Parenting and Life group - Huh!?!

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You may have been around when Pastor Chris did a series on Parenting in November of 2018. Those messages struck a chord with many hearts as parents felt the calling of God to raise their children His way. It certainly did for Elba Gomez! She’s been in Life Group for 2 years and, after the Parentology Series, decided to take Lori High up on her offer to study just what God’s way is all about. The Group is studying “Parenting by the Book” by John Rosemond. Elba loves to read books and had a desire to grow in the area of parenting. She felt the Parenting Life Group was aligned with her goals and decided to join.

The idea of changing how we parent can be overwhelming. But thankfully, this group takes it one step at a time. They pick one area where each wants to grow and, prayerfully, work on it throughout the week. They hold each other accountable and support each other in making the right decisions that aren’t always easy or painless. Elba loves that there is “no pressure because it’s a partnership.” They gracefully help each other with follow-through and enforcement.

Life Group has been instrumental in helping Elba apply the principles she’s learning in the book. Elba can parent her two boys without the pressure of perfection or the struggle of guilt. Her time in the group has helped her with things like giving her children more responsibility. She’s learning how to give assignments that have consequences for not doing them. Naturally, giving the boys more work comes with some opposition. But she’s learned to talk it through with her boys and hold them accountable. “It’s all a work in progress but there has been progress!” she says.

Elba has psychology and education degrees and is a supervisor for teachers. She has found that what the bible teaches about parenting often contradicts modern thinking. The phrase that resonates the most as she makes daily decisions on how to raise her children is, “You’re not raising a child. You’re raising an adult.” The book and study time has challenged her thinking and offered new perspectives that she looks forward to introducing in the classroom. Elba is even working to apply these principles on Sunday’s in her role as an Awana Group Leader.

For Elba, “learning and growing in Christ is not just a Sunday thing. It’s something that continues throughout the week.” She highly recommends Life Group because she’s seen the fruit of building deep and meaningful relationships with people that she sees on Sunday mornings.

Elba’s story is an example of how following God changes our lives. When we say ‘yes’ to God he guides us in the right direction day by day. He puts people in our lives that help us grow and shows us that, with Him, there is a better way.

If you have a desire to grow in the area of parenting, consider trying out the Parenting Life Group in February 2020. Join a Life Group, not because you need to be perfect, but because investing in your walk with God can produce incredible fruit in your children’s lives, and in their children’s lives, and in generations to come.