The New Vintage Family by Drenda Keesee

I remember those TV families of the 1950s. The dad was a strong but compassionate father, the mother stayed home, and all the kids worked together and got along well. Is it possible to have families like that today?

Keesee says it is. To have that kind of family, however, one must have the principles that go along with it. She has written this book to share the vintage family model and the principles that make is possible.

There is a great deal of information in this book that modern families could use. We start by focusing on what really matters. There is an emphasis of turning to God and focusing on Him. He has the wisdom needed so we must prioritize a relationship with Him. We must also understand how Satan is working to destroy the family.

The four building blocks Keesee uses are discipline, love, faith, and example. She has a great chapter on discipline, why it is needed, and how it can be done in today's society. It is not a popular topic today but it “has the power to make or break a family” she says. She gives plenty of suggestions on how to establish discipline and stick with it.

I really liked her section on example. Kids model what they see and they should be seeing evidence of God in our lives. Keesee home schooled so her children saw their parents and how they lived their lives every day. Part of that was an entrepreneurial spirit and the children grew up being involved in the parent's business. There is a chapter emphasizing how that worked in their family.

Developing a family the way God designed it to be will not happen by accident. I can tell from reading this book that parents must put much prayer, thought, and action into it. It takes work to set boundaries and stick with them. It takes conscious effort to model the kind of adult you want your children to be.

This book is not a “how to” manual for developing a godly family. It is a revelation of how the Keesee family did it with plenty of stories and examples of how principals work. You'll still need to decide whether to home school or not, whether to allow your kids to date or to encourage courting, etc.

I recommend this book for parents of all ages - there is even a chapter on grand parenting and one for the parent of a prodigal. Reading this book is an encouragement. It is possible to develop a family the way God intended, raising godly adults. Reading this book will help you get on the right path.

You can find out more about the book here.

You can watch the book promotion video here.

My rating: 5/5 stars.

Drenda Keesee is a television show host, author, speaker, entrepreneur, and pastor. She and her husband have created several successful businesses and are the founders of Faith Life Now. They also pastor Faith Life Church near Columbus Ohio and are the CEOs of Forward Financial Group. You can find out more at http://drenda.com/ and 

http://faithlifenow.com/ministries/. 

Faith Life Now, 271 pages.

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Son Studios for the purpose of an independent and honest review.