose at 3:00 AM and went to the kitchen to start writing down my ideas.

I began to consider just what would be my definition of a successful child or adult. I realized that it depends on whose point of view we are coming from. The world defines success quite differently from God. The world would say it is to be rich and famous. However, since we are made in the image of God, it seems only logical that we should be a reflection of Him in our daily lives.

Let’s look at success by what Jesus had to say,  . . . Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Then He went on to say,  . . . Love your neighbor as yourself. When we follow these two directives, we do not have to worry about the Ten Commandments. The first directive takes care of the first five commandments and the last directive takes care of the last five commandments. If we are to be successful in God’s eyes, we will follow the commands in Matthew 22:37-39 and teach them to our children.

Secondly, I believe a person is successful if they are a contributing member of society. That means we will be givers; not takers. We will be responsible with our finances.

Thirdly, a successful person will enjoy the fruit of their labor. Life will be lived with joy and satisfaction. The key to happiness is not success; the key to success is happiness.

I believe God puts us on this earth for a purpose. The first purpose is to glorify and serve Him, and the second is to make a difference in people’s lives. I’ve always had the desire for my children and grandchildren to have a better life than mine; to believe in God and to believe in themselves. I desire to teach them these principles through this book. Later, they can instill the principles in their children and reinforce them through the reading of this book. Hopefully, the people who read this book will do the same.

Before I go any further, I believe I need to add a disclaimer. The verdict may still be out as to whether or not I am a successful parent. That is the reason I have changed the title of my book to: A Journey in Faith. Do I always do the right thing and follow the principles in this book? The answer would be no! However, if you ask me if I believe in the principles in this book and want to practice them, the answer would be a resounding, Yes, always!!

Being a parent is a huge responsibility. We will not do everything perfectly all the time. But that does not mean we should give up striving to be the very best parent we can possibly be with God’s help.

The only perfect father is God, and we can learn much from Him. There are times when God’s children miss the mark and He is the perfect Father! So don’t be discouraged when your children at times do not measure up to your expectation! Have faith in the journey!

Savor each day and enjoy the journey!

Chapter 1

A Good Foundation

" . . . the righteous has an everlasting foundation"

Proverbs 10:25

A good foundation must begin with the parents having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

I was fortunate enough to be reared in a home with Christian parents who took me and my sister to a Bible—believing and Bible—teaching church. It was never a question of whether we were going to attend church. If the church doors were open, we were there!

My parents saw to it that my sister and I were exposed to wonderful Christian influences and experiences. As a child, I attended Children Summer Church Camp and it was there that I accepted the Lord as my Savior.

My parents belonged to The Gideons International and I went to lots of Gideon State and International Conventions. I experienced many good programs for children and youth. We had lots of fun, and I met other kids from all around the world. We were also exposed to the gospel and testimonies of how lives are changed by God’s Word. These conventions made great memories that I still enjoy thinking back on to this day.

Not only did I meet kids from around the world, but I met their parents who were a good influence on me. A child can never have too many good role models and influences in their life.

One of the things we did as I was growing up was eating together as a family. In today’s society, many families eat at different times due to the husband or wife coming home late from work. Even when the parents are home, the kids may be permitted to go to another room to eat in front of the television. Family dinners should be a time where the husband, wife and children eat together, share the happenings of the day and express what is going on in their lives.

Another important memory I have is that as a child our family had family devotions and prayed together before going to bed. We would take turns praying. This was a faith building time and it gave us hope that life’s problems would work out with God’s help.

I am sorry to say, I struggled in my growing up years with low self-esteem due to several factors. I was a skinny, freckled—faced, red—headed kid with a speech problem. If you know me today, you know that I am not a skinny man! I earn my living as a personal trainer. I often give inspirational talks to college sports teams. I am constantly talking with people. I might also add that once I started talking, I never stopped!

My parents saw to it that I received speech therapy and encouraged me the best they could. My mother used to tell me not to worry about being skinny and she would point out to me that we do not see many skinny adults. I might add there are not very many skinny children today either. She was right because our society as a whole struggles with obesity.

I wish I could say that from the time I accepted the Lord as my Savior I consistently walked with Him. Many times I went off the path but God the Father was always faithful to draw me back to Himself.