Pop's Advice

Chris Thurman Ph.D.

Description

Grandkids are the greatest--let's give them the best advice we can so their lives turn out well.

Grandchildren are a wonderful blessing, and they need the best advice possible for their lives to turn out well. As a proud granddad, Dr. Chris Thurman passes along advice he has gleaned from his many years as a person of faith and psychologist. While written for his grandkids, this book can be helpful to all young people and the parents and grandparents helping them live a fuller and healthier life.

Some of the biblically-solid advice offered in this book includes

• Hang around good people • Think the right thoughts

• Be angry, but don’t act the fool • Be content with little

• Guard your heart • Let others toot your horn

• Be grateful, even for your problems • Do the hard things first

In Pop’s Advice, Dr. Chris Thurman guides our children and those of us raising them in a time-tested direction so their lives can be all God intended. The advice in this book can help not only our young people but those of us who are older trying to make our way through life. Regardless of age or situation, Pop’s Advice can guide all of us to live life in a way that goes beyond all we could have ever hoped for or imagined.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Christian Living
• Personal Growth
• Philosophie et théologie
• Advice

Informations

• Publié par: WestBow Press
• Date de parution: 31 octobre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781664278424
• Langue: English

Extrait

BOOKS BY DR. CHRIS THURMAN
If Christ Were Your Counselor (Thomas Nelson Publis hers)
It’s Your Attitude (Cascade B ooks)
Self-Help or Self-Destruction? (Thomas Nelson Publis hers)
Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself (Kharis Publis hing)
The Lies Couples Believe (David C. Cook Publis hers)
The Lies We Believe—30th Anniversary Edition (Thomas Nelson Publis hers)
The Lies We Believe About God (David C. Cook Publis hers)
The Lies We Believe Workbook—Revised Edition (Thomas Nelson Publis hers)
The Truths We Must Believe (Thomas Nelson Publis hers)
POP’S ADVICE
 
Godly Guidance for My Grandkids . . . and Everyone Else
 
 
 
 
CHRIS THURMAN, PH.D. A.K.A. “POP”
 
 

 
 
Copyright © 2022 Chris Thurman, Ph.D. A.K.A. “Pop”.
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.
 
 
WestBow Press
A Division of Thomas Nelson & Zondervan
1663 Liberty Drive
Bloomington, IN 47403
www.westbowpress.com
844-714-3454
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.
Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.
 
All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
 
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7822-6 (sc)
ISBN: 978-1-6642-7842-4 (e)
 
 
 
WestBow Press rev. date: 10/24/2022
 
To my awesome, fantastic, amazing, incredible,
wonderful, and extraordinary grandkids,
Scout, Leni, and Luke
If I had known how wonderful it would be to have grandchildren, I’d have had them first.
—Lois Wyse
Contents
Introduction
 
The Best Thing Ever
 
1     The Joy of Being a Grandparent
 
Pop’s Advice
 
2     Hang Around Good People
3     Own Your Own Stuff
4     Tell People What You Need
5     Think the Right Thoughts
6     Practice Good Boundaries
7     Listen More Than You Talk
8     Please Mind Your Manners
9     Withdraw and Pray
10   Laugh . . . a Lot
11   Cry . . . a Lot
12   Stay in the Here-and-Now
13   Be Grateful, Even for Your Problems
14   Stay Humble
15   Have Compassion for Yourself and Others
16   Do the Hard Things First
17   Strive for Excellence, Not Perfection
18   Forgive Others . . . and Yourself
19   Stand Up to Evil
20   Read a Lot of Really Good Books
21   Accept Yourself and Others, Warts and All
22   Stop Shoulding All Over Yourself
23   Be Angry but Don’t Act the Fool
24   Practice Generosity
25   Seek Wise Counsel
26   Be Anxious but Don’t Worry
27   Don’t Play to the Crowd
28   Be Content with Little
29   Watch Your Mouth
30   Ask Others to Correct You
31   Listen to a Lot of Really Good Music
32   Face Your Death
33   Guard Your Heart
34   Wait for It, Wait for It
35   Go Fly a Kite
36   Never Give Up
37   Keep Your Promises
38   Let Others Toot Your Horn
39   Don’t Take Things Personally
40   Walk on the Sunny Side of the Street
41   Remember People’s Names
42   Find a Good Friend . . . and Be One
43   Don’t Judge a Book by Its Cover
44   Smile More Often
45   Break Free from Egypt
46   Embrace the Mystery of Life
47   Observe Your Thoughts but Don’t Trust Them
48   Stay Balanced
49   Make Miniscule Modifications
50   Keep Your Heart Open and Your Skin Thick
51   Keep Your Head Up
52   Putting Pop’s Advice into Action
Pop’s Advice Workbook Putting Pop’s Advice into Action
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Introduction
It dawned on me the other day that I’m considered “elderly” now that I’m in my late sixties. I’m kind of upset about that because it implies I’m old, something I vehemently deny. Nevertheless, reaching this point in my life got me thinking about what we psychologists call “generativity,” the stage of life where we desire to create or nurture things that will outlast us and benefit those who follow, especially the younger generation.
Given that I don’t know how much longer I’ve got left, I felt nudged by God to write a book of advice for my grandkids. Because my grandkids call me Pop, I decided to title the book Pop’s Advice. In it, I hand down the most important things I’ve learned over the years about how to live life in a spiritually and emotionally healthy manner.
You might question why I think I have something of value to pass along to my grandkids, much less why you might want to read it. All I can tell you is that I have spent the last fifty-plus years as a Christian person of faith and forty-plus years as a psychologist studying what it takes to live life in the wisest and most growthful manner possible, and I want to offer what I’ve learned to my grandkids and to you in case it might help.
Here are some suggestions on how to read Pop’s Ad vice .
First, I purposely wrote 52 chapters so you can read one chapter a week and complete the book in a year. If you are going to go through the book with your child or grandchild, set aside an hour each week to read a chapter together, discuss what you read, and complete the corresponding lesson in the workbook along the way.
Second, don’t wait until the end of the book to do the workbook. I wrote the workbook because I’m a firm believer we need to put what we learn into action as quickly as possible. James 1:22 says, “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” We’d all be wise to tattoo that statement on our foreheads. Anything less than spending time each day taking what we know and acting on it isn’t going to be enough to move our lives forward in a healthy and constructive way.
Third, if you’re going to read the book with your child or grandchild, I encourage you to wait until he or she is middle school age (11-13) or older. I’m suggesting this particular age group because it strikes me as the time during which young people might be more likely to understand and implement the advice offered in this book. Do what you think is best given the maturity level of your particular child or grandchild. As you know, some five-year-olds are more mature than some fifty-year-olds.
Fourth, don’t get discouraged if your child or grandchild thinks the book is boring or a waste of time. Just threaten to withhold their allowance, restrict their social life, load them down with chores, forbid them from playing video games, and put their cell phones in a bank vault until they’re willing to go through it with you.
Fifth, if you’re a grandparent wanting to read the book with your grandchild, make sure you get permission from their parents. Your grandkid’s parents are their earthly authority and need to be the ones who green light doing the book. If they don’t want you to do it, please respect that and just do it behind their back (I’m kidding).
Sixth, if you can’t do the book with your kids or grandkids, read it for your own growth and development. The material covered in this book applies to everyone on the planet regardless of age, gender, race, ethnicity, occupation, personality type, marital status, background, talents, abilities, or life circumstances. Because it’s based on biblical wisdom, this book can help everyone become a healthier, more mature adult.
Finally, if you’re going to read the book for yourself, do it with a group of like-minded folks who want to live their lives in a spiritually and emotionally healthy manner. Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another,” and we adults need to iron sharpen iron each other into becoming whole and complete human beings.
My grandkids mean the world to me. Nothing fills my heart with joy like being their granddad. Grandchildren are a precious gift to us, a gift like no other, and we need to do the best job we can to guide them in the right direction as they make their way through life. Edward Fays was right when he said, “There is nothing more wonderful than the love and guidance a grandparent can give his or her grandchild.” Let’s give our children, grandchildren, and even ourselves the guidance contained in this book, especially in light of the fact that it reflects God’s love, wisdom, and guidance for us.
Blessings,
Chris
1
THE JOY OF BEING A GRANDPARENT
Children’s children are a crown to the aged,
and parents are the pride of their children.
—Proverbs 17:6
An hour with your grandchildren can
make you feel young again. Anything
longer than that, and you start to age quickly.
—Gene Perret
I asked God for three things when I was in college. First, He would bring me a wonderful woman to be my wife. Second, He wo