The day we give birth, our lives are changed forever. It is in this moment, we take on the hardest, most challenging, and most rewarding role – parenthood. My children are now adults and raising their own, yet parenting is a life long task as relationships continue long after they leave the home.

The Life Giving Parent by Clay & Sally Clarkson is a much needed book for every parent, and grandparent, in this ever changing culture we are living. As parents we not only give breath and life to our children, we also give them God’s life.

Our children are in need of faithful parents who know Who they believe in, have entrusted their lives to Him, and bring His life into the home for children to experience. It is as our children live in an atmosphere where faith is alive, visible, and shared that they will desire the life of Christ for themselves.

Often we view our children as a sign of how well we are parenting.The Clarksons corrects this thought by placing the reality where it needs to be, upon parents:

“Here’s the reality that needs to be affirmed: A distinctively Christian home can never be defined only by what the children are doing; it must be defined by what the parents are doing.”

While church activities are a needed and fun component of our children’s lives, they will never ensure a life of faith. The author shares, “… faith is still passed along in families the same way as it always has been – through parents.”

As parents we must rise up in our faith and in conveying our faith to the next generation.

This book is a treasure of wisdom stored up over the years of the authors own parenting and ministry. They share true stories and Scriptures which shed light on our shortcomings in the gentlest of ways, sure to motivate us to make changes.

The book is broken down into two parts. Part One is “Heartbeats of Parental Lifegiving” and addresses nine areas we must be involved in our children’s growth. Part Two is “Living as a Lifegiving Parent” and brings the reality that there is no magic formula to parenting which will guarantee success. We do, however, have God’s Word and Spirit to guide us to live authentically and faithfully in His ways. Throughout this book, we are reminded we must know God, know ourselves, and know our children.

Our world and culture are changing rapidly, but our God remains the same forever. This is the foundation by which we can raise our children with confidence:

“Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your foreheads are reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-9. NLT)

The responsibility falls on us as parents:

We must live authentically in order to give our children
a life worth living founded upon Christ.

This book is a must read for every parent and makes a wonderful gift for every new parent. I truly cannot recommend this one highly enough.

You can also follow Sally Clarkson on her  > Website and Twitter .

*I received this book from Tyndale Publishing in exchange for my honest review. The views expressed are all my own. This post contains an affiliate link.

Today I am joining … Trekking Thru the Week and #RaRaLInkup and Booknificent Thursday .