A Peek At My Bookshelf: Teachable Moments by Marybeth Hicks

About the Book:

Nationally syndicated columnist and media advisor on all things parenting, Marybeth Hicks outlines the overarching issues and objectives in using daily encounters with the culture to impart the values and virtues of Christianity. Through entertaining and instructive questions and answers, she provides concrete examples of teachable moments that will ring true for every family.

Never have Christian families been so challenged by the world around them to instill and instruct their children in the tenets of their faith. Moral relativism literally seeps into every facet of family life and saturates our popular culture. A ubiquitous media presence that defines our daily experience also is defining the attitudes and behaviors of those who consume it. Yet within this pervasive secular culture, Christian families encounter “teachable moments,” those unplanned but unmatched opportunities to put their faith into action and live out the values and virtues embodied in Jesus Christ.

When looking for teachable moments, parents, and coaches must approach each day with intentionality, seeking out and capitalizing on opportunities to incorporate life lessons into every day experiences amid the culture.

Teachable moments might be as simple as incorporating values about empathy and compassion in young friendships, or as complex and consequential as understanding the nature of the culture’s destructive messages about human sexuality. They might present themselves in song lyrics, teacher’s comments, television shows, social media interactions, and current events. Most certainly, teachable moments emerge in parenting decisions, family relationships, school situations, and in opportunities for freedom and responsibility.

Teachable Moments outlines the overarching issues and objectives in using daily encounters with the culture to impart the values and virtues of Christianity. Through entertaining and instructive questions and answers, author Marybeth Hicks provides concrete examples of teachable moments that will ring true for every family.

My Thoughts:

I am no longer raising children: my oldest is 28 and my youngest is 20. But I have four grandchildren that range in age from seven down to six months, and I am a huge influence in their lives (thanks to mommy and daddy!), so I requested a copy of "Teachable Moments" to see what I could glean that would help my grandchildren and possibly still have an impact on my adult children.

My bucket of influence is full to overflowing thanks to Marybeth's timely and wise advice! I've always believed in taking advantage of those brief moments that lend themselves to training our children in maturity and in discernment. I only wish I'd had a book like this one as a guide....I would have found so many more moments to teach my children, and with God's Word and my own common sense I found quite a few.

The book breaks down into different types of teachable moments and different avenues of teaching. Marybeth devotes an entire chapter on teachable moments with media, and it's a thick chapter! She covers everything from the written word to music, from movies and television to social media. With each particular subject, she poses certain scenarios, followed by suggestions on how to turn those scenarios into "Teachable Moments".

Her advice is sound, practical and Biblically based. The entire book is written from the foundational premise that all we do in life should magnify and point the way to Christ, and each chapter reflects that one core value in the way we guide our children through life into adulthood.

My thanks to my friends at Howard Publishing for my complimentary copy of "Teachable Moments" in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend this one to parents of all ages, and to anyone who has influence in a child's life.

Happy Reading!

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