Ebook
How you speak to your kids today will impact your relationship with them tomorrow.
As a parent, your words are powerful. What you say and how you say it has the potential to either invite your children into deeper relationship with you or push them away. What's more, in a very real sense, your words represent—or misrepresent—God's words to his children— meaning they have the power to shape how your children view their heavenly Father.
Offering practical guidance for grace-filled communication in the midst of the craziness of everyday life, this accessible guide will help you speak in ways that reflect the grace God has shown to you in the gospel.
“This book immediately affected the way I had conversations with
my grandchildren about some teachable moments in their lives. Smith
brings together Scripture and illustrations in a way that makes you
want to do better in those conversations, and helps you know how to
do it.”
—Ed Welch, Counselor and Faculty Member,
Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation
“If you’re like me, you might have read the title of this book,
Parenting with Words of Grace, and felt the need to stifle a
moan. Oh, no . . . here comes the guilt! Please don’t make
that assumption. Like its title, this book is filled with words of
grace: grace to you as a parent and grace to you as a child of the
only Father who knows what it is to always speak with words of
grace. It’s full of deeply satisfying encouragement for your soul
and is written in a winsome and honest way. You’ll be glad you read
it. You really will.”
—Elyse Fitzpatrick, coauthor, Worthy:
Celebrating the Value of Women
“A rich resource loaded with scriptural insight. Bible lovers
will relish Smith’s use and application of Scripture. Parents will
be comforted that they are not alone in some of their struggles and
given helpful instructions on how to be good parents.”
—Ajith Fernando, Teaching Director, Youth for
Christ, Sri Lanka; author, Discipling in a Multicultural
World
“Parenting with Words of Grace delivers on its title. In
short, easy-to-read chapters, Bill Smith introduces parents to
God’s amazing grace for their own lives and helps moms and dads
understand how to apply that grace in their families. The wisdom
found in these pages will help you love your kids in spite of their
failures, trust God for the outcome of your parenting, and
encourage your children through the trials they face.”
—Marty Machowski, Executive Pastor, Covenant
Fellowship Church, Glen Mills, Pennsylvania; author, Parenting
First Aid and Long Story Short
“I am allergic to formulaic, pedantic, ‘how-to’ Christian books
on parenting. Thankfully, that is not what this book is.
Bill Smith recognizes that gospel-shaped parenting is more like art
than mathematics; we need to depend more on the Holy Spirit than
any how-to manual! Most importantly, Smith urges Christian parents
to see their God-given role as authoritative, yes, but also
formative as they use their words and conversations
to establish a Christ-centered relationship with their children
that can continue for all eternity. I commend this book to you and
have already benefited from it myself.”
—Jon Nielson, Senior Pastor, Spring
Valley Presbyterian Church, Roselle, Illinois; coeditor,
Gospel-Centered Youth Ministry
“Who doesn’t want to invite their children into a healthy,
vibrant relationship? I know I do. Bill Smith gives a compelling
vision for how our words and conversations shape our parenting and
how, through our words, we are vehicles through which our children
see God. I read this book and wanted to go talk to my kids. You
will too.”
—Courtney Reissig, author, Teach Me to
Feel and Glory in the Ordinary
“A powerful and encouraging read! William Smith highlights the
power of our words as motivators for our children to seek a real
and lasting relationship with Jesus Christ. He offers encouragement
for our failed words and help for our future words.”
—Shona Murray, author, Refresh: Embracing a
Grace-Paced Life in a World of Endless Demands
William P. Smith (PhD, Rutgers University; MDiv, Westminster Theological Seminary) is a pastor, author, and retreat speaker who has served several churches, been a faculty member of the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation, and taught practical theology at Westminster Theological Seminary. He is the author of Loving Well (Even If You Haven't Been) and numerous other books and booklets.