At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 14

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 14

  • Mercy is tenderheartedness and compassion toward someone in need. How did your child reveal their need for mercy this past week?

  • If mercy isn't natural to you, what are some other natural reactions that have been revealed in your parenting?

  • How has God shown you mercy recently, and how should that impact the mercy you show your children? Be specific.

  • Tripp insists that the most important thing a parent can do is remember the daily mercies we need and receive (we don’t deserve or earn them). He shares 8 of his favorite Biblical reminders about God’s mercy: Psalm 23:6, 28:6, 40:11, 103:4, 145:9, Isaiah 30:18, Ephesians 2:4, and Hebrews 4:16. We encourage you to start this meditation on mercy by writing these verses down. Consider memorizing one each week or posting them places you’ll see them often. Ask God to help you understand the implications of His mercy on your own life, and for His help in parenting with mercy.

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 13

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 13

  • Consider the principle of rest explored in this chapter. We’re often told it’s ok to rest. How does the world’s invitation to rest look different from God’s invitation to rest? Why is it difficult for us to respond to God’s invitation?

  • Is your parenting most often fueled by trust or fear? What is the driving force that shapes your decisions, behaviors, and reactions regarding your child?

  • How does our ability to rest impact our ability to parent purposefully?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 12

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 12

  • How have your parenting goals been shaped by the values of our surrounding culture? Specifically consider how you view and practice parental control.

  • In what ways do our children need us to exercise control as parents? Why isn’t it enough to merely exercise control over our children?

  • What is the connection between what God has called you to, and what God has promised you? How does this connection help us better fulfill our calling as parents?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 11

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 11

  • When does your child get the most angry or upset? What do they hate being told to do? What does this reveal about what they may idolize in their hearts?

  • How can you help your blind children see their idolatry? In what ways can you lead your child to confession, on their own?

  • What idols in your own heart do you need to address to be a better instrument of sight and confession?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 10

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 10

  • This chapter explains that a good thing can become a bad thing in your heart because it has become a ruling thing. How do you see this play out in your own life?

  • Paul Tripp invites us to view moments that require our parental insight, wisdom, and guidance as “moments of grace.” How do you tend to view “parenting” moments?

  • More than character management, our children need worship realignment. Consider your child’s age, stage, and interests. How can you help foster a sense of awe in your child’s heart for how wonderful God is?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 7

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 7

  • Consider the ways we settle for surface victories and surface solutions in our homes. What messages might our kids internalize (about themselves, life, and God) when our focus is primarily on their behavior?

  • How do the parables in Luke 15 help shape our understanding of our job description as parents?

  • Every person is tempted to believe the lie that they are autonomous and self-sufficient. How does our ability to understand this in ourselves help us give our kids what they truly need?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 6

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 6

  • Paul Tripp points out that God has a process mentality with us. Reflect on ways God has been faithful to illuminate truth, convict, forgive, and transform you over time. Be specific.

  • Why do you suppose God chose to make transformation a life-long process, as opposed to a one-time event?

  • How does our understanding of this principle, process, bring us freedom in parenting our kids? Think specifically about your expectations and perceived failures + victories as a parent.

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 5

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 5

  • Tripp lists five indicators that signal to us we’re misplacing our identity. Think about how these indicators play out in your parenting. How can your reactions to your children (disappointment, hurt, anger, fear, pride) serve as a sign that you’re misplacing your identity?

    • too much focus on success

    • too much concern about reputation

    • too great a desire for control

    • too much emphasis on doing rather than being

    • too much temptation to make it personal

  • What does it mean to find our identity in God? Refer to page 76 in chapter 5 to complete this statement: “Because God loves me, He… “ Write down the truths that most clearly speak to your need right now.

  • How does finding our identity in God impact our hearts and, therefore, our parenting?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 4

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 4

  • What kind of authority do your children need you to exercise? How does that play out in everyday situations?

  • In our human wisdom, what are the three most often used parenting tools? How have you used these tools? Have they been effective in producing change?

  • Our Heavenly Father is never content with just controlling us. He desires permanent heart change. How can you give yourself to the hard process of heart change in your children?

At-Home Discipleship Study: Week 3

TALK ABOUT THESE POINTS FROM CHAPTER 3

  • What is something you see in your child’s life that captures them? Have you instituted rules in order to discourage this enticement? Have these rules worked?

  • This chapter talks about law replacement. What are some of your laws that, when broken, result in anger directed at your child? What is the root of this law? What do you gain by it being kept?

  • How does confession lead to more grace-filled parenting? What confessions do you feel lead to make after reading this chapter?

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Parents,

We know discipling our kids from home without the in-person support of our church family has been so incredibly challenging. We want to come alongside you in this challenge with encouragement and truth that will inspire all of us to persevere. That’s why we want to connect you with one of our favorite resources for shaping the way we think about discipling our kids: a book written by Paul Tripp, Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family.

“In this life-giving book, Paul Tripp offers parents much more than a to-do list. Instead, he presents us with a big-picture view of God's plan for us as parents. Outlining fourteen foundational principles centered on the gospel, he shows that we need more than the latest parenting strategy or list of techniques. Rather, we need the rescuing grace of God—grace that has the power to shape how we view everything we do as parents.” - Paul Tripp Ministries

Each week, beginning this Sunday, we will post a short video provided by Paul Tripp Ministries that coincides with a gospel-centered parenting principle from the book. We encourage all parents to purchase the book using the links below and read it together alongside other Ocean City families. Chapter 1 will be available on our website for this week’s study.

We hope you will jump in with us to explore our role as disciplers in our kids’ lives, and pray that God restores joy to your hearts and homes in a weary time through His outpouring of grace!

purchase Parenting: 14 Gospel Principles That Can Radically Change Your Family