Drawing on timeless principles of monastic communal living, this spiritual guide for families offers effective tools to meet many challenges and counteract the divisive forces that can splinter a healthy home. Cultivating a sense of togetherness and nurturing the spiritual development of both the family and its individual members is a challenge that many find difficult to meet. Though hectic schedules and competing interests chip away at the sense of community and the support systems that family members need to thrive, each chapter of this book includes a practical lesson from the rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine traditions which have been cornerstones of Western Christian monastic life for millennia. Spiritual practice, making time, discipline, sharing, hospitality, and changing family dynamics are some of the topics addressed in this wise and wide-ranging handbook, while exercises, checklists, and ideas for family activities are included at the end of every chapter. The gentle, reassuring tone offers encouragement to both traditional and nontraditional families, and reinforces the importance of parenting as a spiritual calling.
"A truly fresh and new resource for all who want their homes and families to be places of nurturing, safety, and hope. This is practical and real and hope-filled, a must for every family—of every configuration." —Laura Swan, author, Engaging Benedict and The Forgotten Desert Mothers
"Because the Christian family is a little faith community, Robinson discovers insights for family living from the sixth-century writings of St. Benedict, founder of monastic communities." —Catholic Spirit
"[The] concept of parenting is deliberate, persistent, and guided by a deep belief that God wants the family to experience God’s love on a daily basis." —Presbyterians Today
"Packed with creative, practical ideas that Robinson has devised for deepening family spirituality and harmony." —Spiritual Life: A Journal of Contemporary Spirituality
"A long-awaited gift for today’s Christian family. For those families who are seeking more out of life, trying to incorporate deeply-held Christian beliefs into the sometimes chaotic experience of family, or seeking ways to pray better and get along better, this book is ideal." —Spiritual Book News
"David Robinson, a Presbyterian pastor, has written a book that draws upon the Rule of St. Benedict to give counsel about modern family life." —Catholic Faith Magazine
"Combining the tradition of the Benedictine order and his own experience, Robinson challenges the hectic lifestyle which so many families are caught up in today." —Catholic News Service
"A Presbyterian pastor has investigated how the family can function as a kind of monastery." —Dennis Okholm, professor of theology, Azusa Pacific University, and author, Monk Habits for Everyday People
