Family and Home Archives

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Our hearts break for the thousands of lives lost to COVID-19 and the millions of Americans currently out of work in the wake of the pandemic.

The virus has touched every life – and upended many long held plans.

I heard that some are calling students graduating high school and college this spring, members of the “Disappearing Class of 2020.”

Isn’t that sad?

One day they were all together, taking classes, playing games – looking forward to traditional end of year activities like the prom and special award ceremonies.

Topics: Family and Home May 6, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helping Your Child Develop a Resilient Faith

Fear over the
coronavirus continues to grip people. I have a family member who calls my wife
every few days expressing her uncertainty about where our country goes from
here and how we protect ourselves. Her concerns are not unreasonable, but it’s
clear that her questions are driven by fear and anxiety.

Fear is
contagious, and children are especially susceptible. So are Christian moms and
dads who wish to instill their children with faith.

What can
you do?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: children, Coronavirus, family May 5, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Some Good News: Americans’ Faith Has Grown During the Coronavirus Pandemic

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent quarantines and lockdown orders have posed substantial challenges for everyone – especially not being permitted to worship together in person with fellow believers.

But according to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, the pandemic has actually caused faith to grow.

Imagine that – God using a tough time for good!

The poll found that almost one-quarter (24%) of U.S. adults say their faith has become stronger because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: Coronavirus, faith May 4, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Creative Date Ideas for You and Your Spouse

When was
the last time you and your spouse enjoyed a date night? Has it been a while?

I get it.
You’re busy. You’re tired. Once your children came along, your priorities shifted,
your schedule became less flexible, and your budget got a lot tighter. Before
you knew it, time together as a couple flew right out the window.

Finding
time for each other doesn’t get any easier as your children get older. You have
to schedule an evening, hire a babysitter, and find something interesting to
do.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage May 4, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hope for Getting Through the Tough Times

Six months
ago, none of us has could have imagined what American families would be going
through right now because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Thousands
continue to get sick and die. Millions are out of work, and our nation is still
only in the very beginning stages of re-opening. There’s plenty to fear.

Or is
there?

What do
passages like Philippians
4:6-7 mean? It says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known
to God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: current events, hope May 1, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Great Parenting Advice from the Bible – Over Breakfast, No Less!

I suspect few parents see the Bible as a parenting manual,
but its pages are nevertheless brimming with good and practical counsel – made
even more incredible given the book’s age.

From warning fathers to not exasperate their children
(Ephesians 6:4) to encouraging discipline in the inevitable event of unruly
children (Hebrews 12:11, Proverbs 29:17), the Scriptures have answers to the
challenges that moms and dads are facing.

Sometimes, though, the advice shows up in seemingly unlikely
places.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting April 29, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Reconnecting as a Couple During the Coronavirus Outbreak

Hopefully,
the silver lining for you around the coronavirus pandemic has been the
opportunity to spend more time together as a couple.

Then
again, maybe being around each other 24/7 has increased your disagreements and created
new topics to argue about.

There’s no
doubt that living in close quarters for a long time can reveal areas of your
marriage that could use some work. But it also creates an opportunity to put Luke
10:27 into practice.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: Coronavirus, marriage April 29, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Balancing Work and Family Life While Staying at Home

I’m happy
to say that Focus on the Family has been ahead of the technology curve, which
has allowed most of our staff to work from home and continue to minister to
families. But just like you, our staff has had to navigate the uncertain waters
of balancing work and home.

That’s why
we invited popular guest Arlene Pellicane to join us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Balancing Work and Family Life While Staying
at Home.” She’s got some
great ideas for dealing with what she calls a “blurred environment.” The
boundaries between work and family blur, which makes it harder to keep all the
plates spinning – to be a good spouse, a good parent, perhaps even a good son
or daughter to elderly parents.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family April 27, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If You Died, What Would Your Spouse Find on Your Phone?

This is a sad story – with a sweet and poignant twist.

As most of us slept peacefully on Tuesday night, Jon Coelho of Danbury, Connecticut, passed away from cardiac arrest, a condition attributed to the coronavirus.

He was just 32 years-old and left behind his wife, Katie, and 2 small children.

There’s a common saying that death always comes like a thief in the night, and never more so than when a younger person unexpectedly meets the end of their earthly life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage April 24, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Holding on to the Hope of Heaven

John Burke
was an agnostic. He didn’t know if there was a God or if the afterlife was real.
The closest he got to spirituality was believing that Jesus was a good teacher
whose life somehow became the stuff of legend and myth.

Then John’s
dad got cancer, and John began to wonder more deeply about life’s big
questions. During that time, someone gave his father a book of original
research that coined the term “near-death experience.” When John read people’s
stories about bright lights, tunnels, and strange visions, it set him on what
became a 35-year quest to examine those experiences more deeply.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family April 24, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura