1. Book Review -- Age of Opportunity

Author: Paul David Tripp

Year of Publication: 1997

Publisher: P&R Publishing

Pages: 293

Author’s Web-site: http://www.paultrippministries.org

Languages: English

You should read this book if you…

Have teenagers or children that are about to be teenagers and you want to learn how to communicate with your child in a way that builds your relationship with them and encourages them to draw closer to God.

“In a nut shell”…

This book helps parents identify and deal with sin in their own life that hinders their relationship with their child and with God. Parents can then more effectively take advantage of opportunities to apply God’s word to the struggles of the teenage years and focus on the ultimate goal of parenting, helping our children have a heart for God.

Key Ideas…

The teenage years provide great opportunities to guide children. However, sin in the parent’s life keeps them from taking advantage of those opportunities. God’s plan suggests that children will learn the most fundamental principles of life in the context of family: how everything is connected to God, how to love one another, and how to go to Jesus for forgiveness for sin.

Parents need to guide their children to find their hope in Christ during the struggles of the teen years. Teenagers tend to focus on appearance, possessions and acceptance, but there is a much deeper spiritual struggle for their hearts underlying all these issues. Parents need to help teenagers identify things in the culture that have a negative influence on them, guide them in applying God’s word to specific situations, and coach them in applying wisdom to challenges they face so they develop their own personal convictions.

The ultimate goal of parenting is for our teens to develop a deep and sincere hunger to know, love and honor God. Parents should help teenagers identify areas of needed growth before they are ready to leave home. Parents need to be in constant conversation with their child that continually leads them to repentance and hope

Action Steps…

Identify the idols described in Chapter 2 that are relevant to you as a parent: comfort, respect, appreciation, success, and control.

Go to your child and confess the sins in your own heart that are hindering your relationship with them.

Take the time to find out what your child is thinking about a specific struggle they are experiencing and determine how to apply God’s word to that situation.

Read through the negative attitudes of teens in Chapter 9 (relativism, individualism, emotionalism, presentism, materialism, autonomy, and victimism) and identify the fruit you see in your child and the alternatives presented in the Bible.

How this has changed my parenting…

It is has helped me identify the sin in my own life that needed to be addressed as my children approached the teen years. It has helped me take the time to talk with my children about what they are thinking and struggling with and helped me to focus on the ultimate priority of parenting, that they will have a heart for God.

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