Road Trip to Redemption: A Disconnected Family, a Cross-Country Adventure, and an Amazing Journey of Healing and Grace
I hesitate even to attempt this book, on many levels, but I feel compelled to share my family's story--of hard lessons learned, battles won and still ongoing--with fellow parents. Our story is told openly and with full transparency, leaving us vulnerable before you. We don't reveal this lightly, but we do it in hopes that it will offer some encouragement to other parents.We all share in the common struggle of being fathers and mothers.Together we're on a sort of parenting pilgrimage, a rite of passage every generation must complete.This is the story of a family crisis that threatened one of our children. In the aftermath of that crisis, God took me on a profound personal journey, leading me to rethink much of what I thought I knew about being a good father and the actual goals of Christian parenting. Eventually he directed me to take my family on an extended road trip, and he used that experience--full of incredible natural beauty, hours in the car, and forced family togetherness in a way we hadn't encountered before--to speak to us individually and as a family...to bring us healing.I am not a fan of formulaic how-to books for Christian living. This is not meant to be another three-point version of how to enjoy a better Christian life. I don't wish to give you a false hope of near immediate resolution to whatever crisis you face. I fear that many parenting books engage little but our need to dosomethingto change our circumstances and avoid our pain. That is not this book's purpose. Instead, this book is intended to be an encouragement to any family who finds themselves in the midst of a crisis, or a growing concern over the condition of their family. It's specifically for those families who are feeling disconnected from each other and are looking for ways to reconnect at a heart level. If that sounds familiar, this book is definitely for you.My hope is for you to be inspired to press on with your calling of being a parent. I want to challenge you not to give up or settle for living in survival mode, and to help you avoid being just anotherwounded, weary, and wary of ever doing so againkind of parent.My goal is to help parents look beyond the external symptoms to the heart level.Through my story, I want to help you see your kids as they are, as multidimensional, unique individuals who need your love and attention or, simply put, your time. I want to remind you of the difference between kids who appear to be okay and pay lip service to Christianity and those who are genuinely being drawn into their faith by a growing understanding of the overwhelming love God has for them. I want to inspire you to parent out of love and a commitment to gain a genuine connection with your kids, instead of out of debilitating fear and a desperate desire to "get it right." I hope you get a glimpse of what it means to be an authentic parent, even when your past choices--like mine--have not made you the perfect role model.As I tell our family's story, my prayer is that these hard-won insights will be deposited solidly in your mind and hearts.The principles we have discovered have their roots in the Bible and are helpful in every human tragedy and triumph. The truths I've referenced are ancient and remarkable, capable of guiding and directing the most desperate and cynical among us to new hope and life and faith in Christ. The experiences from my own life are intended to encourage everyone to get up and try again, no matter how messy your circumstances or your past.I believe it will take parents pursuing God diligently and sincerely to change our world, starting in our first missionary field: families. We cannot trust to the efforts of others to educate and engage our own children's hearts to the truth of God and his plan for their lives. We are responsible for keeping our families on the sure road of true life, and we must not be asleep at the wheel. With God as our help, we can overcome dangerous conditions, unfamiliar roads, distractions, and bad weather.May God richly bless you on your own parenting pilgrimage, your own road-trip journey as you seek to lead your families in the most amazing adventure of all. Peace and Grace to you,Brad Mathias