Homeward Bound: Building an Attractive Christ-centred Family on Eternal Principles

by Edward Hartman

"few things more attractively display and persuasively commend the glory of God in the life of a Christian than a Christ-centered marriage and a Christ-centered family... one that would cause the watching world to sit up and take notice." So writes Ed Hartman as he contemplates the news that his young wife is probably suffering from a brain tumor. It was a wake-up call to raise his family with a more eternal perspective. We live in a consumer culture that exalts and commends living with a passion for the moment - our society depends on it. The prospect of future gain is easily set aside in exchange for the personal gratification that we rarely delay - proven by our all-time high in consumer debt. We have bought a subtle lie that there will be no day of final accounting - and so our children don't live with an eternal perspective. When Ed's wife, Amy, died from that brain tumor, all the flowers at the funeral did not come with a card saying 'with our condolences' but with the phrase 'welcome to your new home' - a phrase Amy picked out herself. As Ed "Few things, like death, will put life in perspective. And few things, like accountability, will put obedience in perspective. This life is transitional; it can prepare us to be welcomed into our new, eternal home. And it provides us with a lifetime of opportunities to invite others along, beginning with our own families." So join in with Ed and his family as they explore what makes a Godly home - and a way of attractively displaying and persuasively commending the glory of God in the life of a Christian family. >

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 8, 2008

Reviews

[Abby Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is hard for me to rate. It's well written, easy to read, and rich in encouragement, conviction, and things to meditate on. The difficulty is that I'm a Baptist. So there were many pints I disagreed on fully. The chapter on family worship I couldn't even finish because it was being treated as a means of grace. In fact, I found it rather disconcerting how very little emphasis and instruction was given for being in church! There was a little bit about setting your clothes out and training your kids to listen, but it wasn't even mentioned in the chapter on the husband's duties to spiritually lead his family.
I could not in good conscience recommend this book to a new or struggling family because I think it could cause some issues if they weren't being very careful, and a well-established family would probably have the same struggles I'm having.
The appendix of William Perkins' treatise A Salve for a Sicke Man was solid gold. I highly recommend it.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising gem of a book. I found it challenging but in a way that encourages me to be a more godly husband, father and pastor. I highly recommend this book to any Christian family.