[ALUmnus]

I don't know how many people on here are big into parenting books and tips etc, I know I never have been. But I listened to this parenting conference online by Ted Tripp, who wrote the book Shepharding a Child's Heart. I've gotta be honest, it's unbelievable. The book is great, kind of filled with cheesy and made up illustrations, but still very good.

But parents, no matter how old your kids are, even if you're a grandparent, listen to this workshop. It was a weekend seminar at Mars Hill Church in Seattle, but is available for free online, in five 1-hour sessions. It is definitely worth the time. I listened to it while at work, but I'd encourage anyone who is married to listen to it with your spouse. The video is available if you search around enough for it in the vodcast section (I believe they have it on iTunes), but the audio is easy and can be downloaded.

Here's the link:

http://theresurgence.com/user/661

It's best to go in order (bottom to top), as it follows along a path. But seriously, no matter how far along your kids are developmentally, this is great stuff.

And it's not just about discipline and getting your kids to behave, it's really about shaping your child's heart and creating a God-centered life for your kids.

[Baldspot]

Just to offer a different opinion. I'm sure many like Ted and that's fine. To each his own. I went thru the video series and thought he was incredibly awful. He really catered to the backwoods Baptist crowd in my opinion. He's a small time pastor in Hazelton PA who has a small Christian school (think Psalmist guy's posts from last spring and this is the same place) with a Bible degree as a credential who offers advice that perhaps might be best suited for people trained in child development.

For instance, week one he says you don't need any couseling or the use time out, etc. All you need is the Word of God. That's fine but then in week two he spent virtually the entire session speaking right out of counseling 101 books. Those in my audience didn't know where he was getting the terms from I thought it was odd given his prior stmnt and Bible degree credential.

He frequently stated that we are "commanded by God" to use corporal punishment as the "only" mode of correction and added that if use any other form (time outs, etc), we need to back up that form of correction with spanking. (He seemed to Prov 22:6 as a commandment with the promise that all kids treated this way would turn out great).

On other sessions, he stated he could drive down a neighborhood street and look at the toys in the driveway and determine whether the parent's were good parents. He specifically noted a house he saw that had a battery powered jeep and said he knew those parents were wrapped up in material things. My four year has one that was a gift, btw. He also mentioned a mother who put a four year old child in a Beraver Falls PA parade and tried to make it out like a Jon Benet Ramsey case. He admitted that he did not know the mother and only observed from the sidewalk but thought it obvious she wasn't a good parent because the child was walking in a parade.

I kept waiting for him to get age specific on the types of discipline but he never did. Corporal punishment for all kids - infants to teenagers because we are commanded by God was the message.

His brother is a professional counselor in my area which I'm sure makes great conversation at Thanksgiving time because he was anti-counseling, time-outs etc. Everything was bad except spanking.

[Sly Fox]

We had a parenting seminar a week or so ago with Bruce Johnston. It was very thought-provoking. Anybody been to the JH Ranch?

[ALUmnus]

Just to offer a different opinion. I'm sure many like Ted and that's fine. To each his own. I went thru the video series and thought he was incredibly awful. He really catered to the backwoods Baptist crowd in my opinion. He's a small time pastor in Hazelton PA who has a small Christian school (think Psalmist guy's posts from last spring and this is the same place) with a Bible degree as a credential who offers advice that perhaps might be best suited for people trained in child development.

For instance, week one he says you don't need any couseling or the use time out, etc. All you need is the Word of God. That's fine but then in week two he spent virtually the entire session speaking right out of counseling 101 books. Those in my audience didn't know where he was getting the terms from I thought it was odd given his prior stmnt and Bible degree credential.

He frequently stated that we are "commanded by God" to use corporal punishment as the "only" mode of correction and added that if use any other form (time outs, etc), we need to back up that form of correction with spanking. (He seemed to Prov 22:6 as a commandment with the promise that all kids treated this way would turn out great).

On other sessions, he stated he could drive down a neighborhood street and look at the toys in the driveway and determine whether the parent's were good parents. He specifically noted a house he saw that had a battery powered jeep and said he knew those parents were wrapped up in material things. My four year has one that was a gift, btw. He also mentioned a mother who put a four year old child in a Beraver Falls PA parade and tried to make it out like a Jon Benet Ramsey case. He admitted that he did not know the mother and only observed from the sidewalk but thought it obvious she wasn't a good parent because the child was walking in a parade.

I kept waiting for him to get age specific on the types of discipline but he never did. Corporal punishment for all kids - infants to teenagers because we are commanded by God was the message.

His brother is a professional counselor in my area which I'm sure makes great conversation at Thanksgiving time because he was anti-counseling, time-outs etc. Everything was bad except spanking.

I didn't hear any of that in the sessions that I linked to. I haven't listened to the "Corrective Discipline" lesson yet, so I'll keep an ear out. But everything I've heard so far is about as Biblically based as you can get, and not one mention of counseling, for or against.

Sly, a good friend of mine is Chad Johnston, who I believe is Bruce's son. I could be wrong, but I thought his family owned the JH Ranch. He's a really neat guy, graduated from LU, and I believe he's back in California, maybe at the ranch.

[RubberMallet]

one parenting seminar tip : Gary Ezzo is a moron

[Fumblerooskies]

I don't need another book/seminar/podcast to tell me what a crappy parent I am and how I can change my son's complete outlook and attitude if I just do it THEIR WAY!

[scuzdriver]

Life comes at you fast. While you are spending your time going to parenting seminars your kids are growing up without you.

[ALUmnus]

Gee, that's great advice. I sit at a computer all day, five 1-hour listens doesn't take much effort. And most people could read that book in one sitting.

And as for Ted Tripp, I wouldn't consider the church that is offering this stuff for free, Mars Hill Church, to be backwoods Baptist in any regard, nor would I consider the people who endorse these lessons (Driscoll, Piper, MacArthur, Welch) to be backwoods Baptist. I understand that this stuff might not be everyone's cup of tea, but to discourage parents from at least taking a look is a little confusing to me.

[LUconn]

Just to offer a different opinion. I'm sure many like Ted and that's fine. To each his own. I went thru the video series and thought he was incredibly awful. He really catered to the backwoods Baptist crowd in my opinion. He's a small time pastor in Hazelton PA who has a small Christian school (think Psalmist guy's posts from last spring and this is the same place) with a Bible degree as a credential who offers advice that perhaps might be best suited for people trained in child development.

For instance, week one he says you don't need any couseling or the use time out, etc. All you need is the Word of God. That's fine but then in week two he spent virtually the entire session speaking right out of counseling 101 books. Those in my audience didn't know where he was getting the terms from I thought it was odd given his prior stmnt and Bible degree credential.

He frequently stated that we are "commanded by God" to use corporal punishment as the "only" mode of correction and added that if use any other form (time outs, etc), we need to back up that form of correction with spanking. (He seemed to Prov 22:6 as a commandment with the promise that all kids treated this way would turn out great).

On other sessions, he stated he could drive down a neighborhood street and look at the toys in the driveway and determine whether the parent's were good parents. He specifically noted a house he saw that had a battery powered jeep and said he knew those parents were wrapped up in material things. My four year has one that was a gift, btw. He also mentioned a mother who put a four year old child in a Beraver Falls PA parade and tried to make it out like a Jon Benet Ramsey case. He admitted that he did not know the mother and only observed from the sidewalk but thought it obvious she wasn't a good parent because the child was walking in a parade.

I kept waiting for him to get age specific on the types of discipline but he never did. Corporal punishment for all kids - infants to teenagers because we are commanded by God was the message.

His brother is a professional counselor in my area which I'm sure makes great conversation at Thanksgiving time because he was anti-counseling, time-outs etc. Everything was bad except spanking.

I didn't hear any of that in the sessions that I linked to. I haven't listened to the "Corrective Discipline" lesson yet, so I'll keep an ear out. But everything I've heard so far is about as Biblically based as you can get, and not one mention of counseling, for or against.

Sly, a good friend of mine is Chad Johnston, who I believe is Bruce's son. I could be wrong, but I thought his family owned the JH Ranch. He's a really neat guy, graduated from LU, and I believe he's back in California, maybe at the ranch.

Also, his ogre-like roommate threw a large metal stapler at him.

[Sly Fox]

ALUmnus - Bruce only has one son named David who is now a student at Alabama. But Bruce comes from a huge family and they very well could be related.