When Your Child Walks Away


Two Truths You Must Remember
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Truth One — There is a difference between responsibility and control
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Truth Two — There is almost always something deeper going on
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Pain
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Influence
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Desire
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What Is Really Going On Underneath
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It is rarely just an argument
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Three forces almost always at work
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Why this matters for you
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Biblical Cardiology — The Heart of the Matter
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The control center
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A heart submitted to Christ
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A heart not submitted to Christ
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Why this is hopeful
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The Discontentment Cycle — Theirs and Yours
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Passions
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Desire
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Coveting
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Fighting and quarreling
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The cycle in your child
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The cycle in you
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A better prayer
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Faithful Parenting in a New Season
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The shift
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Two temptations to resist
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Three Ongoing Ministries
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Ministry One — Stay present without compromising truth
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Ministry Two — Ask better questions than you give speeches
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Ministry Three — Keep the gospel central, not peripheral
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A word about study
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Where Is God in All of This?
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He is not absent
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Your most important work is prayer
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God’s pattern in Scripture
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One final thing
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A Parent’s Prayer Guide
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Day 1 — Adoration
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Day 2 — Confession
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Day 3 — Their Heart
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Day 4 — Their Desire
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Day 5 — Me as Their Parent
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Day 6 — Supplication
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Day 7 — Thanksgiving
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Scriptures to Return To
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When you are tempted to think it is all your fault
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When you need to see what is really going on in their heart
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When you need to know what kind of parent to be now
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When you need to know that God is not done
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When you need a place to stand in prayer
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How to Use This Book in a Group
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A simple eight-week plan
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Ground rules for the group
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A word to churches and small group leaders
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