#68: How to create a family shaped by grace with Gary Morland [Grace in Parenting series]

How can Jesus’ sufficiency meet you as you parent in real life? What are ways we can woo our kids to Jesus instead of telling them about Him? If you’ve ever had a family Bible study or devotional go sideways, listen in on how you can shape your family with God’s grace.

In Episode 68, we’re talking about how to create a family shaped by grace with author, husband, and dad Gary Morland.

In this interview, Gary shares with us:

How Jesus’ sufficiency meets you in real-life parenting,
What we can control and what we can’t,
And practical ways to woo your people to Jesus.

Key Quotes

“Jesus’ sufficiency is for the reasons I want things to turn out the way I want things to turn out.” – Gary Morland
“The absolute first place that never goes away, where I am affirmed and cared about and seen, is in the eys of my Lord, who dwells within me and me in Him.” – Gary Morland
“Don’t try to get from your family what only God can give.” – Gary Morland
“What does God seem to be up to in my kids?” – Gary Morland
“I can control my efforts, but I cannot control the results.” – Gary Morland
“Wooing is being calm when your kids are not.” – Gary Morland
“Wooing is finding the good in your kids and giving them the credit for it.” – Gary Morland
“The desire is that my family would have access to God through me.” – Gary Morland
“I want to cooperate with God in what He’s up to in each of my family member’s lives.” – Gary Morland
“God has engineered your limits.” – Gary Morland
“I can release control because I know He’s in control.” – Gary Morland
“Do your parenting job — your work of loving, teaching, and correcting — but don’t expect certain results in a certain time period.” – Gary Morland
“You’re not messing your kids up.” – Gary Morland
“We want to stop feeling our mom-ness as if there’s no God, as if you can do everything right, as if it all depends on you. Leave room for God to shape and fix and use our mistakes.” – Gary Morland
“We want our kids to end up trusting in the bigness and goodness of God. When they see us trusting in the bigness and goodness of God, they are wooed to the same thing.” – Gary Morland

Mentioned in the Podcast

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About Gary Morland

Gary Morland is a professional communicator with more than 30 years of radio experience sharing his own life story and helping others share theirs. As a 25-year sober alcoholic, he describes himself as “a guy who should have died but didn’t, with a wife who should have left but stayed.”

If anyone knows the power of grace and forgiveness, it’s Gary. He and his wife, Brenda, are the parents of authors Emily P. Freeman and Myquillyn Smith, a.k.a. The Nester.

He and Brenda live in North Carolina, and Gary will celebrate his birthday today!