Families by the Book

The family is the foundation of human society. It is the institution God created to bring children into the world to be nurtured, trained, and loved. Today the existence of the family and of biblical family values is threatened. Divorce, economic instability, teen pregnancy, careerism, substance abuse, and immorality have made it difficult build a home where love, listening, unity, and authority reside. But it can be done.

In "Families By The Book" two experts in the field of Human Relations explain how. Dr. George Selig and Dr. Alan Arroyo have taught people like you the skills needed to assume the role of effective, godly parents. Using Biblical principles, the findings of social science, and years of counseling experience, Drs. Selig and Arroyo have developed a life-changing approach to creating strong families by building successful family relationships. They teach the practical, scriptural discipling strategies that every parent needs to know.

Among the topics covered are:

• The Biblical nature of the family and the role of parents.
• How to understand and motivate children according to their level of maturity.
• The relationship between our spiritual gifts and our personality type.
• How different personality types interact.
• Biblical principles of communication.
• Biblical principles of discipline and character development.
• How to handle special parenting challenges such as dating, special education, single parenting, and drug abuse.

The underlying vision of "Families By The Book" is that our personal differences can work for us rather than against us. 

The differences in our gifts and personalities were created by God for His glory and for our own mutual enrichment. In exploring them, you will discover more about yourself, your spouse, and your children. You will gain new insights into their special needs and how they learn, grow, and obey. As you and your family gain more knowledge about your unique gifts, you will begin "loving your differences" (and each other!) as God intended.

Instructors

Your instructors for this course are Dr. W. George Selig (Ed.D., University of Massachusetts) and Dr. Alan A. Arroyo (Ed.D., Northern Illinois University).

Dr. Selig is the Provost of Regent University in Virginia Beach, Virginia. He is also a professor in the College of Education and Human Services, specializing in Special Education and Administration. He is a former member of the Massachusetts Advisory Council for Mental Health, and has written policy papers on educational law for the Department of Health and Human Services. Dr. Selig is the author of Training for Triumph, a book on parenting, and has co-authored On Eagles' Wings and Loving Our Differences with Dr. Arroyo.

Dr. Alan Arroyo is Associate Professor of Education at Regent University, where he also holds the position of Manager of Institutional Research. He has had experience in program administration, human resource management, research and development, and curriculum design and implementation. He has held various teaching and administrative positions at universities and public schools across the country.

Drs. Selig and Arroyo together bring a wealth of professional experience, practical insight, and spiritual sensitivity to bear in addressing family issues. They have a rare teaching chemistry (they call themselves tag team teachers), and the classes they teach jointly at Regent University are highly popular with students.

Each chapter begins with a summary of what "you will discover" in the chapter. Besides listing what "you will discover" in each chapter, the first page also shows what "you will be able to" achieve as a result of your study. Thus, you are shown how to apply the material you are studying.

Key Scripture: There will often be a Key Scripture listed, which provides a biblical reference point for the content of the lesson. This verse is taken from the New International Version of the Bible, which is for the for the Living By The Book courses. This would be a good verse to memorize. Hiding the Word of God in your heart is one of the most important disciplines you can develop.

Key Words/Phrase: You will learn a number of new terms in your study. Key Words/Phrase are noted at the top of each lesson and are italicized in the text. While some of these words may be unfamiliar, they make up the vocabulary necessary to understand the more complicated concepts. Making It Work: Most lessons contain an exercise designed to integrate key concepts into your daily life. Only as you find ways to apply the things you are learning to your life today will this study process be helpful. As you listen and study, ask the Holy Spirit to give you other ideas on how to use each lesson to serve Christ.

REVIEW QUESTIONS

Each chapter concludes with twenty self-scoring questions designed to reinforce the most important ideas you have studied. These questions are either fill in the blank, True or False, or multiple choice. Indicate the correct answer in the appropriate manner. If you miss an answer, take time to review the chapter content to see why your answer was incorrect.

FINAL EXAMINATION

At the back of your Study Guide is a Final Examination for this Living By The Book course. This learning exercise consists of fifty of the most important concepts you have studied in this course. It follows a similar format to the tests at the end of each chapter. In addition, the questions for the Final Examination are taken from the chapter tests to reinforce the key ideas you have studied. You should continue to review material related to the questions you missed and then retake the test until you can answer at least forty-five of the fifty questions correctly.