Family and Home Archives

The Secret to Being a Happy Wife

What’s the secret to being a happy wife?

Is it expecting more from your marriage? Expecting less? Does happiness come from working hard? Or from feeling content with what you have?

Author Jen Weaver – and my wife, Jean – say balance is important. They’re both guests on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “The Secret to Being a Happy Wife.”

There’s good and bad to having too-high or too-low expectations.

Jen is a self-admitted “high-expectant wife” who had a lot of ideas about how her marriage could and should operate.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, wife June 15, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Pursuing Our Untamable God

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, we’re introduced to Aslan, a great lion who rules Narnia.

Susan, a little girl who stumbles into the enchanted world through a magic wardrobe, asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe.

“Safe?” Mr. Beaver replies. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King.”

God, whom Aslan symbolizes, isn’t safe, either. We never know when or how God will show up in our lives.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 11, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Racism is an ugly stain on our nation’s history. And, sadly, a very present reality. On the first part of our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Facing Confrontation with Grace,” I’m speaking with Tim Scott, United States Senator for South Carolina about his perspective on racial tension in America and how we find solutions.

On the second part of the program, we’re sharing a conversation with author Deborah Pegues discussing biblical ways of handling confrontation.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: confrontation, family June 9, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Developing a Love of Prayer in Your Kids

In our Welcome Center here at the Focus on the Family campus, children have the opportunity to leave their prayer requests with us.

One of my favorites is from a 9-year-old boy who wrote, “Please pray for my brother. He wets the bed. And pray for me. I share the bed with my brother.”

Some prayer requests are much more serious, like the 8-year-old boy who wanted us to ask God to help his dad stop drinking and be healthy again.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, prayer June 8, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Being Seen by God

One of the first things people ask each other when they meet is, “What do you do?” Sometimes we offer the answer to that question without even being asked. We define who we are by what we do.

That God made man responsible for naming the animals is testimony to His desire that we be creative and productive (Genesis 2:20). The “dark side” of finding our identity in what we do is that we can get caught in a performance trap.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith June 5, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Overcoming Summer Boredom with Kid Smarts

“I’m bored.”

Mom and dad, if you haven’t heard your children say that by now after weeks of quarantine, just wait. Summer’s coming.

Hours of schoolwork will be replaced by hours of free time, and your children will seemingly delight in reminding you, “There’s nothing to do.” Some days, you’ll feel more like a cruise ship director than a parent.

We have answers for helping your children beat summer boredom on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Overcoming Summer Boredom with Kid Smarts.” Popular guest Dr.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family June 3, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Controlling Anger So It Doesn’t Control You

Just a few wayward sparks is all it takes to burn down an entire city. That’s what happened in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, one of the largest disasters in American history.

In popular accounts from the time, Catherine O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in a humble barn on DeKoven Street. A few sparks became a small fire that quickly grew into an inferno that destroyed miles of homes and razed Chicago’s business district.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: anger June 1, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Complicated, Beautiful Life of a Foster Mom

May is National Foster Care Awareness Month.

We’re honoring all those who have stepped into the world of adoption and foster care on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “The Complicated, Beautiful Life of a Foster Mom.” Our guest is Jessie Gallaher, who is with us to share her story, a difficult yet rewarding journey of adopting five children from foster care – all at once!

When Jessie and her husband first brought the kids home, a lot of people gave the same advice: “Just love them.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, foster care May 29, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Modeling Generosity for Your Children

Do you practice “everyday generosity”?

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Modeling Generosity for Your Children,” father-and-son team Brad and Drew Formsma explain how you can use your time, talent, and influence to benefit others and create a habit of generosity that will impact the next generation.

They’ll share how to be generous with:

In a “me-focused” culture, we can help our children develop an other-centered attitude, which creates the opportunity to show Christ’s love to others through simple acts of kindness.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family May 28, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Coronavirus Pandemic Chaos Offers Couples Seeking Divorce a Second Chance

If it’s true that every cloud has a silver lining, is it possible that virus-related disruptions in divorce filings and court proceedings could possibly buy seemingly incompatible couples more time to work out their differences and save their marriages?

I think so.

Since the virulent pathogen began wreaking havoc in mid-March, courts and local municipalities that process divorce have been upended. From canceled hearings to shuttered county courthouses, it’s become a lot more difficult for couples to untangle or sever the proverbial marital knot.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: divorce, marriage May 26, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Secret to Being a Happy Wife

Pursuing Our Untamable God

Confronting Others with Grace