For the past 1 1/2 years I’ve been pondering how to help parents at my church be the faith leaders in their own home. I know most of them want to, but they don’t know how. Like me, many are first generation Christians, so they did not grow up with parents who modeled that for them.

I’ve held and continue to hold workshops and discussion groups where we open the conversation on hot topics parents face: how to talk to your kids about sex, how to help your kids succeed in school, how to get your kids to be responsible, etc.

No matter what the topic is, the central theme that I try to get across is the same – parents, you need to teach them about God.

Now that’s I’ve read Mark Holmen’s book and also attended his seminar and keynote on how to take faith into the home, my thinking on helping parents be the faith leaders at home is much more clear.

I bought this book, Church + Home because Mark Holmen was one of the speakers at a conference I was looking into attending. I figured if I read the book, I won’t go to the conference, which was several months away. However, the book was sitting on my desk, literally sitting on my desk, for a few months without getting beyond the first chapter. It seemed to be just another book about how the home is lacking with no practical solutions offered.

Then I decided to attend the conference, heard Mark, and I was excited to read the book! The book is much better after I heard Mark speak. His passion for faith at home does not come through enough in the book. He is so much better in person. Even though I could hear him in my mind as I read the book, it really doesn’t make the kind of impact that he made on me in person.

A few quotes:

“Of all the things you can do as a leader in Christ’s church, there is nothing more important than helping to bring Christ and Christlike living into the center of every home.” p.52

“Satan knows just how strong the Church can be when its members gather together around a common vision. It’s like grabbing a handful of pencils and trying to break them all at once – not very easy to do. However, if Satan can divide the family in the Church, it becomes more like breaking a single pencil – which is a lot easier for him to do.” p.81

I highly recommend the book, but if you ever get to hear Mark Holmen live, the book will read much better. I am hoping that God will open the way for him to come speak at our church one day.

P.S.  I emailed Mark with a question and he responded to me within 5 hours!

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