Gary Thomas: "Sacred Parenting" Chapter 4 (Seizing Heaven Through Listening)


I. Intro
a. The meat of this lesson is in what we take away from it practically and what God tells us throughout our lives and our parenting. Listen.
b. Talkative girl – nonstop
c. Dad’s response is to nod every once in a while and say “uh huh” every couple minutes
d. Like us

i. God has sooo much to say
ii. The typical Christian life, though, is similar to the “uh huh” if we do what the Lord wants without having a loving relationship with him
iii. “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” (I Cor. 13:1)

II. Practical Help – “Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me.” John 6:45
a. Early morning quiet time.
b. Spend time listening

i. To God
ii. To God for your children
iii. To children
iv. In that order

c. Listening to God makes parenting sacred

III. An Inspired Life – “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know” (Jeremiah 33:3)

a. Not a sin, but a choice to live a powerless life

i. Even though we’re not perfect listeners doesn’t mean we shouldn’t make the effort
ii. Must be humble listeners: Willing to hear God’s corrective word
iii. Don’t listen based on your needs, but on what your children need
iv. Don’t listen based on your needs, but on what God wants to say

IV. Listen for nuances – “Consider carefully how you listen” (Luke 8:18)
a. Children’s speaking

1. Hearing child’s type of cry – Different methods of communication


2. Anger


3. Hitting


4. Joyful dancing


5. Enthusiasm about certain subjects or targets


6. Words


7. What are some ways your children communicate deeper meaning?

• Luke wants to be liked


• Luke loves learning


• Charlie wants to be heard


• Charlie loves music

ii. Our method of listening
1. Silence
2. Nature
3. Music
4. Scripture
5. Prayer

iii. What are some ways you listen to God best?

V. Entering the Interior Castle – “My sheep listen to my voice” (John 10:27)
a. Sit in God’s lap
b. Teresa of Avila
i. Not praying longer and longer

1. Quality and approaching God softly
a. Begin with prayer of meditation
b. Next prayer of recollection
c. Prayer of quiet
d. Prayer of union
e. “Interior Castle” – fullness of spiritual marriage
c. Frank Buchman

i. Moral Rearmament
1. Accept a man’s voice via radio – can’t we accept God’s voice
2. Holy Spirit is most intelligent source of information – “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you.” Luke 9:44
a. Answer to every problem
b. Teacher

3. Do less and listen more
a. Don’t get so spiritually busy that we can’t have relationship with God – 1 Corinthians 13
ii. Don’t wait for the big decisions, but constantly listen to God
b. God changes languages – “He who forms the mountains, creates the wind and reveals his thoughts to man…the LORD God Almighty is his name.” Amos 4:13

• Scripture speaking to you


• Sight of a tree


• Silence to bring you to your roots


• Art


• Music


• Specific circumstance in life

VI. Challenges
a. Determine your children’s methods of communication
b. Find out how you best listen to God
c. Every day make an effort to listen to his word and his calling and who he is.