Show Hope Book Club: Created to Connect
Created to Connect
Our friends and partners at Empowered to Connect recently updated the “Created to Connect” study, a free resource designed to guide Christian parents through the biblical foundations of the book “The Connected Child” by Dr. Karyn Purvis, Dr. David Cross, and Wendy Lyons Sunshine.
From Empowered to Connect: “This resource has encouraged and supported families through some of the deepest valleys of parenting, and we are overjoyed that this FREE resource has been redesigned in 2024. Dr. Purvis’ groundbreaking approach to children, families, and the heart of our Creator has contributed to a huge movement toward hope and healing for families and communities. The new version is interactive and includes a Family Spotlight alongside Take It Deeper Resources. We hope you’ll continue using this enduring resource for the decades to come!”
These questions, and more, can be found in the study guide available to download for free.
Chapter 1: Hope and Healing
- Thinking about your adoption or foster care journey, what challenges or issues have you encountered (or do you expect to encounter) that have caused (or could cause) you to lose hope?
Chapter 2: Where Your Child Began
- Of the three aspects of compassion highlighted in the Parable of the Good Samaritan (i.e. having genuine concern, stopping and acting, and engaging in an ongoing process of healing and restoration), what is the most difficult one for you to consistently exhibit with your child? Why?
Chapter 3: Solving the Puzzle of Difficult Behavior
- What is your primary goal as a parent? How does your relationship with your child, particularly in terms of how you handle connecting and correcting, reflect or correspond to this goal?
Chapter 4: Disarming the Fear Response with Felt Safety
- Recognizing the role that fear is playing in your child’s life, how can you best respond to help him or her exchange his or her fears for trust?
Chapter 5: Teaching Life Values
- What values do you most want your child to learn and to live? How do you teach those values to your child? Do you consistently model them?
Chapter 6: You Are the Boss
- How do you view the way God loves and relates to you in terms of nurture and structure? Does this view of how God loves and relates to you influence the way you love and relate to your child? If so, how?
Chapter 7: Dealing with Defiance
- Are you afraid of what others may think or say about the way you parent if you handle certain situations, especially those involving discipline, differently than they recommend?
Chapter 8: Nurturing at Every Opportunity
- How specifically can you begin to more intentionally nurture your child? How do you think he or she will respond?
Chapter 9: Proactive Strategies to Make Life Easier
- In what areas of your parenting do you feel unprepared or lacking an adequate plan?
Chapter 10: Supporting Healthy Brain Chemistry
- Based on the fact that research has determined that brain chemistry can be altered with interventions (such as the ones taught in The Connected Child), what connecting strategies and interventions should you consider utilizing with your child?
Chapter 11: Handling Setbacks
- What challenges are you facing for which you need help from others? Where can you turn for that help? What is preventing or holding you back from seeking that help?
Chapter 12: Healing Yourself to Heal Your Child
- How much emphasis do you place on the importance of your role (including your own history and attachment style) in the process of developing a strong and secure connection with your child?
Join us in March as we discuss “The Connected Therapist: Relating Through the Senses” by Marti Smith.
