Family and Home Archives

Fighting for Your Marriage No Matter What

Matt Hammit was the lead singer of the Christian rock band Sanctus Real for 20 years. In the early years of the band, performing at a music festival, he noticed a beautiful girl in overalls dancing like no one was watching. The next day, at another worship event over three hours away, he saw her again.

Her name was Sarah. Raised in a Christian home, she became a “party girl” in college. When she saw Matt onstage at the music festival leading worship, she felt drawn to him and prayed, “God, I’ll quit drinking if you let me marry that guy.” They began dating and quickly fell in love.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 21, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

GUEST POST: My Dad Just Died; These Five Fatherhood Lessons He Taught Me Live On

By: Gary Schneeberger

While I was in Boston on business a few weeks ago, I picked up a Father’s Day card for my Dad at a tony downtown stationery shop. I’ve long been both a card guy and a card snob, so the simple but elegant bifold printed on recycled paper drew me like catnip entices a tabby.

On its outside it simply says, “I love you, dad” – with the subtle flourish of the period at the end of the sentiment being a red heart.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: father, sons June 16, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Loving Your Spouse Through the Seasons of Marriage

What “season” is it for your marriage? Is it summer because things are warm and sizzling with your spouse? Or is it winter because things feel a little chilly?

I remember how it felt when Jean and I fell in love. Like many couples in a new relationship, we enjoyed being together every chance we could, and daydreamed about seeing each other when we couldn’t. It was easy to think, “We’ll always feel this way!”

But relationships are like the weather; they change.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 15, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Your Faith with Grace and Purpose

Focus on the Family serves the culture according to five foundational pillars. The first pillar is evangelism and discipleship.

Many Christians shy away from evangelism these days. Sharing one’s faith seems more difficult than ever. We don’t want to take an aggressive, “in your face” approach, so we swing the pendulum the other way and become silent, “undercover Christians.”

Is there a middle ground?

Greg Koukl is our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Finding Peace in Your Everyday Life.” He is an apologist and the founder and president of Stand to Reason ministries.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 14, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

An Abortion Survivor’s Story of Forgiveness

Tonya was 13 when she became pregnant and aborted her baby.

She endeavored to move on with her life as if nothing had happened. Yet, in the weeks that followed, something still seemed to be happening inside of her. She soon discovered that she had been pregnant with twins, and one of the babies had survived the procedure. A few weeks later, Tonya gave birth to the child and put her up for adoption.

Twenty-one years later that child – now a grown adult named Claire – called the adoption agency from where she had been adopted.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: abortion, pro-life June 11, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Discovering the Secrets of a Happy Marriage

“It’s just like an American to think you invented the family.”

That’s what Dr. Lilian Wahomey, a psychologist in Kenya, jokingly said to me over lunch one day. I met with her almost 25 years ago to explore ways Focus on the Family could come alongside families in Africa.

I asked, “Do you think a focus on marriage and parenting is be relevant in this part of the world?”

With a friendly smile, she reminded me that the core needs of marriages and families transcend language, culture, nationality, and socio-economic status.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 10, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tanner Cross’s Reinstatement is a Victory for the Christian Faith and the Constitution

Byron “Tanner” Cross is the type of physical education instructor you want teaching your children.

At 38 years of age, the Leesburg Elementary School PE teacher in Loudon County, Virginia, is committed, energetic, enthusiastic and deeply principled – a man who refuses to bow to “woke” politics and propaganda.

So, perhaps it’s no surprise that Mr. Cross found himself wrapped up in controversy last month after objecting to his school district’s new transgender policy.

In short, he refused to call boys “girls” and girls “boys.”

And for that, he was suspended and threatened with losing his job altogether.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 9, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding Freedom from Addiction

According to the CDC, 40 percent of Americans struggle with some kind of addiction:

DrugsAlcoholPornographyWorkaholismGamblingShoppingEating disordersTech addictionOpioids

And the list could go on.

Addiction will devastate your health, your finances, and your relationships.

Each of us has unresolved pain or unhealthy coping mechanisms of some kind. It’s part of who we are as human beings who live in a sinful world. The Bible says we’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: addiction June 8, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Importance of Leaving and Cleaving

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

That verse, Genesis 2:24, is usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.

The verse declares that a man will leave his father and mother. It assumes that our children will leave home as adults, not as children who must then set out on a journey to become grownups on their own.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 4, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding Peace in Your Everyday Life

One busy weekday morning, author Kay Wyma was backing out of her driveway when a big truck barreled down the road and forced her to the shoulder.

Frustrated and annoyed, she took a deep breath and realized that she had a choice: she could choose to wallow in her anger and frustration, or she could choose to be thankful that no one, including herself, had been injured.

Instead of condemning the truck driver, Kay felt compassion for him, wondering what kind of bad day he was having that would cause him to drive so recklessly.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, peace June 3, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura