Here is why I love the book "A Grace Neglected" by Jason Helopoulos (Kevin DeYoung)

Family worship is one of the priority things I really want to develop, but it's hard to stick to it. I am aware of its importance, but my defeats seem to me as numerous as my victories. Attendance for five days in a row gives way to total abandonment the following four days. Sometimes the children participate with enthusiasm, sometimes they do not stay still. For years my wife and I have practiced family worship with our children; for years it was also a problem for us. It is indeed difficult to be consistent, to be creative, to find the time, to capture the attention of children, and to be persistent until the much desired supernatural breakthrough.

That's why I love this book.

I like the title: A Grace Neglected. Instead of hammering us with the injunction of duty, Jason presents family worship to us as an example of divine goodness. Yes, one needs motivation for the discipline of family worship. Yet the best long-term motivation does not come from feeling bad about what we could do better, but from believing that God has something good in store for us. The message of the book is not: "Pray with your family, otherwise ...", but rather: "Think how much this will bless you! ".

I like the practicality of this book. Jason looks back on the history of the Church without sacrificing the relevance of his words for today. His thoughts are timeless and his advice is timely. He doesn't just tell us what to do. He shows us how to do it. Jason gives us questions to ask, ideas to try, books to read, hymns to consult and real life stories to learn from. I hope that everyone who reads this book will draw two main conclusions: "I want to develop family worship" and "I have things to do to achieve it."

Finally, perhaps the most important thing, especially when it comes to such a subject, is that the author of this book is a friend whom I love very much. At a time when you have hundreds of "friends" on Facebook and where everyone you know is presented as "my good friend So-and-so", it's a privilege for me to have a true friend in Jason. , in the flesh, and one that I can always count on. He is a good shepherd, a good husband and a good father. He will be the first to tell you that he is not perfect, whether in family worship or otherwise. That does not mean, however, that he is not an example to follow. He is a pastor who practices what he preaches. I personally know that he writes like a man who takes seriously all of the challenges described in this excellent book. The "neglected grace" of family worship is not overlooked in one's home. Plus, he's a man I respect and a book I need.

- Kevin DeYoung

Preface to the book, A Grace Neglected, by Jason Helopolous .