Friday, October 16, 2015

Review: Pass It On

When I was pregnant with Miss Esmé, I got all the books. What to Expect When You’re Expecting. I had books on baby stages, toddler stages, preschooler stages. This was my first, and I wanted to know everything ahead of time – to have a game plan for all the upcoming occurrences and to know what to do to navigate and facilitate the growth transitions as smoothly as possible.

Now she is eight, and I’ve (sort of) learned to adapt to the way she constantly surprises me by going off script. But I can’t imagine going through those early years without that constant reassurance of knowing, month by month, we were (sort of) on track. Physically. Mentally.

But what about spiritually? Are we on track spiritually? And isn’t that the most important thing?

I never thought about a parenting book to monitor those transitions of spiritual growth. Until now.

Pass It On is a great resource for not only preparing for spiritual growth transitions of your child, but also for steering and celebrating those steps.

Synopsis of Book

Pass It On

Parents often experience a “freak out” moment when they realize their children’s view of God will primarily come from what they learn at home.

Most parents spend more time helping their kids succeed at academics or athletics than infusing shared spiritual experiences into the rhythm of everyday family life.

While the idea of strategically passing down our faith can seem intimidating, the annual Rites of Passage Experiences contained in Pass It On make it easy for your family to celebrate milestones from kindergarten through high school graduation. Forever change the direction of your family’s spiritual legacy . . . starting now!

About the Authors

Jim Burns is president of HomeWord and executive director of the HomeWord Center for Youth and Family at Azusa Pacific University. He has more than 1.5 million resources in print and a radio broadcast heard on 800 stations a day. Jim resides in Southern California with his wife Cathy and their three daughters.

Connect with Jim online: website, Twitter, Facebook

Jeremy Lee is the founder of ParentMinistry.Net, a subscription-based service for children and youth ministry workers. He was on the writing team for the Simple Truth Bible from Group Publishing and the Ignite Study Bible from Thomas Nelson Publishers. Jeremy lives in Nashville with his wife and children.

Connect with Jeremy online: website, Twitter, Facebook

Genre:  Christian parenting 
Physical Description:  Paperback, 256 pages 
List Price:  $15.99
To Buy: http://bit.ly/1jCKyrU
For More Information: http://litfusegroup.com/author/BurnsLee

Mom’s Review:

The book starts with an explanation of why parents should pass on a Christian legacy, and how “rites of passage” are a great way to intentionally pass this on. It is then broken up into years – a chapter for each year from Kindergarten through 12th grade.

The first thing that grabbed my attention – though it was at the end of each chapter – was the section describing typical characteristics of each year – physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual. For someone like me who wants to be (as) prepared (as possible) for each stage, this is perfect.

The primary focus of each chapter is the Rite of Passage that includes a ceremony and a symbol. Something that can be as simple or complex as you choose to make it – that supports your child’s spiritual growth with intentionality – in a memorable way. There is a lot of room for flexibility, but also tools, such as sample letters and conversation starters, as well as a section called Laying the Foundation of Faith that helps you stay focused on what’s important.

I was wishing I’d found this book sooner – at the Kindergarten level – because that first Rite of Passage – an invitation to generosity through a family service project – is one that my 8yo could really use right now. But this book is flexible enough to adapt; we’re just going to start right now with that first Rite of Passage and just squeeze them in a little closer together until we’re caught up.

I’m excited about the years ahead, and I’m thrilled to have this roadmap of sorts to keep us on the right track with the milestones to come.

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"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Litfuse Publicity Group for coordinating this book for review. Opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

1 comments:

Max lily - TEFL classes online said...

Later is better than never. I read this book at the old ages, but I see many useful things for my life.