When my husband and I found out we were expecting our first child we knew, being first generation Christians, we needed direction to know how to raise our child to love the Lord God with all his heart, soul, and mind. We talked to Christians whom we respected and someone recommended reading the book, Your Mama Don’t Dance by Glenn and Cindy Colley. My husband and I had read their book, You’re Singing My Song, to learn more about what God expects of us as husband and wife and thought that Your Mama Don’t Dance would teach us more about what God expects of us as parents.

The excerpt written on the back cover of the book gives an accurate summary of the things the book addresses. It says,

“Your Mama Don’t Dance exposes our culture’s barrage of materialism, atheism, and worldliness; more importantly, it gives parents the tools to combat them. Contemporary issues of premarital sex, working moms, and money problems are tackled with candor and kindness. Getting in step with God is a timeless solution to current problems. This is the kind of book today’s grandparents wish they had read years ago.”

In the introduction, Glenn and Cindy Colley share the purpose for writing Your Mama Don’t Dance. It “is a book encouraging parents to reject many current parenting ideas and myths, and get back to being what children really need: God loving, children loving, sensible, sacrificing parents” (7). This book book does just what the Colleys intended. While reading Your Mama Don’t Dance, my husband and I were challenged to look at ourselves first before we look at our child. We were reminded our child will only be as faithful, respectful, honest, and loving as we are. The things our child will say and do are the things we say and do. Our child will be a direct reflection of who we are; our child will know who God is through us. We were reminded to always impress on them what is most important – trusting, obeying, and doing the will of God according to His Word. My husband and I were encouraged by the Biblical and practical suggestions given to make the most of the short time we have with our child, to be an example to our child, and to teach him of the one Faith, a living faith.

“Christianity, after all, is not a part of your life. It is a lifestyle. Parents are losing a goldmine of joy and a great toll for rearing Christian kids if they leave the spiritual family projects solely to the youth director or the preacher. Rearing spiritually minded children requires a spiritually minded family structure” (39).

The entire book is a great resource for parents striving to raise children in the Lord. In addition to an introduction and conclusion, the book includes thirteen easy read chapters with references to scripture, questions, and poems. I would recommend using the book as a daily devotional and making time each day to read one chapter and answer the questions. There is so much information to think about and it may be overwhelming to read it as a book. This is what my husband and I did. We read one chapter together and discussed the questions every night until we finished the book. I would also recommend reading Your Mama Don’t Dance more than once to be reminded and encouraged of the things we as Christian parents need to do to start or continue a spiritual legacy for our families.

Want to win a copy? Go to our Facebook page for details!! (http://Facebook.com/ComeFillYourCup)

To order either of these books, go to http://thecolleyhouse.org

By Kerstin Allison
Kerstin and her husband Britton are graduates of the Bear Valley Institute of Denver. Kerstin stays at home with their little one, Elijah, and Britton works full time as a manager at the University of Phoenix. They meet with the North MacArthur church of Christ in Oklahoma City. They are preparing to do long term mission work in South America, if the Lord wills, in 2014.

Note: The author was in no way compensated for this review nor was Come Fill Your Cup, its Editor or affiliates.