Contact: Hannah Bennett, 770-826-6184, Hbennett@rethinkgroup.org
CUMMING, Ga., Sept. 20, 2013 /Christian Newswire/ -- Whether you're a parent or a leader, you're making history. The question is, what kind of history are you making with the kids and teenagers who are closest to you? In Playing for Keeps, the latest book by Reggie Joiner, six things are unpacked that every kid needs over time from the parents and leaders who are closest to them.
After 25 years working in Family Ministry and seven years leading an organization that influences those who influence the next generation, Joiner has summarized his observations about kids, the adults around them, and the greatest connections that can be made between them. In Playing For Keeps, co-written by Kristen Ivy and Elizabeth Hansen, the team states that you can't make a kid love God, have faith or care about what really matters, but there are some things you can do.
The book speaks to parents, leaders and anyone else who influences the lives of kids and teenagers about giving a kid the kind of history that will show them why they matter to God. But just like anything else worth doing well, they note that a child can't be raised in a day. As parents, leaders and influences, the kind of history kids need can't be given in a moment. It happens over time.
To illustrate the book's principles in a memorable way, the authors use marbles. This is taken from Psalm 90:1, which says, "Teach us to number our days so that we may gain a heart of wisdom." Each marble represents one week in the life of a kid or teenager. There are approximately 936 weeks from the time a child is born until he or she graduates high school. A leader who stays connected to small group of kids for a year will have 52 weeks of influence before those kids move on to the next group. The point is that parents and leaders have a limited amount of time.
Playing For Keeps is really two books in one. On the flipside is a short story called Losing Your Marbles that makes these six ideas come to life.
After reading this book, the authors want to help parents and leaders number their days. They want them to visualize their week. By counting their weeks, they hope to help them make their week count just a little bit more.
Playing For Keeps can be purchased at OrangeStore.org.
