Kathleen Long Bostrom - 99 Ways to Raise Spiritually Healthy Children

2010 Kathleen Long Bostrom

1st edition
Published by Westminster John Knox Press
Louisville, Kentucky

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1910 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

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Scripture quotations from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible are copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and are used by permission.

Book design by Drew Stevens
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Cover illustration: iStockphoto.com

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Bostrom, Kathleen Long.
99 ways to raise spiritually healthy children / Kathleen Long Bostrom.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
ISBN 978-0-664-23536-9 (alk. paper)
1. ParentsReligious life. 2. ParentingReligious aspectsChristianity.
3. Child rearingReligious aspectsChristianity. I. Title.
BV4529.B673 2010
248.845dc22

2010027046

PRINTED IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

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In loving memory of my father,
Myron C. Mike Long
May 17, 1g26-August 16, 2010
Dad, you were always the image of God to me.
I will love you forever.

To my three amazing children,
Christopher, Amy, David.
You are my greatest joy,
and I love you more than words can say.

At last here it is, in one manageable book: everything you need to know to raise spiritually healthy children. Simply plow through the list of ninety-nine, check them off as you go, and voil! You are assured children who will overflow with spiritual health for the rest of their lives.

If only this were possible! Alas, no one resource can sum up everything we need to know as parents. This book is by no means the definitive guide. It provides ideas that I hope will be helpful as you undertake this most worthy of responsibilities: raising a child in a home where spiritual health is not only valued but also lived out day after day.

What is your definition of a spiritually healthy child? One who never misses a Sunday at church? One who agrees with everything you believe? One who can rattle off Bible verses without blinking an eye? If these are your only definitions of a spiritually healthy child, this book may not be for you. Or maybe its exactly the book you need.

Spirituality is the pattern by which we shape our lives in response to our experience of God as a very real presence in and around us, Howard Rice writes. Even the tasks that may seem unrelated to faith, such as portioning out the daily chores or deciding how we handle our finances, are reflections of our faith in a living, loving, and forgiving God. God does not expect us to be perfect. God abounds in grace, and we rely on that grace over and over again as we raise our children.

The ideas and activities presented in this book do not appear in hierarchical order, with 1 the most important and 99 the least (although if you read only two, read 1 and 99). Flip through the book and see what catches your eye. You will find a variety of suggestions: activities that families can do together, approaches to participating in church, thoughts on connecting kids to God, and encouragements for parents to care for their own self and soul. Will anyone want to take on all ninety-nine? Probably not, although youre welcome to try. My hope is that in these pages you will find a few insights, a couple of new strategies, several ideas you want to try, and, in the midst of it all, a sense of the grace of God at work in your children and in you.

Each entry includes a Bible verse to serve as a foundation and ends with a thought-provoking question that you can use as a springboard to further thought. The question can be one you share with your family or keep to yourself. It can be used as a journaling prompt if you are so inclined.

The ninety-nine ideas laid out in this book are hardly my own, and you may have a few you could add. I have gleaned from experts: Christian educators, child psychologists, other parents, and children. I have drawn on my own experience as a parent and as a pastor, but I am no authority. My husband and I have raised three amazing children, and they are living proof that parents can make plenty of mistakes and still end up with terrific kids. While ministry has been my active vocation throughout my childrens lives, mostly I consider myself to be just one of many mothers who love their children beyond imagining and hope they will live holy and joyful lives.

Bless you as you nurture your childs faith, and your own as well.

Kathleen Long Bostrom
Fall 2010