Through his years of ministry, Jimmy Holbrook has seen the need for parents to be intentional about providing an environment where kids can grow up to face the world with a solid, spiritual foundation. Parents are responsible to teach their kids how to function in society as spiritual warriors for Christ. Kids do not leave home without some understanding of relationships, character, or values. It is during those childhood years that parents are called to teach God's truth by talking about it and living in out at home. Shelter is an excellent tool giving parents instructions on the stages of a child's development physically and spiritually. The author shares practical concepts for parents to implement in their home to authentically model the principles of Deuteronomy 6. A great foundation for building a good shelter is discussed by reminding readers of the importance of a personal relationship with Christ followed by a strong marriage. Holbrook continues by sharing ways to make your home a safe house, a green house, and a fun house. He wants parents to succeed in raising kids who can successfully face the world as adults.
Great families do not happen by accident. They require discipline and commitment. Discipline and commitment are difficult to maintain without vision. "Where there is no vision, the people perish." (Proverbs 29:18) Without proper vision, you and I are not able to maintain the proper discipline required to develop our families for Christ. However, when we share God's divine vision for our families, we can achieve incredible results. When we have a biblical vision for our families, we are inspired and convicted to take action with a sense of determination to complete what God started. I was born and raised in central Oklahoma, commonly called "Tornado Alley." Every year, without exception, when spring rolls around it brings severe weather with it. It is not uncommon to have our favorite television program interrupted with a warning and the weatherman advising us to seek shelter. That just the way our lives are. One moment everything is calm and the next instant a storm blows in, seemingly out of nowhere. God designed family to provide shelter during these unpredictable storms of life, which is precisely why you and I must have a vision for our homes to function as family shelters. Read carefully the words of Moses as he communicates to Israel God's vision for family in Deuteronomy 6:1-9.