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Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter
Creative ideas, real-life stories, and Scriptural guidance for being the family that loves being together. Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter is the second of three books in the Faithful Families series where Dave applies his practical, conversational, and humorous approach to the challenge of building strong spiritual ties to each other as a family. Topics Contentment, Security, Loyalty, Gratitude, Spontaneity, Communication, and more. Preaching is his gift, but Pastor Dave Stone’s family is his life’s blessing. While raising three kids with his wife, Beth, as well as shepherding the diverse families of his congregation, his heart, and passion for building strong families rings louder than ever. He knows that raising faithful families is a key to the future of the church. "Dave's book is full of no nonsense, common sense suggestions, and biblically inspired truth. As a parent of two "under construction" children still finding their way in a fallen world, I am keenly aware of the importance of living a life of faithful integrity in order to actually teach it to our kids. I, of course, have failed miserably on occasion. But then, I didn't have Dave's book like you do!"—Kathie Lee Gifford
160 pages, Hardcover
First published May 8, 2012
3 people are currently reading
88 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
June 12, 2015
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter
is the second in the Faithful Family series where Dave applies his practical, conversational, and humorous approach to the challenge of building strong spiritual ties to each other as a family. Topics include: Contentment, Security, Loyalty, Gratitude, Spontaneity, Communication, and more.
Preaching is his gift, but Pastor Dave Stone’s family is his life’s blessing. And after raising three kids of his own, as well as shepherding the diverse families of his congregation, his heart and passion for building strong families rings louder than ever. He knows that raising faithful families is a key to the future of the church.
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter
is quick (about two hours, tops) and easy to read. It doesn’t require a lot of thinking. I read it at night as I was falling asleep. I liked it for this purpose because it allowed me to fall asleep with positive thoughts in my head. It has some good ideas and few sweet stories that he shares of his personal life. It was simple, I didn’t have any aha moments but I enjoyed it.
is the second in the Faithful Family series where Dave applies his practical, conversational, and humorous approach to the challenge of building strong spiritual ties to each other as a family. Topics include: Contentment, Security, Loyalty, Gratitude, Spontaneity, Communication, and more.
Preaching is his gift, but Pastor Dave Stone’s family is his life’s blessing. And after raising three kids of his own, as well as shepherding the diverse families of his congregation, his heart and passion for building strong families rings louder than ever. He knows that raising faithful families is a key to the future of the church.
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter
is quick (about two hours, tops) and easy to read. It doesn’t require a lot of thinking. I read it at night as I was falling asleep. I liked it for this purpose because it allowed me to fall asleep with positive thoughts in my head. It has some good ideas and few sweet stories that he shares of his personal life. It was simple, I didn’t have any aha moments but I enjoyed it.
June 20, 2021
This was a good and insightful read with some great strategies, but it wasn't extremely meaty (which is one reason I enjoyed it). I think it's more of a guide for beginning families than a fix-it manual for those already in great distress.
July 2, 2012
There is always something we can do to make our families stronger and more bonded – and that is what Dave Stone has set out to do in his book, Building Family Ties with Faith, Love and Laughter. In 10 chapters he lays out ways that are simple and inexpensive to make your family more full of joy – and that doesn’t include getting the new electric gadget. Most Christians realize there is a break down of the family both in the church and in society – and some of that can be traced to the use of technology and Dave Stone addresses that in the first chapter, “Endangered Species”, and he doesn’t hold back.
As a Christian parent we are seeking to instill God’s Word in our child’s heart, not just so they can follow a set of rules but so that when they are confronted by Satan and his evil ways, they know how to respond. I like in the part about parenting, we can start trusting our children but we still don’t want to put them into temptations way the goal is that we can trust our children without literally testing them. As I’ve become a mom to an older child, I realize how carefully one must tread between being a hovering parent and one who gives their child responsibility. I have began to let my oldest have more room to breathe away from me and she knows she must accept responsibility for her actions, whether good or bad and I like what Dave Stone has to say about that, “Quakes will rumble and buildings will sway, but if you’ve laid the right foundation, they need not fall.” I’m not saying that I’m going to let my children hang out with people who do drugs or who are into witch craft – but I can rest assured that if I’ve built a good, strong foundation my child will continue to stand on.
My only thing about this book was in the chapter that dealt with word power, while a very powerful chapter, it’s assumed that you are a Believer married to a like-minded Believer. That isn’t that simple for some of us – when clean words are discussed he points out that vulgarity is wrong and children need to be shielded from it – but he doesn’t realize that some parents, even those who are Believers may use this language. Thankfully, I’ve been able to stem the tide and my children know acceptable language and find curse words tasteless. Besides that, this is an excellent book to get some ideas on how to build the joy in your house and it’s generously sprinkled with Scripture to back up each idea and topic that he gives.
**Disclaimer: I was provided an e-copy of this book from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest opinion, no other compensation was given.
June 12, 2012
In this second installment of the Faithful Families series, Dave Stone returns with more practical advice to guide and encourage your family. Who wouldn't want a family that is characterized by joy? Dave Stone provides the tools to get you there, based on Biblical guidance, such that you can create an "unbreakable" family to withstand the times of trials that all families inevitably face. The author walks the readers through creating a family mission statement, and calls families to commit to such goals as eating family dinners together regularly, serving God together, and using words of love and purity in the family home.
Once again, Pastor Stone has stirred my heart with his words, delivered in a practical, easy-to-digest format that inspired me with his call to lead my family to be one filled with joy. Any family that would put into practice the principals shared in this book would emerge stronger and better for the effort. One chapter that especially spoke to me was the one entitled "I've Got Your Back", which teaches you to help your children see that "when it comes to the family, you're a team. You defend one another. You stick up for one another". In my own job working with families, all too often I see the opposite occurring, where husbands, wives, and children are all busy seeing to their own needs and tearing each other down. Just this one principal would make such a difference for so many families! I also love the idea of having a family mission statement, which may seem like too much work to some, but in practice is easy to create, and serves as a rallying point for the family. The focus on serving others as a family and shifting the spotlight off of ourselves is also such an important one, yet also so exciting, because I know from experience that it is those times you are giving to others together that you end up getting blessed yourself!
I could go on and on, but in the end I just encourage you to read this book for yourself, and not only to read it but actually put it into practice. I know I'm planning to!
I highly recommend this book and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for the purposes of this unbiased review.
Once again, Pastor Stone has stirred my heart with his words, delivered in a practical, easy-to-digest format that inspired me with his call to lead my family to be one filled with joy. Any family that would put into practice the principals shared in this book would emerge stronger and better for the effort. One chapter that especially spoke to me was the one entitled "I've Got Your Back", which teaches you to help your children see that "when it comes to the family, you're a team. You defend one another. You stick up for one another". In my own job working with families, all too often I see the opposite occurring, where husbands, wives, and children are all busy seeing to their own needs and tearing each other down. Just this one principal would make such a difference for so many families! I also love the idea of having a family mission statement, which may seem like too much work to some, but in practice is easy to create, and serves as a rallying point for the family. The focus on serving others as a family and shifting the spotlight off of ourselves is also such an important one, yet also so exciting, because I know from experience that it is those times you are giving to others together that you end up getting blessed yourself!
I could go on and on, but in the end I just encourage you to read this book for yourself, and not only to read it but actually put it into practice. I know I'm planning to!
I highly recommend this book and award it 4.5 out of 5 stars.
Book has been provided courtesy of the publisher, Thomas Nelson, for the purposes of this unbiased review.
May 13, 2012
Description:
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love & Laughter is a down-to-earth, common sense guide to strengthening the relationships within one's own home. Emphasis is placed on maintaining a stable marriage and bonding with children from infancy to adulthood, but non-nuclear families are also discussed. (Christian-based)
Review:
This 160 page book covers more topics than I thought possible! Dave stone is a Christian pastor who believes, “The most practical way to spread the gospel is through moms and dads who model a genuine faith for their children.” I agree with him, leading by example is a powerful teaching method. I enjoyed the overall structure of this small but mighty resource, the tips – mostly bible-based – were easy to understand and implement. I loved the side notes as well, including: “What we say to our children is prophetic, for better or worse”, “Laughing with someone is exhilarating; laughing at someone is disrespectful”, and “It doesn't matter if your children are five or fifteen, a family mission statement provides a rallying point, a focus, a center of gravity that holds your family together.” I have always known that family dinners are key, as is serving the community together, but I can't believe that I have never thought about free time from distracting electronics (phones, computers, mp3 players, etc...). Just because society is going the way of technology doesn't mean we should become obsessed with it. What happened to old-fashioned “family time”? Game night? Crafts? All are worthy alternatives to texting, especially if they are family-based. This book is going to come in handy! Highly recommended to families looking for a little Godly guidance!
Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)
*** I received this book from the author (Thomas Nelson) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love & Laughter is a down-to-earth, common sense guide to strengthening the relationships within one's own home. Emphasis is placed on maintaining a stable marriage and bonding with children from infancy to adulthood, but non-nuclear families are also discussed. (Christian-based)
Review:
This 160 page book covers more topics than I thought possible! Dave stone is a Christian pastor who believes, “The most practical way to spread the gospel is through moms and dads who model a genuine faith for their children.” I agree with him, leading by example is a powerful teaching method. I enjoyed the overall structure of this small but mighty resource, the tips – mostly bible-based – were easy to understand and implement. I loved the side notes as well, including: “What we say to our children is prophetic, for better or worse”, “Laughing with someone is exhilarating; laughing at someone is disrespectful”, and “It doesn't matter if your children are five or fifteen, a family mission statement provides a rallying point, a focus, a center of gravity that holds your family together.” I have always known that family dinners are key, as is serving the community together, but I can't believe that I have never thought about free time from distracting electronics (phones, computers, mp3 players, etc...). Just because society is going the way of technology doesn't mean we should become obsessed with it. What happened to old-fashioned “family time”? Game night? Crafts? All are worthy alternatives to texting, especially if they are family-based. This book is going to come in handy! Highly recommended to families looking for a little Godly guidance!
Rating: On the Run (4.5/5)
*** I received this book from the author (Thomas Nelson) in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Read
July 2, 2024This past semester of MOPs we had a great speaker who came twice and gave us lots of great thoughts about guiding and directing our families and Godly Moms. One of the biggest things that she said that stuck with me the first time was the idea of writing out a Family Mission Statement. I loved the idea of having down exactly what your goal overall in life as a family would be. The second time she came she gave us the idea of on top of the overall statement coming up with a Summer Theme for 2012–one simple thought or concept you’d like to work on with your child/children over the Summer.
When I read Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter (Faithful Families)I was happy to see that Dave recommends building a Family Mission Statement as well. In addition one of the biggest things I gained from reading this book was the encouragement that preschoolers can and should be memorizing the Bible.
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter is set up much like the first book in the series–Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord with it’s easy to read layout and lots of fun pictures
Once again many of the suggestions are common ones-but the ones in this book are especially near and dear to my heart as they include the importance of eating dinner as a family and how laughter is essential to every home. Dave also covers the importance of cultivating contentment and a servants hearts in children–whether this means going and helping on the mission field or volunteering in your local community.
Like the first book Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter will be a valuable refresher or a welcome eye-opener for any Christian parent! I enjoyed the new ideas as well as the reminder on the rest.
When I read Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter (Faithful Families)I was happy to see that Dave recommends building a Family Mission Statement as well. In addition one of the biggest things I gained from reading this book was the encouragement that preschoolers can and should be memorizing the Bible.
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter is set up much like the first book in the series–Raising Your Kids to Love the Lord with it’s easy to read layout and lots of fun pictures
Once again many of the suggestions are common ones-but the ones in this book are especially near and dear to my heart as they include the importance of eating dinner as a family and how laughter is essential to every home. Dave also covers the importance of cultivating contentment and a servants hearts in children–whether this means going and helping on the mission field or volunteering in your local community.
Like the first book Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter will be a valuable refresher or a welcome eye-opener for any Christian parent! I enjoyed the new ideas as well as the reminder on the rest.
June 13, 2012
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter is a gift-type book, meaning its chapters are short and sweet. My rating is based on that fact. The points made are "to the point", so they leave plenty of room for your own thoughts to expand on them. The pages are thick and glossy, and the book is smaller in size than a "normal" book.
Despite its small page count, there are bits of wisdom scattered throughout! I like that at the beginning Stone recommends your family coming up with a mission statement. Stone's family mission is:
"Go to Heaven when we die and take as many people with us as we can."
"Recently our family went out to dinner with another couple. Beth's friend later told her, 'When we go out to eat at a restaurant, we go to eat. But you all go with a totally different agenda. It's like you're building relationships with the waiters and managers there.'
She was exactly right. We choose where to eat based on who we need to check up on or follow up with, or where we think we can plant some seed. We've nurtured relationships with staff, attended birthday parties for children, offered help when they've faced hardships.....God has blessed us as we've tried to live out our mission."
I thought that was great food for thought!
There's lots of humor sprinkled in, too. I really enjoyed the story about Stone's father reading off the visitor's names. I even had to tell it to Jonathan, so we both got a good laugh.
Overall, I think it's great if you're looking for a very quick boost of encouragement.
*I was provided a review copy through the Booksneeze program in exchange for my honest opinion.
Despite its small page count, there are bits of wisdom scattered throughout! I like that at the beginning Stone recommends your family coming up with a mission statement. Stone's family mission is:
"Go to Heaven when we die and take as many people with us as we can."
"Recently our family went out to dinner with another couple. Beth's friend later told her, 'When we go out to eat at a restaurant, we go to eat. But you all go with a totally different agenda. It's like you're building relationships with the waiters and managers there.'
She was exactly right. We choose where to eat based on who we need to check up on or follow up with, or where we think we can plant some seed. We've nurtured relationships with staff, attended birthday parties for children, offered help when they've faced hardships.....God has blessed us as we've tried to live out our mission."
I thought that was great food for thought!
There's lots of humor sprinkled in, too. I really enjoyed the story about Stone's father reading off the visitor's names. I even had to tell it to Jonathan, so we both got a good laugh.
Overall, I think it's great if you're looking for a very quick boost of encouragement.
*I was provided a review copy through the Booksneeze program in exchange for my honest opinion.
December 26, 2012
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter is the second in the Faithful Family series where Dave Stone applies his practical, conversational, and humorous approach to the challenge of building strong spiritual ties to each other as a family. Topics include: Contentment, Security, Loyalty, Gratitude, Spontaneity, Communication, and more.
After reading several positive reviews I was excited to read Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter for myself. Dave Stone is a pastor and father who work with the families in his church to build strong relationships- with each other, others around them and with God. I found many helpful, creative ideas to try with my own family to bring us closer together, closer to God and have a little fun along the way. One is, I have already began talking with my children about doing what would be their good, better and best choices in different situations. We also have been talking more during our family dinner each day. I am very happy to add Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter to my own personal library and I will be using this book as a reference in the future.
I would certainly recommend Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter to anyone wanting to develop strong family bonds. There are many ideas that can be used with children infant through teens.
I received this book from the publisher through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.
After reading several positive reviews I was excited to read Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter for myself. Dave Stone is a pastor and father who work with the families in his church to build strong relationships- with each other, others around them and with God. I found many helpful, creative ideas to try with my own family to bring us closer together, closer to God and have a little fun along the way. One is, I have already began talking with my children about doing what would be their good, better and best choices in different situations. We also have been talking more during our family dinner each day. I am very happy to add Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter to my own personal library and I will be using this book as a reference in the future.
I would certainly recommend Building Family Ties with Faith, Love, and Laughter to anyone wanting to develop strong family bonds. There are many ideas that can be used with children infant through teens.
I received this book from the publisher through the Booksneeze program in exchange for an honest review.
May 7, 2012
Only 160 pages, this book gets right to the point and is an excellent resource for families. Although the importance of a stable marriage is stressed, the book also addresses single-parent and blended families and how to form a secure home environment in those situations as well. The advice is applicable to parents of small children all the way through older teens, with "good kids" or those in crisis. For a small book, it really runs the gamut.
Not only were the elements of a happy family presented, but also practical ideas of how to achieve them in everyday life. Pretty early in the book, the reader is encouraged to spend time making a simple family mission statement. This forms the backbone of what priorities the family makes over time, and gives a focus to short- and long-term goals. Some of the sections I bookmarked include the difference between serving and being a servant, how to instill family loyalty and cut down on bickering, and the difference between safe humor and causing someone embarrassment.
I would definitely recommend this book for any parent, and it would make an excellent small group or Sunday School study. It is part of the "Faithful Family" series from Thomas Nelson Publishing.
I received this book free from the publisher through netGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
Not only were the elements of a happy family presented, but also practical ideas of how to achieve them in everyday life. Pretty early in the book, the reader is encouraged to spend time making a simple family mission statement. This forms the backbone of what priorities the family makes over time, and gives a focus to short- and long-term goals. Some of the sections I bookmarked include the difference between serving and being a servant, how to instill family loyalty and cut down on bickering, and the difference between safe humor and causing someone embarrassment.
I would definitely recommend this book for any parent, and it would make an excellent small group or Sunday School study. It is part of the "Faithful Family" series from Thomas Nelson Publishing.
I received this book free from the publisher through netGalley.com in exchange for an honest review.
April 3, 2016
Nothing is more important than family and the bonds that we create with our loved ones. Dave Stone,a Senior Pastor of Southern Christian Church in Louisville, Kentucky addresses how to create and keep strong family bonds. Having a family of three children himself, he is well aware of the issues and difficulties one might face in raising a strong Christian unit in today's world. He offers simple and easy advice amid humor and common sense. In one of my favorite chapters "Meat and Potatoes: The Basic's" author Stone states the importance of making time productive with your family. This can be done at the dinner table by creating games like the 'talking bowl' or 'index cards' to spark a response from each family member on imperative issues. A stellar idea to keep close contact especially since so many members of today's family has little extra time when working more than one job. What I took from this awesome book is that we must make family a priority and find the time to make our moments count. I had the priviledge to review BUILDING FAMILY TIES WITH FAITH, LOVE & LAUGHTER by Dave Stone for Book Sneeze. I highly recommend!
August 3, 2012
Building Family Ties with Faith, Love and Laughter by Dave Stone is another excellent book. This one focuses on helping your family to become a strong, joyful example of Christ in our family life. It's another book with simple useful tips that we all need reminded of along with real life examples from his on family. He discusses being joyful as a family, serving, filling your home with laughter, loyalty, etc. I really appreciated his chapter on loyalty, on teaching the family that what happens at home stays at home and that we should have each others backs. It's so easy to over-share with friends and laugh at our siblings (or parents!) instead of keeping it in the family and supporting and watching out for each other. I would recommend this book as one parents should keep handy and refer to frequently!
I received this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.
I received this book from the publisher in return for my honest review.
June 20, 2012
I am surprised that I didn't post my review! I loved this book, I read it in a couple of hours. Short, but tons of points, too many to list here but SO important as families and parents today.
There were so many good suggestions I tell everyone that I know to read this book. It made me say duh why didn't I think of that? Super easy, nothing too complicated that is life changing --
Building your family with the right foundation, leaves it sturdy and secure, something we all need in this life.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
There were so many good suggestions I tell everyone that I know to read this book. It made me say duh why didn't I think of that? Super easy, nothing too complicated that is life changing --
Building your family with the right foundation, leaves it sturdy and secure, something we all need in this life.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 23, 2012
This book is a second in a series by Dave Stone. It is a shorter book than some parenting books, but filled with many many nuggets of wisdom, ideas and examples for creating love and joy in the home. Not only does he talk about the importance of family, but the necessary keys to making the family strong: having each other's backs, using words to build up and not tear down, creating an atmosphere of serving and contentment, having fun and laughing together. A great book for parents of toddlers through teens.
June 24, 2012
Author Dave Stone has an amazing talent to write much-needed advice and encouragement for families today. His easy to read writing style and no-nonsense suggestions are welcome in today's struggling times. Although I am a full-time Stay at Home Mom, I find myself regretting when my children and I have not spent quality time together during a week of busy schedules and hectic activities. From getting up early to get the "big" kids ready for school, to finding creative ways to keep read more
June 24, 2012
This book is applicable no matter what stage of a relationship you are in. This book has great insights on how to get along with all families, including non-Christian ones. It definitely gave me some great ideas for dealing with my family! As I move into getting married and having my own family, this book will stay on my bookshelf and help to guide me through the family challenges I will face.
November 23, 2012
Decent for what it is. Not the most nutrient dense read, however. Reads like a short sermon or Sunday School lesson - a few core truths and simple explanations with little deliberation. Some of the discipline ideas were unfortunate and I don't like the consumerism American approach to life, especially in a spiritual book (things like "when in doubt go out to eat").
June 6, 2012
You can read an actual full review on my blog at www.tidbitsofexperience.com. :)
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