You know how some things just stick with you? 

The things, the people, the lessons that come at just the right time...

They end up burning a place in your mind and your heart and you'll never forget them... 

My teaching pastor, David Whiting, just finished up a phenomenal sermon series on parenting. It's been one of those sticky things for me. This series has given me SO. MUCH. WISDOM. and practical application for centering my parenting around the Gospel. 

I'll never forget it.

Partly because I fully intend to watch it three thousand more times...

But mostly because I learned that the WORLD'S MOST PERFECT PARENT goes to me!

Um. NO, actually. Not even close. It's mostly because I realized how much was MISSING in my parenting.

I thought that because I had loved my children so dearly and talked constantly to them about Jesus prayed so much and read so many books and sought so much counsel from people who have gone before me, the problems in my children's behavior (one, in particular) were SURELY the result of things beyond our control. 

We've begun to see, though, that even in our exceedingly great love for our kids, Sean and I have been inconsistent in places we hadn't realized before this sermon series (however, it took some serious humbling on my part and God had to do a number on my defenses). And we are very aware now that our inconsistencies have taken a toll on our kids. 

I'm so thankful that it doesn't have to end there. God's grace is so amazing. 

When Sean and I started putting into practice what we were learning in David's teaching, we began seeing beautiful fruit in our kids' behavior within days. I'm not kidding---SO much has changed already, and it's been incredible!

Which brings me to the new dream that God started pouring into my heart somewhere in the middle of the third sermon in the series. The sermon when, as soon as it was over, I jumped out of my seat in excitement and started squealing in an unthinkably high-pitched voice to my friends who were next to me.

Are you ready for a sneak peek?

I promise not to speak in such a shrill voice this time.

It's called Game Plan: Time-Out Dialogue for Training Young Hearts.

• It's a strategy for dialogue, instead of lecture.
• It's a strategy for modeling clean-slate forgiveness (even when consequences are still necessary).
• It's a strategy for teaching our kids the biblical "why" for every behavior we expect of them and knowing the "why" for ourselves (not to mention, having the "why" accessible and available in the moment).
• It's a strategy for keeping our parenting centered around the Gospel.

There are multiple items that come with this resource, but here's a little glimpse of just one of the pieces...

If this intrigues you at all, I'd love to hear about it in the comments below. 

I would also love to hear: what are some of the greatest parenting resources you've found?

"Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it," (Proverbs 22:6).