Roland C. Warren - Raising Sons of Promise: A Guide for Single Mothers of Boys

FOREWORD BY TONY EVANS

InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515-1426
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2021 by Roland Clifford Warren

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Scripture quotations, unless otherwise noted, are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version, copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

While any stories in this book are true, some names and identifying information may have been changed to protect the privacy of individuals.

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Cover design and image composite: David Fassett
Images: tree silhouette: CSA Images / Getty Images

roots silhouette: CSA Images / Getty Images
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blue cardboard paper texture: Nenov / Moment / Getty Images

ISBN 978-1-5140-0290-2 (digital)

ISBN 978-1-5140-0289-6 (print)

This digital document has been produced by Nord Compo.

TO MY MOTHER, ANGIE COHEN.

Love you. Thank you for all you did to help me move
from boyhood to manhood. May many learn
from our journey together.

TO YVETTE.

So blessed to have you as my wife and the mother of
our sons of promise, Jamin and Justin. Our sons called
you blessed and so do I. Much love, always.

TO SINGLE MOTHERS EVERYWHERE.

Never forget that God sees you.

FOREWORD

Dr. Tony Evans

My good friend Roland Warren has been uniquely gifted by God in the areas of leadership, administration, and spiritual insight. As the president of Care Net, he has had to evoke the full utilization of each of these divine endowments to spread the message and the ministry of pro-life organizations nationwide.

One of the intriguing aspects of Rolands ministry vision is his comprehensive commitment to a whole-life agenda and not just a pre-birth one. His passion is not merely to protect the life of the unborn, but his passion is also for mothers and their children to experience the abundant life that Jesus offers. In this unique, provocative work, Raising Sons of Promise, Roland has tackled a subject that desperately needs attention today: the exponential rise of single moms due to immorality, divorce, abandonment, abuse, and death that has created major life and ministry challenges for families, churches, and communities.

This is especially true for mothers raising sons. Single parents raising boys face the unique challenge of influencing them away from any and every perspective that would lead them to put other women in the same situation in which their mothers find themselves. Conversely, single moms tightly tethered to their faith have the opportunity to reverse the consequences that can easily be transferred to the next generation if not properly addressed.

Roland has provided us a biblically sound tool to encourage, inspire, train, and guide single moms on the hope God gives them in accomplishing this task, in spite of the circumstances in which they find themselves.

Utilizing the biblical story of Hagar, Roland digs deep into the historical background and practical ramifications of single moms who need divine help in raising their boys to be the men they were created to be.

Against the backdrop of his own story, Roland opens up his life, his heart, his pain, and his purpose for us to see not only how Hagars story parallels his own story, but also how Gods grace can redeem the difficult challenges single moms face in raising sons to be kingdom men.

This is a book full of help and hope. It does not skip the pain of life facing single moms, but it goes on to give them, as well as those who minister to them, the information necessary to construct a home built on the solid foundation of Gods Word. This excellent work shows how God can redeem the life of mothers and their sons from the limitations in which they find themselves. Raising Sons of Promise will help every single mom, as well as those who love them, to raise up the next generation of boys to be godly men, fathers, churchmen, and community leaders.

If you must give me a name, an identity, then call me Ishmael, for it is not important, nor does it matter who I am. I am not the focus of what I narrate. What I narrate is bigger, and more important than me.

Im sitting on your sofa playing video games. Im zooming Matchbox cars across your kitchen table or building with LEGO bricks on the floor. Maybe Im playing ball in the house again, even though youve told me one hundred times not to.

Im your son.

Okay. Obviously, Im not really your son. But I do understand him. I bet thats why you picked up this book. You have a son, and you may feel worried because hes going to be raised without his dad.

Chances are, this isnt the way you planned it. Maybe you were married for a while until everything fell apart. Or maybe your sons father was never aroundand youve been trying to navigate alone since his birth the unique world of boys. Perhaps this is the kind of book you never, ever planned to need or read. The mere thought of that may be aggravating.

No matter your situation, theres one thing I know for sureyour son needs you.

Boys and girls are not the same. Yes, we have many similarities, but our differences are glaring. You can try to raise your son like you were raised, but that may be frustrating for you both. Boys think, communicate, and act differently than girls do; they have different needs. For this reason, I want to offer you some insight into how boys tick so that you can parent him successfully. Youre already under a lot of stress. Parenting solo is no easy feat. So I hope that by helping you decode some of what your son is processing, I can lighten that load.