Brave Moms, Brave Kids: A Battle Plan for Raising Heroes

This book....seriously it's so amazing! I still am a mom of littles, but they currently are almost 4 and 7, and oh how I wish this book were available when I first became a mom! Lee's genuine and beautiful heart spills out onto these pages as she shares the wisdom that she has gleaned over the years from work in ministry and with Moms in Prayer, and most importantly, just what God has put on her heart in order to be the best mom she can be in helping spiritually prepare her kids for the world. If you truly want to dig into your faith and parent your kids to be God fearing adults, not just modify your kids behavior so physically they seem to behave themselves, but their hearts are in spiritual disarray....then please read this book! A few of my favorite quotes: "The minute we put our children's comfort or happiness in front of their obedience to the Lord, we have believed a lie." "Our efforts must be infused with the Holy Spirit or they will fall short." "Nothing else makes the claim to thoroughly equip our children for the road ahead like Scripture does. It is not supplemental material to tuck onto the end of our days with them, but rather the framework from which to build their spiritual lives." "As we discipline, we need to make sure we hold Scripture as the standard and not our own expectations. That means our children obey us not because we are bigger than they are and in charge but because the Lord has told them to honor us. We want them to learn not to whine, act selfishly, steal, sleep around, or snark at the authorities in their lives because God said not to, not because we have tried to produce children who are easier to handle or can be successful in the world. We're looking for transformed and renewed minds." It's a must read for moms, and even grandma's as we parent the next generation! I was given a copy of the book in exchange for my honest opinions. All of my thoughts listed are solely my own.

This book is not one to read if you're satisfied with the way you parent now. We can all admit that there are certain things we'd love to strengthen in ourselves during our parenting journey. If you're ready to be BRAVE, this book is for you! Lee shares her story of parenting wins and losses and how she realized that in order to change our kids, we have to change ourselves! Scriptural guidance and support are woven throughout the book in ways that you will retain, as well as great stories of how Lee applies those Scriptures to her every day journey in life AND parenting. Practical, helpful habits shared in "Brave Moms, Brave Kids" will encourage, inspire and allow you to see what needs to change in your life so you can be a more confident parent, unafraid of what's to come for your kids. If we want to raise warriors who are courageous, we must be those very things ourselves. I plan on using it for curriculum in our moms group at church and would like to use it as a supplemental curriculum at the pregnancy resource center I work at. I think once you read it, you will find a mama in your life who could benefit from this book...maybe it's the mama looking back in the mirror at you! * I was given an advanced reader copy by the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I was not encouraged to give a positive review, the opinions above are my own.*

Raising kids is plain hard. It stretches us further than we ever thought possible. On my journey of motherhood, I am embracing that to raise a brave child, I have to be brave myself. We can never give something away we don't have. Lee Nienhuis really dives into today's battle of raising heroes. She identifies "Mommy fears" and takes us through seven key lessons we must teach our children to live for Jesus. Be brave dear Mom, you are shaping the future one day at a time!

This is a thoughtful and thorough help to moms who are wading through the worry and fear of raising godly children. Great read.

Brave Moms, Brave Kids is so insightful but also filled with practical ways I can better parent my two boys (Ages 6 & 4). I have always struggled to strive outside the home for my purpose but Lee reminds me just how powerful my role and subsequent real-life example of modeling Christ in my life, marriage and interaction with them is. One of my favorite quotes is: “Home should be the safest place for our children to err and be restored.’’ I have so much to teach and model for them before they leave our nest. Being a Christian in our culture is like swimming upstream and requires myself and my boys to be #EverydayBrave! I feel empowered by her words, choice of scriptures and biblical principles and have already started implementing them in our home. I view my role as Mother with more joy and peace because as heavy and overwhelming as the responsibility is to be a Christ-like example everyday, I know I can’t do that without becoming Brave myself, focusing on His Word daily and releasing control to Him gladly! You will LOVE THIS BOOK and I guarantee your pages will be covered in underlines and highlights! It’s a must have and a great gift!!!

This book has been one of the best Christian parenting books I had ever read thus far. Brave moms, Brave kids put so many things into perspective that I was not aware I should do as I raise my son. The book, in general, gives a strategic and well developed plan on how to raise warriors of the faith and believers. As the author herself refers on chapter one: "I began to see parenting as a sacred trust from the Lord that was about raising another human being to love and glorify God" The book also touches the theme about fear. In chapter two there is a part that made me stops and analyze a whole of things. It says: "but when our fears threaten our children we have an altogether reaction. Anxiety can creep deep into a mother's heart and threaten to undo her. That is exactly what fear and anxiety are designed to do -overtake us... I have become absolutely convinced that fear is a created entity designed not by the enemy as we might suppose, but rather than by a perfect, all-knowing God" Then as you continue reading another truth wraps everything "What God meant to be a tool in our lives to bring order and to create in us awe, worship and reverence, the enemy uses to send all manner of destruction into our lives" Whoa!! That blew my mind because it is such an amazing truth! The remaining of chapter two continuous to target the subject of fear in a marvelous way and is backed up with scriptures to support the subject. Chapter three is titled "The fumbled torch" and it is another wow chapter. Some of the quotes I want to share are the ones that made an impact on me and definitely challenged me: "It is tempting to stare hard at our weaknesses and areas of temptations and disqualify ourselves from leading spiritually in those areas" "We don't set the standards, God does!" "The...reason that my past does not disqualify me, that failure on my part to meet that standard has already been covered in full by Jesus. He expects my obedience as a demonstration of my love for Him." So much truth in those quotes for us moms that had struggled in those areas. The last part of the book is called; "The noble work" which is a compilation of the things we must teach our kids as brave kids. Those things are To know God To pray Self control Relationships Serve Find their identity in Christ Each chapter ends with a brave and bold prayer that you can customize to make it your very own for you and your kids. What I loved the most about this book is the author's transparency sharing her own personal journey as a mom. She explains it so beautifully and so well-articulated that makes it easy to understand. Her background as a bible teacher reflects on the book and every chapter and each quote she writes is backed with scripture or a bible story. This book is a great tool in Christian parenting applied to the time we live in. Highly recommend it!!!!! Disclaimer: I was given an advance reader copy in lieu of an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I finished reading through this inspirational book this past week, and though I was anxious to finish reading to get it all inside my brain, I was so sad the book was finished when I reached the end! As a mother to four young children, I'm still processing some of the encouragement, challenge, and inspiration I received through Lee's words! She also shared lots of God's Words, too... In fact, I wrote down all the Scripture passages I came across in the book, and it filled three journal pages!! I put a quote from her book, "We can't actively believe a God we do not know," up on our letter board and loved the conversations it inspired with my kiddos, as they realize my actions toward them are inspired by seeking after God, and desiring for them to be brave kids that follow God, too! I have been challenged to be intentional in many areas with my kids through the personal stories Lee shared, as well as the Scriptures I can read and pray over my children and family, and am excited to see the many lives God touches through Lee's willingness to put these words into other women's lives! Though I was provided wtih an advanced reader copy before it was released, I purchased the audiobook version as well so I can listen to Lee share her stories and encouragement over and over again! I'm sure I will be flipping through the book to reflect back on all the words I underlined, starred, and put smiley faces next to as well. So thankful for the challenge to be a Brave Mom in this world, and so thankful I don't have to navigate this journey alone!

I really liked this book and found it to be a huge encouragement that I'm not alone. The author comes alongside her readers as a fellow mom on the journey. She wants the best for her kids, just like we do, but she challenges us to consider whether our idea of "best" matches God's best for them. A few things this book is NOT: 1. It's not lightweight spirituality in any way, shape, or form. It dives deep into what following Christ means -- both for us and our children -- and challenges us to stretch our faith into new territory. 2. It's not a "how to" book on disciplining our children. Rather, it addresses the deeper heart issues of parenting -- the fears and worries we have about the world our kids will grow up in. 3. It doesn't leave the reader off the hook. The second half of the book offers both "heart help" and practical ideas for deepening our children's spiritual foundation, but it begins with developing those practices in us as moms first. I found this book to be full of Scriptural truth and especially appreciated the prayers at the end of each chapter. Its message will both challenge and encourage moms, while also providing practical ideas to deepen the spiritual foundation in our homes.

My children are grown and married, I am now a Mimi who is involved, enjoying, and engaged with grandchildren. They are the reason I welcomed and embraced the opportunity to be on the launch team for “Brave Moms, Brave Kids” by Lee Nienhuis. Lee is not an expert or done with raising her children. In fact, she is still in the throes of parenting and faces the same challenges as all of us. She is fully aware she is still at risk of her children falling apart. She understands apart from God, she is unqualified but has chosen to depend on Him and His Word for the daily guidance needed each day. This book is full of encouragement from Scripture and from other sources, as Lee writes to infuse us with a strong dose of faith to grow us to be brave. For our children, and grandchildren to be brave, we as moms need to tend to our souls and be brave. We need to overcome fear by believing God. The author will soon become a friend with her warm, transparent, and engaging writing. ** I received an ARC as part of the launch team in exchange for my honest review. It was my joy to both read and review this book. This is a book I will keep and share in the days ahead.

Brave Moms, Brave Kids: A Battle Plan for Raising Heroes by Lee Nienhuis is a must read for every mom despite the ages of her children. As a busy mom of four, I am always trying to find ways to reach the hearts of my children and to help them to grow deep in their faith. It’s hard to be intentional and consistent due to the culture today of being so busy and on the go all the time, but Lee Nienhuis offers strategies that are doable for anyone to implement in their lives. She also reminds us just how important it is to be consistent and to seek out opportunities to equip our children to stay true to themselves and to do the right thing even when they are met with challenges and opposition. The acronym she uses for BRAVE is perfect in breaking down the steps involved in order to help us lead our children to follow God’s lead and plans for them. Believe God, Reflect, Ask Forgiveness, Vigilant Prayer and Equip. We must first become brave heroes in order to model what it means to be brave in our world so that our children can be the heroes for the next generation. “Modeling faith begins with our children catching us believing God.” Each chapter is filled with scripture, real-life stories, strategies and prayers to God for our children and for ourselves to continue to hold true to the path He has set out for each one of us to follow. At the end of the book, you will find reflection questions that you can use to check where the strengths and weaknesses lie within each child and yourself and your spouse as well. I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This book is for everyone - moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, all adults. Brave Moms, Brave Kids is a clear cut guide for anyone who interacts with kids- not just their moms! It takes a village! I am not a mom. But I am a teacher - in a public alternative education high school. Lee offers clear, concise, and direct encouragement and battle plans for moms (and the rest of us). She is open and honest as she shares personal stories and antidotes of her highs and lows as a mom - and everything in between. The ideas, suggestions and beliefs shared are grounded in scripture and the application of these passages in everyday life is outlined and explained. There is no sugar-coating here, folks! Satan is at work in the world and we need to combat him to lead kids - ALL the kids - to a life following God.

This book is for everyone - moms, dads, aunts, uncles, grandparents, teachers, all adults. Brave Moms, Brave Kids is a clear cut guide for anyone who interacts with kids- not just their moms! It takes a village! I am not a mom. But I am a teacher - in a public alternative education high school. Lee offers clear, concise, and direct encouragement and battle plans for moms (and the rest of us). She is open and honest as she shares personal stories and antidotes of her highs and lows as a mom - and everything in between. The ideas, suggestions and beliefs shared are grounded in scripture and the application of these passages in everyday life is outlined and explained. There is no sugar-coating here, folks! Satan is at work in the world and we need to combat him to lead kids - ALL the kids - to a life following God.

Brave Moms, Brave Kids by Lee Nienhuis has directly impacted the way I bravely mother my four treasures. Fear is so real and can easily suck the joy and the godly responsibility we have to raise children who love the Lord with their whole hearts. There are so many parts of the this book that I'm still mulling over. There are so many parts, through direct application from Lee's words, I have applied to my daily mothering. Lee makes pointing to Jesus very practical, such as teaching about the "Y" moments, Triple Worth, and so many more snippets of wisdom to help me instill values in my children that point them constantly to Jesus. I highly recommend this book to ALL mamas...not just the ones that struggle with fear, but to all. It takes a brave mama to make a brave kid.

This book is a must read for mama's. Lee offers wonderful advice on how to raise up the next generation to be Brave! Lee is a mama who gets it and knows just how important raising our children up in God's word and to do his will is. It's not just about our children's hearts, she cares about our hearts as well. She wants our homes to be full of Christ's love. Lee dives into giving our fears about our children to God and not holding on so tightly, so that they can grow and flourish the way God intended them too! One of the quotes that I loved by Lee "Can we run a thousand miles with the thought that God knows what we are ready to face and when"? Mama's God has got this! She also gets into the root of where issues lie between us and raising our children up to be warrior prayers. Lee reminds us that we have to Pray for our kids and pray Brave prayers! This book wrecked me in the best possible way! Tears flowed, laughter came and a new found bravery emerged! I can not wait for Lee to write another book!

This is one of the best books on raising kids and teaching them about loving themselves for who god made them to be. And to be brave and standing up for themselves for who god made them to be and how there parents raised them to be the very best they can be in God's eyes not he worlds eyes

This book has given me a diferent perspective on how to face the day and how to raise my kids all while having God as a part of our lives. Lee takes you through fear and anxiety, then works through what it truly means to be BRAVE, and finishes with how to take it into action and move forward with a plan for you, your kids, your family. I spent extra time in the first part learning and understanding how "fear is a gift from God, but it is the Enemy who takes and twists it into anxiety, worry, and more. I have marked pages, underline thoughts, and written my own thoughts in the margins. The book takes you into a deeper relationship with God and connects that with your kids through you. As moms we are warriors who face battles every day, in every form, from every direction. We need to stand, put on our armor, and be ready to face them through believing God, reflecting, asking forgiveness, viligiantly praying, and equiping our kids to do the same. As you read through the book you will read about real heroes, everyday heroes...not just ones found in the bible, but ones that Lee has come face to face with. We all have a true hero inside of us, let's raise our kids up to be BRAVE and to be true heros.

“Brave Moms, Brave Kids” is a call to action for the mothers and grandmothers who are raising and influencing this current generation of young people. We live in a culture that relentlessly bombards our children with confusion, distractions, and doubts about the character of God and truth of the gospel. As mothers who are striving to raise godly children this can feel like an exhausting endeavor. How often do we let the craziness of this world scare us into believing that we can effectively shield our children from the adversity that awaits them? “Brave Moms, Brave Kids” is a tool that will equip mothers to walk in true freedom through Christ Jesus, who in turn, will raise up a generation of men and women who will play a vital role in bringing the Kingdom of God to a world in need of His redemeption. Lee recounts the story of Nehemiah who was called to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. She shares that the builders were assigned to rebuild the portion of the wall directly in front of their own homes because no one would build a more secure wall than the person living directly behind it. In the same way she states: “No one will do a better job rebuilding the spiritual walls around your child, home, and community than you.” This book has given me a fresh perspective on my everyday life as a young mom by shedding the light of eternity on the work I do day in and day out, no matter how mundane it may seem. This message calls me to live above the examples I have had in my personal life, and above the societal norm. We’re reminded that brave isn’t easy, but it’s worth doing anyway. I know every mom who reads this book will feel encouraged and equipped to become the brave mom she is called to be. Our kids are depending on us for it. For more about the book “Brave Moms, Brave Kids” as well as a list of the types of readers who would benefit from this message visit https://www.choosinggraceblog.com/giveaway/ *I received an Advance Reader copy of “Brave Moms, Brave Kids” in exchange for being a part of the book launch team. All views and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review of Brave Moms Brave Kids So ... I was that mom who saw her daughter ride off on her bike and immediately pictured her falling and crashing. I lived way too many of my early mom years in fear, picturing dire situations that never materialized. I needed help. I wish Brave Moms, Brave Kids, the new book by Lee Nienhuis, had been available then. Lee understands timid moms, and how HARD it is for them to be brave with their precious, much-loved children. I laughed out loud when she wrote: "The bold prayer 'Use them, Lord, to reach the world' began to morph into 'as long as it is within driving distance of home." Lee's journey from dreams of her children changing the world, to the reality that she wanted them safe, to the bold decision that it was more important for her children to follow Christ with all their might than to be "safe" ... is inspiring, challenging, and encouraging. You will laugh and cry. You will find practical ideas and help for your own mothering journey. This book will make you brave, as Lee reminds you of how much MORE God loves those children of yours. I highly recommend it. But be prepared to be changed. Go find your brave! I was given an advance copy of this book to read, and have now bought copies for both my grown daughters -- who managed to survive childhood despite my early fears!! May God use this book to transform young moms into brave moms, wanting His best for their children!!

This book has seriously changed the way I view my role as a mother in my kids’ lives. It is a battle cry, a ram’s horn of our generation spurring us into battle for our kids. This book is rich in Scripture reference and practical ways to improve your own spiritual walk with Christ thereby building a foundation for your family in years to come. With prayer and discipleship of our kids as the focus of this book, rest assured you won’t view your role as a doormat mother. Lee challenges us to rise to the occasion and raise our brave kids as only brave moms can do. Being brave isn’t sheltering or coddling them, it is inspiring them to rise and stand on the firm blocks of faith this book will help you create within your family. Pick up a copy of this book today, there isn’t enough stars to show how badly this book is needed in our lives!!

It's just the tool a mom needs to be brave in this scary world and to be equipped to raise brave kids who can face the future with confidence. I loved how Lee writes with a sense of humor and from her heart and life experiences. It's practical guidance for any mom or grandmom. And she ends with such words of encouragement for grandmoms, which I am now, to pray deep, brave hero prayers for faith-filled followers of Christ in our family's lineage of faith.

This book is wonderful for anyone involved in raising the next generation to be warriors for the kingdom of God. Lee stresses the importance of being a brave mom in order to raise brave kids and she offers practical advice on how to equip our children to become heroes of the faith, with every strategy rooted in Scripture. Our world is becoming increasingly dark, & while it can be tempting to shelter my kids, I've been so convicted by Lee's words about doing the exact opposite. I highly recommend this book!

Brave Moms, Brave Kids is a practical hands on guide for mothers of all children! In Brave Moms, Brave Kids Lee Nienhuis shares honestly why we, as moms, need to be praying for our children, and not just for their salvation. Lee offers honest advice and wisdom for raising your children bathed in prayer. Lee gives you practical strategies for raising godly children who are heros and warriors for Jesus. Consider this book, paired with the Bible, the hands on guide for spiritual parenting. Lee shares biblical insight on how to pray for and train your children to be Christ followers. Have you ever been taught how to teach your children how to know and obey God, how to value the Word of God, how to pray, the importance of self-control, relationships and service and perhaps most importantly their identity if Christ? In Brave Moms, Brave Kids, Lee addresses each of those topics with a practical “how to”. As a Moms In Prayer praying mom, Lee also shares the four steps of prayer that can be used to teach your children how to pray. This book has challenged me in my faith and taught this mother of five much about godly parenting. I highly recommend Brave Moms, Brave Kids. I was offered a free copy of Brave Moms, Brave Kids for my honest review, but I have purchased one to give away as many can benefit from this excellent book!