LIBERTY UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF DIVINITY
4MAT Book Review of “Family to Family”
Submitted to Dr. Robert Cowman
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for completion of the course:
Evan 525
Contemporary Evangelism
Table of Contents
Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. 3
Concrete Response ............................................................................................................................... 4
Reflection ............................................................................................................................................... 4
Action ..................................................................................................................................................... 5
Bibliography .......................................................................................................................................... 7
Abstract
The authors of the book “Family to Family,” namely Dr. Jerry Pipes and Victor
Lee, have written the book with the intention to help busy parents to establish strong
family relationships. A diverse range of real-life instances has been captured in the book,
which helps in conveying necessary messages to the readers. Such examples play a vital
role in the book as they shed light on the root cause relating to the disintegration of
family units. The authors have concluded that due to the absence of quality family time
and the hectic lives of parents, young adults get deviated and leave the church at the age
of 18. The primary objective of the book is to extend help to working parents so that they
can discover and rediscover the ultimate plan and purpose of God for their families.
It is not an easy task to regain the attributes that are lost due to fast-paced
parenting. But one has to make a deliberate and conscious attempt to strengthen family
relationships. The book highlights the fact that the journey will be rewarding for the
parents.
Statistical data has been used in the book, which highlights day to day family
activities. It helps to highlight the loss that arises due to the rushed parenting approach.
Pipes has said, “Only 34 percent of America’s families eat one meal together each day.
The average father spends only eight to ten minutes a day with his children.” The
statistics that have been captured show that most of the adults view this time as rewarding
as well as frustrating in nature.
The book encourages the readers to conduct a thorough examination of their
family so that they can ascertain the adverse effect of limited quality family time. The
book acts as a connection that helps to address the problem relating to the departure of
kids from active church life. The book will help them to build a solid relationship with
Jesus.
Concrete Response
The children in my family were at the receiving end as I was not present at home
when they were growing up. My family is an apt example where parents were always in a
hurry. I was working in an insurance company, and I was working as an independent
contractor. So I had to travel a lot. My wife had a regular nine to five job, so her
presence in the home was also restricted. My children were involved in numerous
extracurricular activities, so they had a jam-packed schedule. We could not interact with
one another properly. Since I was a pastor, who had to move out of the city on multiple
occasions for insurance work, my relationship with my wife and children was adversely
affected. I could not prepare for my sermons properly. Even though my wife wanted to
spend quality time with me, I was unable to do so as I had to focus on my work. Due to
my busy life, my faith suffered, my relationship with my family deteriorated, I suffered,
and my bond with the Almighty also weakened. While reading the book, I was reminded
of the importance of spending quality time with family. f
Reflection
The book is quite in-depth in its approach and message relating to the importance
of quality family time. But it fails to take into account the various circumstances that each
and every family might be going through in the practical context. For example, vital
factors such as relationship constraints, age, location, and spiritual maturity of the family
members have not been taken into consideration by Pipes and Lee. Dr. Pipes has made
the statement that “If you are starting late, the stakes are high for your children.”
The book highlights the importance of spending quality time with family members.
But it omits relational issues that might obstruct a transparent dialogue between parents
and their children. Some of the presented ideas in the book are great, but others are quite
time-consuming. The book could be more impactful if the message could be shortened.
The book intends to recapture family characteristics by scheduling conflicts, but it would
be ineffective.
A diverse range of family activities and mature Christian tasks have been
highlighted by the authors. It focuses on missions, evangelism, and other ministries that
need thorough training. These elements are not in sync with the actual purpose of the
book, which us to build a strong quality family relationship that revolves around Christ
and family. The function must generate from church and pass on to the family setting. f
Action
The “Family to Family” helped me to understand a few important things that must
be given importance in the family setting. I was more conscious of my wife and my
children and their role in my life. While reading the book, a few ideas came to my mind,
which could help me to spend quality time with my family.
Firstly, I am planning to go on vacation with my wife and children during the
summer. There we will lay down the parameters which will help us to have proper and
open conversations. A ‘no phone zone’ will be created so that we would be able to share
sincere our true feelings with one another relating to our past experience and our future
expectations. Pipes and Lee have stated that parents must prepare themselves for the
honest truth.
The second step that I will take is reprioritizing the significance of family
bonding. I will establish an individual schedule and align it with my wife and children. I
will allocate ample time so that I can have lunch with my family. It will help us to get
closer to one another. Changes will be made to such plans only when there is an
emergency situation.
We will ensure to worship together as a family in a separate space other than the church.
I will try to vacate the ‘pulpit’ in the local church so that we could strengthen the bond
with Jesus Christ at the family level. We will ensure to share our experiences with each
other and highlight the importance of God in our lives.
We will also create a call contract that will ensure that we will frequently interact
with each other to have simple and regular conversations. It will help to eliminate
communication barriers that could restrict the sharing of information.
Finally, as a family, we will write prayers for one another. Thus we can discuss
our needs, issues, and desires openly as a family and at the individual level as well. The
entire family will seek the Almighty’s direction to maintain a strong family life. f
Bibliography
Pipes, Jerry, and Victor Lee. Family to Family: Leaving a Lasting Legacy. Shreveport,
LA: Jerry F. Pipes, 1999.
