Resources
Creative inspiration and sound advice
As you explore this section, you'll discover information and recommendations I've handpicked to help you on your journey. Whether you're looking for creative inspiration or sound advice, I hope you find the help you are seeking.
Click on any of the buttons below to explore Jill’s recommended resources for that area.
The Armor Prayer for Families
Here you will find a prayer that draws from the Scriptural truth about the power of putting on the armor of God. I encourage you to pray this prayer from Ephesians 6 every morning for your family.
Proverbial Parenting
Here you can scan a collection of words of wisdom in a format that’s easy to download and print. Whether you’re just beginning your parenting journey or already have a house full, we hope you find something that helps in your quest to raise respectful children who will become respectable adults!
Looking for a resource that speaks to a specific part of your parenting journey? Send suggestions on topics that interest you to info@jillgarnercontent.org.
Jill has distilled her 20+ years of working with parents and children into these helpful, easy-to-read, guides, offering practical application and daily inspiration.
Twenty Years of Wisdom
Manners Matter
Explore these inspirational parenting guides that offer practical and positive steps to raising respectful, engaged, and grateful children.
Books
Jill’s Pick of the Month - November 2024
The Freedom of Self-Forgetfulness
by Timothy Keller
Like many of you, this is my favorite time of year. A time for reflection and remembrances. Thoughts of days gone by, folks who left a lasting impression on our hearts, and a sense of hopefulness for tomorrow. This can also be a painful time of year when regrets and longings rush to the surface to wash away the sweet memories.
If you’re longing for a pathway forward that will keep your heart at peace during the holiday season ahead, I want to encourage you to take a deep dive into this wonderful little book. It will lift you beyond your needs to a focus on others. In preparing your heart, take an hour to sit down and read/study this transformative 46-page book.
My hope is that you will find “the blessed rest that only self-forgetfulness brings.”
Recommended Books for Adults
As mentioned in StrongHeart, we cannot pass on to our children that which we do not possess ourselves.
In addition to daily scripture reading, I would like to recommend a variety of titles for your consideration. Books meant to strengthen your faith so that wisdom guides your parenting decisions. Books that instruct and books that entertain. Regardless of age or experience, there’s always more to be learned!
Please note, some of the titles may be out of print, but they are readily available through libraries and/or used book sites, such as, https://www.thriftbooks.com/ or https://www.alibris.com/
Books on Faith
Heaven
by Randy Alcorn
The Confessions
by St. Augustine
The Cost of Discipleship
by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
My Utmost for
His Highest
by Oswald Chambers
Raising Adam
by Gerrit Dawson
Discipline:
The Glad Surrender
by Elisabeth Elliot
Celebration of Discipline
by Richard J. Foster
Devotional Classics
by Richard J. Foster
The Imitation of Christ
by Thomas Kempis
Mere Christianity
by C S Lewis
The Screwtape Letters
by C S Lewis
The Chronicles of Narnia
by C S Lewis
The Ragamuffin Gospel
by Brennan Manning
Into the Depths
of God
by Calvin Miller
Humilty
by Andrew Murray
The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life
by Hannah Whithall Smith
The Green Letters
by Miles J. Stanford
The Lord of the Rings
by J R R Tolkein
The Case for Faith
by Lee Strobel
Keys to the
Deeper Life
by A W Tozer
The Attributes of God
by A W Tozer
The Pursuit of God
by A W Tozer
What’s so Amazing about Grace?
by Philip Yancey
Books on Personal Growth
The Boys in the Boat
by Daniel James Brown
Changes that Heal
by Henry Cloud
Integrity
by Henry Cloud
Waking the Dead
by John Eldredge
Wild at Heart
by John Eldredge
Captivating
by John & Stasi Eldredge
Hinds’ Feet on
High Places
by Hannah Hurnard
Counterfeit Gods
by Timothy Keller
The Freedom of
Self-Forgetfulness
by Timothy Keller
The Search for Significance
by Robert McGee
Renovation of
the Heart
by Dallas Willard
Books on Parenting/Marriage
It’s Better to Build Boys than Mend Men
by S. Truett Cathy
StrongHeart: Cultivating humility, respect, and resiliency in your child
by Jill Garner
The 5 Love Languages
by Gary Chapman
Boundaries with Kids
by Dr. Henry Cloud and
Dr. John Townsend
Raising Respectful Children in a Disrespectful World
by Jill Garner
Wise Words for Mom
by Ginger Hubbard
The Meaning of Marriage
by Timothy Keller
The Highly Healthy Child
by Walt Larimore
When Your Best Isn’t Good Enough
by Kevin Leman
The Birth Order Book
by Kevin Leman
Raising Kids to
Follow Christ
by Lee Ann Mancini
Parenting by
the Book
by John Rosemond
Shepherding a
Child’s Heart
by Tedd Tripp
Recommended Books for Kids
Looking for books that entertain your children, while training them in biblical life principles?
Think back to your own childhood of the books that inspired you, stories that stayed with you into adulthood. Most likely, they were books that touched your heart with truth. Explore the lists provided here for just the right book at just the right stage of your child’s development.
I highly recommend using https://www.pluggedin.com/ as a trusted source for movies, books, TV, music, games, and YouTube reviews.
“StrongHeart parents are humble warriors who protect and prepare their children so they will be able to defend their values and defeat their foes to become all God created them to be.”
Movies
Recommended Movies for Kids
Good movies inspire, uplift, and teach life principles in a way that only movies can do.
Good movies inspire, uplift, and teach life principles in a way that only movies can do. When children relate to the motives and behaviors of the characters, they gain valuable coping skills to use in their own lives. Just as appropriate movies can be a positive influence on children, poor choices can have a negative influence. Here is a recommended list of classic movies that provide enjoyment as well as an engaging way for your family to have deep conversations about timeless Truth.
I highly recommend using https://www.pluggedin.com/ as a trusted source for movies, books, TV, music, games, and YouTube reviews.
Toy Story
Bambi
The Prince of Egypt
The Incredibles
Babe
Charlotte’s Web
Homeward Bound: The Incredible Journey
Recommended Movies for Families
On the screen, we can see the faces, feel the emotion, and experience the pain and joy of the characters. Movies can encourage us in our own faith journey. Stories of redemption remind us that no matter how far we fall, God is there to lift us out of the pit of despair and discouragement. Movies, such as God’s Not Dead, show us how to live out our faith in our lost culture. Discover movies that touch your heart, renew your faith, and maybe, just maybe, you will experience an a-ha moment that brings a fresh perspective to an ongoing struggle.
Movies have the ability to draw us into a story—to make words on a page come to life before our eyes.
The Ultimate Gift
The Chronicles of Narnia
Ben Hur
March of the Penguins
Apollo 13
It’s a Wonderful Life
A Walk to Remember
The Last of the Mohicans
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
The Simple Life of Noah Dearborn
Little Men
Braveheart
Chariots of Fire
God’s Not Dead Series
Facing the Giants
Remember the Titans
Lessons
The following “Lessons from Scripture” provide parents and families a collection of verses on the topics listed below.
“The decisions you make today will determine whether your children and their children have a future they can enjoy or one they must endure.”
Generations
My generational research has taken place over the last twenty-five years.
I have found that the beginning and end date of a generation is not a hard science. Below please find the age brackets I use when writing/speaking about generations (StrongHeart™, p 18-21), followed by a brief overview of each. You will notice these characteristics are generalized and may not represent everyone who falls within a category. However, the trends presented provide critical insight into each generation and the lens through which its members view the world. Just as each of us has strengths and weaknesses, the generation in which we are born has its own set of life events and conventional thinking that influences what we believe and who we become.