BOOK REVIEW: Building Family Ties with Faith, Love & Laughter

By: Dave Stone
Published by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
Copyright 2012

Raising a family in today's world is a challenge.  And that's if you are not a Christian.  How much more difficult is is to raise a Christian family in a, and I'm going to say it, wicked world?  How do you teach good Christian values when your kids' friends and acquaintances might not have the same family values as you and your family?

That's where Building Family Ties with Faith, Love & Laughter by Dave Stone comes into play.  Although building a strong family should begin early in the life of the family, there is always hope.  I am a mother of two teenage boys (15 & 16) and was able to garner a lot of wisdom (and ideas!) from Mr. Stone's book to apply to our family.  I always try to have fun with my guys and say "I love you" constantly, but there are a lot of other INTENTIONAL ways that our family of three can become what God wants us to be.  

This book is filled with humor and teaches you to use humor in your home. Take for instance this quote from page 55 regarding Jesus and humor:

"Jesus was a master at the technique (exaggeration, hyperbole); the bigger the exaggeration, the funnier the joke.  So when Jesus said 'Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and fail to notice the plank in your own?' (Matthew 7:5 PHILLIPS), people in the crowd weren't reverently murmuring, "Amen."  They were cracking up because of the gross exaggeration. Jesus spoke with vivid, humorous word pictures to drive home His message..."

When lessons are taught with humor, they are more easily remembered. And I can personally attest to the fact that humor can  quickly diffuse an intense situation!

Some of the other topics discussed are family unity (I've got your back), creating and using a family motto, family service (within your family and also in the community at large), family time, etc.  

I hope you will have the time to read Building Family Ties with Faith, Love & Laughter.  It would be a great addition to your library.  And it's not a hard read at all, or even a lengthy book.  I'll be keeping this book by my side as a reminder for my own family, even though my family is now nearly grown.

This book is part of a series called Faithful Families.

In order to comply with new Federal Trade Commission regulations, please note that this book was provided compliments of  Thomas Nelson, Inc.