(AgapePress) - I confess. I was a skeptic -- thinking what we had here was a famous artist taking advantage of his fame to amass more fortune. Why didn't he just stick to canvas, not the computer? Still, I like his paintings -- so I began flipping through the pages to find Kinkade's light-filled images of churches, cottages and gardens.

I couldn't help scanning a few phrases here and there -- to validate my skepticism, of course. Then, I found myself reading full sentences. Soon, I was devouring entire paragraphs. To my dismay, I was thinking, "This is good stuff."

The Many Loves of Parenting is good stuff -- a touch of nostalgia, a lot of love, a storehouse of wisdom. Plus the distinctive paintings of Thomas Kinkade. The new title (2003, Multnomah) is by Kinkade himself, world renowned "Painter of Light," and his wife, Nanette.

It happens all too often these days, but I have to admit I was wrong again. (My apologies, Mr. Kinkade.) The man cannot only paint. He can write. And his pen releases the same passion and impact we've come to expect from his paint brushes. Co-workers see the book on my desk, note the countless Post-It tabs and observe, "You must really like this one!"

I do. And I'm not easily impressed by books on parenting. After 20 years in a family-oriented ministry, I sometimes think I've read it all when it comes to the "experts" on parenting. But this book stands out from others on the shelf. It's as if normal parents wrote it. It's free of psychological jargon and endless hard-to-read-much-less-understand passages.

In The Many Loves of Parenting, the Kinkades offer a book that's pleasant to look at and fun to read. At the same time, it reaches the reader who needs courage and motivation for parenting. They articulate nine principles gleaned through their desire for a Biblical family foundation. In a personable and readable style, they inject family experiences as they rear their four daughters, the oldest a teenager. Without preaching or lecturing, they share practical tips to motivate parents.

'Our Home Is Different'
"Our girls understand that our home is different," writes Thomas. "They may not always celebrate that fact, they may not even appreciate that fact. But they understand. ... Nanette and I don't believe in passive parenting."

In chapter one, Nanette writes, "A vigilant love draws its energy, awareness and perspective from a daily walk with the Lord." That principle -- a "vigilant love" -- superimposes itself on everything the Kinkades have to say.

"Which is more important, quality time or quantity time?" Thomas asks. He debunks the pop-culture "quality time" cop-out with his answer: "I vote for quantity. Why? Because quality grows out of quantity, not the other way around. You can't force happiness or deep conversations or crazy memories."

He urges parents to spend lots of time with their children, for it is in the "small," daily happenings that relationships grow. He says a parent never knows which walk around the block, which trip to the park, which little event will be the seed God uses to plant another truth in a child's life. "Weeks, months, years ... later," he writes, "one of the children will say, 'I remember the day when ....' How do these wondrous encounters happen? I can tell you this, it won't happen while you're sitting around the tube watching The Simpsons."

'You Be the Driver'
Speaking of television, the Kinkades have never had commercial TV in their Northern California home. Nor do they subscribe to any newspapers or news magazines. "In our home, Thom and I have decided to limit access to media coming through our doors," writes Nanette.

One chapter is entitled "A Family-Centered Love." In it, Kinkade delivers this challenge:

You are the parent. You be the driver. You keep them on track. You keep them focused. You keep them plugged into family activities. You keep them pointed in a healthy direction. Give yourself to the effort. Sacrifice for it. Pray for massive infusions of God's strength and wisdom. Reach for it every day.

Or simply yield to the flow of contemporary culture. And don't be taken aback when your children follow right along where that current is leading.

Mr. Kinkade, I couldn't have said it better myself. Let me re-phrase that: I couldn't have said it half as well. The Kinkades have some encouraging and challenging things to share. Things parents should hear and take to heart.

"[Parenting] really isn't rocket science," he says. "It's just a willingness to spend time with your children ... to invest your life in them."