I have been a fan of Israel and Brook Wayne for some time.
Though we have never met, I have watched across the internet as they teach parents to examine their actions and realign them with a Biblical worldview. It has really caused me to question so many decisions and actions in my own life. How do they measure against the Word of God? Am I acting on a Biblical worldview, or from the way I have been conditioned by the world.
It has been challenging to re-think through so much of my parenting, and actually my life, in general. ¬¬¬It is these types of questions that cause us to grow as Christians.
When I received the opportunity to review Israel and Brook’s new book, Pitchin’ A Fit, I was excited!
Pitchin A Fit is a paperback book (with 159 pages).
This book was full of down-to-earth parenting advice- no fancy words, just plain wisdom and scripture to lead you to less anger, and more productive parenting. I especially liked Brook’s personal stories of dealing with her children and learning to develop self-discipline with her children.
The 12 chapters include:
- Stressed Out and Overwhelmed
- Is It Wrong to Get Angry?
- What Causes Anger?
- Provoking Our Children to Wrath
- Trigger Happy- What Sets You Off?
- Yelling Moms, Hollering Dads
- “But I’m Not Patient!”
- What Patience Is and Isn’t
- Nurture in the Heart of Correcting
- The Power of Affirmation
- Creating Peace in the Home
- Accountability
Passages that really spoke to me:
From the chapter “What Causes Anger?”
“Envy or jealousy is ultimately rooted in dissatisfaction with God. It is an implicit accusation against God’s justice. It suggests that God has not been fair in His dealings with us. Harboring an accusation against God is a grave and dangerous sin of presumption.”
From the chapter “Yelling Moms, Hollering Dads”
“We get so used to talking to our families that we can forget the tremendous weight the Lord puts on what comes out of our mouths. If there is anger coming out of our mouths, the Bible indicates this is a heart problem. Oftentimes, we think it is our children who need to be corrected, but sometimes, we need it even more! That reminds me of something Jesus said about a log and a speck in one’s eye (see Luke 6:42).”
“Even when our children walk in ways that incite our anger, we must be looking for ways to bring a healthy healing light, a path of hope, a hand toward walking in righteousness. This is presenting the gospel of grace- there is hope for the wayward sinner! An in offering this kind of love and patience, something happens in our hearts. We’re softened. Not toward sin, but toward the sinner.”
What I most took from this book (which I knew, but it definitely confirmed in my heart that I have work to do!), is that though I do need to continuously work on my children and discipline in my home, I have MUCH more work to do on my own habits and heart.
From the back of the book:
Parenting comes with stresses that can make the most laid-back among us feel irritable, frustrated, and angry. Even parents who sincerely love their children sometimes use the wrong methods of anger an frustration in an attempt to control their children. But angry
Parenting doesn’t just weaken relationships between parents and their children; it can, over time, destroy them. Few parents set out to become yelling meanies who no longer enjoy their children. Yet many feel stuck, unable to pull themselves out of their ugly habits. This book:
Provides practical and biblical solutions to get to the other side of the issue
Gives hope and freedom from the tyranny of stressed-out and angry parenting
Offers solutions that are ideal for any family
If anger is in your home- even in small ways- this book is for you. It is time to replace that anger with something more powerful: patience and peace. Israel and Brook share candidly from their experience as parents.
