I Need Some Help Here!

Kathi Lipp

Description

It's easy to feel overwhelmed as a parent--and worried and anxious. There are so many areas of a child's life that can go wrong along the way. What's a mom to do?With wit and wisdom, Kathi Lipp meets moms where they are and offers the most powerful hope they have--prayer--for both their kids and themselves. Chapters includeWhen Your Child Is Running Away from GodWhen Your Child Makes Poor ChoicesWhen Your Child Is StrugglingWhen Your Child Is Left OutWhen Your Child Is DifferentMoms who are overwhelmed or simply need a little support will cherish this expert guidance on praying for their kids--from toddler to teenager--with boldness and confidence.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• Prayer in Christianity

Informations

• Publié par: Baker Publishing Group
• Date de parution: 27 mai 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781441245229
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

© 2014 by Kathi Lipp
Published by Revell
a division of Baker Publishing Group
P.O. Box 6287, Grand Rapids, MI 49516-6287
www . revellbooks .com
Ebook edition created 2014
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—for example, electronic, photocopy, recording—without the prior written permission of the publisher. The only exception is brief quotations in printed reviews.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file at the Library of Congress, Washington, DC.
ISBN 978-1-4412-4522-9
Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide. www.zondervan.com
Scripture quotations labeled NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scripture quotations labeled NLT are 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.
Published in association with the literary agency of WordServe Literary Group, Ltd., 10152 S. Knoll Circle, Highlands Ranch, CO 80130.
To protect the privacy of those who have shared their stories with the author, some details and names have been changed.
Manuscript development by Erin MacPherson
“Kathi has the unusual gift of being able to offer deep and important counsel in a lighthearted, fun package. This book is a fantastic resource for every parent who wants to know how to navigate the real-life stuff that interrupts their nice, neat ideas of how life and kids should go. Kathi has been there, and this wisdom is priceless.”
— Shaunti Feldhahn , bestselling author of For Women Only and For Parents Only
“Our role as parents is to guide our children into adulthood. Our greatest opportunities will often come when they experience various kinds of failures. With grace and truth, Kathi authentically deals with these realities as a mom and stepmom during those not-so-good moments, sharing some great and practical insights and tips.”
— Roy Baldwin , speaker, popular contributor to Dad Matters blog, and director of parenting at Focus on the Family
Praise for Praying God’ s Word for Your Husband
“I have concluded that the power and strength of our marriage of thirty-two years come from prayer. I have also discerned that most women feel a little overwhelmed, lost, or confused when it comes to just how to pray for their man. Kathi Lipp tackles this vital issue with practical tips and encouragement, as well as some easy-to-follow prayers, so that every wife can be a praying wife. Husbands around the world, including your own, will be grateful for the fruit of this book as you weave your way through it and apply it with love.”
— Pam Farrel , author of the bestselling Men Are Like Waffles , Women Are Like Spaghetti and 52 Ways to Wow Your Husband
Praise for Praying God ’ s Word for Your Life
“I recommend this book for anyone needing direction and practical guidance for personal prayer time.”
— CBA Retailers + Resources
“Kathi Lipp takes us on a life-changing journey to pray God’s Word over our lives. I love her practical steps and insights on how to make this a part of our daily routine. Highly recommended.”
— Linda Evans Shepherd , bestselling author of When You Don’t Know What to Pray
To Kimberly
Anyone else might have a problem having a book with this title dedicated to them, but only you would actually love it.
I love you and am so proud of you. God has big things in store for you, and I love that I get to have a front row seat.
contents
Cover 1
Title Page 2
Copyright Page 3
Endorsements 4
Dedication 5
Acknowledgments 9
Introduction 11
1. Unlikely Gifts 17
2. Don’t Hang Out in the Motherhood Alone 27
3. You Are Not the Only One 33
4. When My Child Is Different 51
5. When My Child Is Overwhelmed 65
6. When My Child Is Troubled 77
7. When My Child Is Sick or Injured 91
8. When My Child Makes Poor Choices 103
9. When My Child Is Running Away from God 117
10. When My Child Is Lacking Character 129
11. When My Child Is Struggling 143
12. When My Child Is Left Out 157
Final Thoughts 169
Notes 171
About the Author 172
Books by Kathi Lipp 173
Back Ads 174
Back Cover 175
acknowledgments
My biggest thanks go to Erin MacPherson. I can’t get over how blessed I am to have you in my life.
To the other “bad moms”—Susy Flory and Cheri Gregory. Not only do you give me support, but you give me tons of material.
And to the team who holds me up—Lynette Furstenburg, Angela Bouma, Kim Nowlin, and Bronwyn Swartz. I am so grateful.
To the kiddos in our lives—Amanda, Jeremy, Justen, and Kimber. Every book there are new stories to share. Thanks for trusting me with yours.
Andrea Doering and the rest of the Revell team. Still shocked and amazed that I get to be with you.
To Rachelle Gardner and the rest of the Books and Such team. I’m honored to be a part of you.
And to Roger, who is the coauthor of all my best adventures.
To each person who has prayed, encouraged, or held us up this year. We are so grateful. God has used you as his hands and feet.
introduction
I feel like I ’ m failing as a mom .
Please tell me I’m not scarring my kids.
Others joke that they need to save up not for college but for therapy for their kids. I’m afraid that I’m not joking.
As parents, many of us are silently pleading, I wish someone would just tell me what to do.
Oh, how often have I heard that same sentence—usually when I’m huddled in a corner, praying with a mom whose child is in trouble. Maybe her daughter is sick or her son has made some bad choices in life. Her toddler is defiant, her teen is running wild, or her adult child is no longer speaking to her. She is heartsick and would do anything— anything —to make her child “okay.”
When I’m sitting there, my hands clasped around hers, praying that God would change the situation, I don’t just feel bad for this poor mom, I feel empathy too. Real, true, deep, heartfelt empathy. Because every prayer we’re praying I’ve prayed a thousand times for my own children:
when my son was asked to leave his preschool class for disruptive behavior
when my stepdaughter said yes to an engagement ring from the man my husband and I knew was not in God’s will for her life
when my daughter was in the emergency room of our local hospital for hours on end and the doctors couldn’t figure out why she was having pains that made her scream
when my stepson refused to talk to me at my wedding because he hated that I was marrying his dad
when I found the medical marijuana card in the laundry
Every single time I thought, I wish someone would tell me what to do . Like you, I want the best for my kids. I would lay down my life for them. I want to take every pain away, to stop every potential issue before it happens, to keep them safe and healthy. And I want them to grow into men and women who love God and live by his Word.
But, frustratingly, sometimes the next step isn’t “do.” Sometimes the next step is to just be still and know that he is God. Yes, the next step is “pray.”
For years I’ve loved the story of the Amalekite battle in Exodus 17:8–14:
The Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites at Rephidim. Moses said to Joshua, “Choose some of our men and go out to fight the Amalekites. Tomorrow I will stand on top of the hill with the staff of God in my hands.”
So Joshua fought the Amalekites as Moses had ordered, and Moses, Aaron and Hur went to the top of the hill. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up—one on one side, one on the other—so that his hands remained steady till sunset. So Joshua overcame the Amalekite army with the sword.
Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this on a scroll as something to be remembered and make sure that Joshua hears it, because I will completely blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.”
I’ve loved this story for so many reasons: Moses listened to God. He didn’t try a bunch of other approaches and then think, Okay , none of those worked. Maybe I should give God’s way a try . No, he listened to God. Moses was obedient. It shows radical obedience when we’re standing in a battle for our own lives. The story shows the power of community. Aaron and Hur are the ones holding up Moses’s hands in the battle. When we grow tired and can’t keep up the battle, God gives us a model of what real community looks like: supporting each other. The story also shows that comfort is important in these hard times. Not only did Aaron and Hur support Moses’s hands, but they also provided a rock for him to sit on. It’s not an accident that that detail was included. We don’t just need truth in our parenting; we need a community that will love us, pray with us, support us, and believe in us as well.
Recently when I was sitting in church, my pastor, Scott Simmerok, talked about this portion of Scripture. I thought, I’ve spoken and written about this Scripture over a hundred times. I could make my shopping list for the week on the back of this church program. But not wanting anyone to see me ignoring the pastor, I figured I’d better listen and take a few notes.
That’s when I realized I’d been missing a huge point in this story all along. Yes, it’s about community. Yes, it’s about strength and comfort. But the real point?
God won the battle.
It was God. Yes, Moses was obedient. He did what God asked him to do: he stood on the hill with the staff in his hands. He prayed. And when he