Walk Thru the Bible hosted a Raise Up a Child Toolbox event on the 14th April, 2011, at their offices in Victory Park, Johannesburg. The event was attended by 13 participants who were pleasantly surprised at the substantive and practical insights the training revealed.
Facilitated by Mark Schaaf, the Raise up a Child training voyages through the difficulties of parenting, while at the same time providing real, easy to apply solutions through four elementary parenting scenarios. Known as the four compass points, these are :
Choices
Consequences
Compassion
Consistency
These seek to create a balance in parenting as they are implemented by parents attending the course. Peter, who attended the event, stated that the teaching is important because, “… knowing that there are consequences for their actions, our children are brought to a place of maturity where they are able to discern the good results brought about by good choices, and vice versa.”
Participants engaged in discussion
Mark Schaaf urged the participants to immerse themselves in the four compass points and stressed the need to for them to “…explore all the key ideas in order that they are able to convey the message to the various audiences” they would be teaching the course to.
Tony, who also attended on the day, indicated that he was struck by the fact that the clear lesson taught is that, “ Children are made aware of the consequences their actions would bear,” and become more mature as a direct result thereof.
Serious debate in the small discussion groups
The participants were encouraged that the course not only extended to how parents raise their children, but that the lessons taught, applied to themselves especially with regard to discipleship relationships the participants have forged with church members, as well as in their relationships with people outside the parent-child realm.
Lebogang stated that the message taught, is “…as shocking to Christ’s listeners during the Sermon on the Mount, and is as applicable today, as it was then.” He further went on to say that he is encouraged at “ the philosophy of Walk Thru the Bible in terms of teaching which not only looks at content, but rather at an environment which is conducive to learning.”
Phil Tuttle is the president of Walk Thru the Bible and also serves as teaching pastor at The Bridge, a fast-growing, non-denominational church in northeast Atlanta. Phil and his wife Ellen live in Atlanta with their teen-aged son, Phillip. They also have a daughter, Emily, who currently attends college in Illinois.
