Blog Tour Review: Raising an Army of Helaman's Warriors by Mark Ogletree & Kevin Hinckley

Raising an Army blog tour

Raising an Army of Helaman's Warriors: A Guide for Parents to Prepare the Greatest Generation of MissionariesRaising an Army of Helaman's Warriors:
A Guide for Parents to Prepare the Greatest Generation of Missionaries
by Mark D. Ogletree and Kevin A. Hinckley
Christian, Parenting, Nonfiction
Paperback, 192 Pages
March 10th 2015 by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media

Summary

Turn your home into an MTC! With missionaries being called at younger ages and so many distractions and temptations to pull teens astray, parents need a plan to keep their kids on the missionary track. This practical, testimony-building approach to mission prep is perfect for parents and leaders. Start now so they can serve honorably and spread the word to all the world!

  

My Review

My kids are getting to the age where they're at different stages.We're graduating out of the baby and toddler stage. Life was so crazy for years and now they're able to be more independent and do some things on their own that we used to do for them. We're a little bit in an adjustment period on finding a happy medium between raising them to be functional, responsible adults, but also still doing some things for them as we teach, guide, and direct. 

I've been thinking about how effective of a parent I am. We all can do better, right? No one's perfect and we won't ever be, but I also want our home to be a positive, happy place where our kids can just be, learn, grow, and feel loved while they become who they're going to be years down the road. Raising an Army of Helaman's Warriors had some great points in helping us in that direction. It's geared towards getting children ready to serve religious missions. I felt like it could be applied to just getting our children to be great, independent, hard-working adults just as well.

Most of the information I've heard before and many of the ideas or counsel wasn't new. However, there were also parts that had some great suggestions and reminders on what we should be doing in our home. I enjoyed the chapters on testimony, conversion, receiving answers, the emotional checklist, raising resilient children, healthy communication, and making the home an MPC (missionary preparation center) the most. I also really liked the practical application sections at the end of each chapter that gave me just direct things to study and do. I felt like it was worth reading just for the MPC chapter alone because it gave me a little bit of a jump start.

I also really liked this quote:
    "Be where you are supposed to be, when you are supposed to be there, doing what you are supposed to be doing."
- Dr. Randal A. Wright (p. 159) 
Isn't that just about the truth? That pretty much can apply to anything in following through and fulfilling responsibilities and being dependable. 

Overall, Raising an Army of Helaman's Warriors was a good read. It wasn't really anything new, but it was a great tool to get my thoughts moving in a positive direction and helping me decide what things might need to be changed or updated in our home to help our children being responsible and independent adults.

Content: Clean

Source: I would like to thank Cedar Fort for my complimentary copy, which did not affect my review in any way.

About the Authors

Kevin Hinckley is a Licensed Professional Counselor in Private Practice. He received his M.Ed from Brigham Young University, with an emphasis in Organizational Behavior. He has developed numerous therapeutic programs, including inpatient and day treatment programs for addiction and trauma recovery. He has worked closely with the LDS Addiction Recovery Program and is the author of The Naaman Project, a day treatment program for Pornography Addiction. A former bishop and institute teacher, Kevin has written 5 books. He is a regular presenter at Campus Education Weeks at BYU-Idaho and BYU.

Mark Ogletree has a MS in education and a PhD in family and human development. He taught in the Church Educational System for 21 years, serving as seminary instructor and principal, institute instructor, and the director of the Institute of Religion in Dallas, Texas. He has also presented marriage and family workshops in the private sector, as well as for Education Week at BYU. Presently, Mark is an Associate Professor in the Department of Church History and Doctrine at Brigham Young University where he teaches courses on preparing for marriage and living prophets. Additionally, Mark has worked in private practice for over 20 years as a Marriage and Family Therapist. Mark has also published several articles in the Ensign, in academic journals, and most recently teamed up with other professors at Brigham Young University and contributed to By Divine Design–a book to strengthen marriage and family relationships.

6 comments

  1. Cali Willette3/21/15, 11:14 AM

    Good review! My mom likes Christian books like these. :)

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  2. I love this Tressa! Great review! I love the quote. I tell my kids kind of the same thing. But I say we do what we are suppose to do so we can do the things we want to do, but that one is so much better

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  3. I don't read them too often, but we've been trying to figure out how best to help our ADD son and other children who have some specific struggles. It can be easy to get frustrated and forget what you've learned before. Plus, they're ever changing and so something might work for a little bit and then not work at all. I really liked this one. :)

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  4. I loved it too! I thought it kind of applied to pretty much everything.

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  5. It was. It reminded me that I'm human and so are my kids. :)

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