Family and Home Archives

Hope and Renewal for Our Pastors

What do you think a typical week is like for your pastor? A few hours of study and a sermon on Sunday? The occasional hospital- or home-visit?

I recently talked with two couples – Marshall and Merrie Eizenga, and Sam and Pauline Doerksen – who say many pastors routinely experience stress akin to first responders.

The Eizengas served as pastors for 35 years in Ontario and co-direct the Kerith Creek Retreat Center in Alberta, Canada. The Doerksens were pastors for 22 years and co-direct the Kerith Retreat Center in Manitoba, Canada.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, pastors October 1, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Protecting Your Child’s Faith in Public School

I’m sure you’ve heard the term “separation of church and state.” It usually gets tossed about by those on the political left when Christians engage in social issues in a public forum. We’re told that the “separation of church and state” requires that we keep our religious views to ourselves.

The late Supreme Court Justice William Rehnquist had a different opinion. He said that “separation of church and state” as it’s currently used is a “misleading metaphor” that has proved useless as a guide to judging.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, kids, religious liberty September 27, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding the Secrets to Financial and Romantic Success in Marriage

Brian and Cherie Lowe paid off $127,482.30 in debt in just over four years. They know that number to the penny because, as they’ll tell you, when you put in the work and the sacrifice to pay off a dollar amount that high, you remember it to the penny. How did they do it?

Financial foreplay.

Yep, you read that correctly. That’s a term Brian and Cherie use to explain how intricately connected finances are with marital intimacy.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, finances, marriage September 25, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

From Prodigal to Pastor

On Easter Sunday in 1972, Raul Ries waited for his family to come home … so he could kill them.

Raul had grown up with an abusive, alcoholic father who taught him to handle problems with violence. Raul was in and out of trouble throughout his teen years until at eighteen, he was arrested and given a choice: prison or the military. He chose the Marines and was sent to Vietnam. After 11 months of bad behavior, he was bound in shackles and a straightjacket and spent six months in a naval hospital.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family September 24, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Restoring Hope to Your Marriage

Ron and Opal Erickson call themselves “musicianaires.” Ron is an accomplished steel guitarist, and Opal an accomplished vocalist. They’ve made beautiful music together for over 40 years.

They’ve also walked through the fires of a marriage that seemed irreparably broken. Through God’s grace and wisdom, they survived adultery, rejection, and betrayal and created a new marriage forged in trust, love, and grace.

God has done a remarkable work in their marriage, and we are so excited to share their story with our listeners on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Restoring Hope to Your Marriage.” Listen on your local radio station, online, on iTunes, via Podcast, or on our free phone app.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, marriage, relationships September 21, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Special Message from Sadie Robertson: Don’t Let Fear Stop You From Expressing Your Faith

Sadie Robertson knows what it’s like to be afraid, especially as a student. “I went through a season in my late teens when the fear became extreme, and that’s when I realized things had to change,” she shares in her new book, Live Fearless. After overcoming that mindset through immersion in God’s Word, Sadie now has a heart for empowering thousands of other young people to boldly live out their love for Jesus in the public square.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 19, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Ending the Pursuit of the Perfect Life

A study at Hewlett-Packard examined how qualified people felt they needed to be before they applied for jobs. They found that many won’t apply for a job unless their qualifications line up with the job description 100 percent. Others applied for jobs even if they were only 60 percent qualified.

Those statistics made authors Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory wonder how many good opportunities people miss out on because they’re hesitant to step out until their circumstances are perfect.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith September 18, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Leading Your Child Through Emotional Milestones

According to pediatricians, babies should be lifting their heads when they’re around 4 months old and rolling over by 5 or 6 months old. They should be taking their first steps around 9 to 12 months and walking unassisted between 14 and 15 months, probably no later than 18 months.

Most parents know their children should be feeding themselves by a certain age, talking by a certain age, and hitting the right height and weight markers by certain ages.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, kids September 17, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Being God’s Light in the World

Do you ever feel small and insignificant – like the lowly plankton, tiny organisms that drift aimlessly in the ocean with no obvious sense of purpose?

If so, Sadie Robertson of the Duck Dynasty family has an encouraging word for you. She wants you to know that even plankton is significant to God. Did you know that plankton is crucial to the world’s ecosystem? Not only are they important to the ocean’s food chain, they also produce 50 percent of the world’s oxygen.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith September 14, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Practical Ways to Strengthen Your Marriage

A door-to-door salesman from a local cable company stopped by Dave and Ashley Willis’ house and gave them his best pitch. At first, his offer sounded amazing. He promised his company would take good care of Dave and Ashley by giving them the best package at the best price.

The deal went south when Dave asked the salesman, “So how long is this package and price valid for?”

“Twelve months,” the salesman said.

“What happens after that?” Dave asked.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage September 13, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura