McDowell - Set Free to Choose Right Equipping Todays Kids to Make Right Moral Choices for Life

Josh McDowell is a man who knows the truth and shares it with authority and power. He is a gifted writer who has helped me in my walk with Christ, and now he has created a new tool that will help every parent teach the toughest truths and discuss the most difficult areas of life. I love how he shares his own struggles and his own insights on victory. I have shared this material with my own kids, and it has provided us with new ways to say yes to what is right and how to do the next right thing. You will love Set Free to Choose Right if you love teaching your kids how to live the Christian life.

Stephen Arterburn, Founder and Chairman of New Life Ministries

Any book Josh McDowell writes is worth much more than the price of the bookand this book is no different! Josh offers parents Jesus-focused instructions on parenting leadership and very practical direction on pursuing an intimate relationship with our kids based on love and transparency. The Bible and real life illustrations show how raising our children by living out Jesus instructions on leadership really work at home. This very valuable and usable book will equip any parent to lead their kids with love!

Barry St. Clair, author, speaker, and President of Reach Out Youth Solutions

In a world where distractions permeate every screen and Wi-Fi signal, todays parents need to teach their kids truth so they are equipped to recognize lies. In these pages, Josh helps us segue from high guidance to setting our kids free to choose right. Ill definitely be recommending this book in my parenting workshops.

Jonathan McKee, President of TheSource4Parents.com, speaker, author of If I Had a Parenting Do Over and The Teens Guide to Social Media & Mobile Devices

Social media tempts us to think that staying in constant contact with our kids is enough. In reality, they need deep trust, not just frequent touches. Josh takes the reader on a very personal, humbling journey of how to develop that kind of relationship with our kids. Set Free to Choose Right comes at exactly the right time for me as a dad, and at just the right moment for our culture.

Jeff Myers, Ph.D., President of Summit Ministries

I appreciate that the biblical principles and practical insight in Joshs book Set Free to Choose Right have been forged on the anvil of real life experience. This book is a very helpful guide for parents and caring adults in guiding young people to embrace biblical convictions in todays foggy moral environment.

Daryl Nuss, Executive Director/CEO of National Network of Youth Ministries

After three decades of working with families and students, I have found no better resource than Josh McDowell. His consistency and drive to hit the big issues is something to be admired. Once again, Josh is tackling the definitive issue for our children, how to say yes to Gods best. I believe in todays world there is a battle for the hearts, minds, bodies, families, and futures of our young people. Set Free to Choose Right fillets this issue down to the bone. This is a must read!

Dr. Jay Strack, President and Founder of Youth Pastor Summit and Student Leadership University

2018 by Josh McDowell Ministry

Print ISBN 978-1-63409-974-5

eBook Editions:
Adobe Digital Edition (.epub) 978-1-68322-673-4
Kindle and MobiPocket Edition (.prc) 978-1-68322-674-1

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted for commercial purposes, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without written permission of the publisher.

Churches and other noncommercial interests may reproduce portions of this book without the express written permission of Barbour Publishing, provided that the text does not exceed 500 words or 5 percent of the entire book, whichever is less, and that the text is not material quoted from another publisher. When reproducing text from this book, include the following credit line: From Set Free to Choose Right: Equipping Todays Kids to Make Right Moral Choices for Life, published by Barbour Publishing, Inc. Used by permission.

Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked NIV are taken from the H OLY B IBLE , N EW I NTERNATIONAL V ERSION . NIV . Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible, 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked TLB are taken from The Living Bible 1971. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.

Published by Shiloh Run Press, an imprint of Barbour Publishing, Inc., 1810 Barbour Drive, Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683, www.shilohrunpress.com.

Our mission is to inspire the world with the life-changing message of the Bible.

Printed in the United States of America.

I wish to recognize the following individuals for their valuable contribution to this book.

Dave Bellis, my friend and colleague for over forty years, for collaborating with me on the outline of the book, pulling from my other works to then write the first draft, folding in all the edits, and shaping this work into its final form. I recognize Daves writing skills and insights on the subject matter, and Im deeply grateful for his contribution.

Tom Williams, for editing the manuscript to which he applied his valuable insights, wordsmithing skills, and passionate heart to help make these words come alive on the printed page.

Becky Bellis, for laboring at the computer to ready the manuscript.

Jake Kissack and Ben Bennett for reviewing the parent/child interaction in the fictional story and providing excellent input in order to make the story more realistic.

Jessie Fioritto, for the editorial guidance she brought to the manuscripts completion.

Kelly McIntosh, vice president of editorial at Barbour Publishing, for her expert insights and help in shaping the direction of the book.

Tim Martins, president of Barbour Publishing, and the entire Barbour Publishing team, who caught the vision for this book and the Set Free Journey and labored tirelessly to launch this book to the Christian community.

Josh McDowell

I t was a little past 10:30 p.m. when Aubrey Jefferies slipped quietly into her home. The PTA board meeting had droned on much longer than she anticipated, and she hoped her husband, Brad, had not waited up for her. The lights were turned off, so she assumed that he and their two teenage children were already in bed. Guided by hallway nightlights, she tiptoed up the stairway and down the hall, hoping she could slip into bed without awakening her husband.

As she made her way past the bedroom of Jayden, their fourteen-year-old son, she thought she heard a muffled sound coming from under the closed door. She stopped to listen. It sounded like the voice of a woman. Aubrey slowly turned the doorknob and peered into the room. Jayden was sitting at his desk with his back to her, staring intently at his computer. Displayed on the screen was a provocative young woman, completely naked, speaking to the viewer in seductive tones.