Family and Home Archives

The Three Lies That Keep You Unhappy

Happiness is serious business in America.

Our Declaration of Independence says it plainly: We all have the right to pursue happiness. And pursue it we do. We leave no stone unturned in our search for true happiness.

People marry because they’re happy and divorce because they’re not. Advertisers promise happiness to us if we’ll just buy their car, their beer, or their latest technological gadget.

But do we ever stop and ask ourselves – as believers who live in a land of abundance and opportunity, and who have virtually every material blessing right at our fingertips – why are so many of us miserable?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith February 29, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Graduate from College Without Going Into Debt

To go into debt, or not to go into debt?

That is the question – one many college students ask themselves as they think of how to afford a college education.

You hear horror stories about twenty-something college graduates leaving school with a four-year degree in one hand and a load of debt in the other they may spend the next couple of decades trying to repay.

Is it worth it?

And if it is, what’s the best way to keep the debt at a reasonable level relative to future earning potential?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family February 26, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would You Have Spoken to This Man?

Has the Holy Spirit ever prompted you to go outside your comfort zone?

It recently happened to one of our team members, Sue McFadden.

Sue is a fun lady with a witty personality. She’s a regular on Facebook where she entertains her friends with her love of the Broncos as well as bits and pieces of her life. This weekend, Sue penned a post about what started out as an ordinary, mundane trip to the grocery store… but ended with a divine appointment.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pro-life February 23, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Family Expert Who Didn’t Know a Thing About Families

“I’ll never forget the day when I said to God, ‘I’ve done everything I know to do, and it’s not working.’”

You might expect to hear a comment like that from the average husband or wife trying to learn how to build a successful family. But would it surprise you to know that the person who said those words is now one of the most respected family experts in the world and has been married nearly 40 years?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, marriage, parenting February 22, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Staying Married When You Feel Like Leaving

It was while she sat on the beach that Vicki realized her life was crashing down around her.

She watched up and down the coastline as families played together, building sand castles, splashing in the waves, creating memories.

But Vicki sat there alone, sobbing. Her kids were hundreds of miles away with a babysitter. Her husband, Bill, was back in their hotel room, sick, trying to survive withdrawals from his drug addiction.

The weight of her emptiness and loneliness was crushing.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, marriage February 16, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Trying to Teach Your Child To Be Responsible? Try This

I heard a story not long ago about a young man who didn’t receive the grade he felt he deserved in one of his college courses. Right there in the middle of class, surrounded by nearly 200 fellow students, he dialed his mom and complained to her.

If this was your son, what would you have done?

This mom said, “Put your professor on the phone.”

The young man marched to the front of the room and handed the call over to his professor.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, kids, parenting February 15, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

She Died and Lived to Tell About It

Give her an opportunity, and Pamela Christian will gladly tell you about the day she died.

It all began during an afternoon of tennis with some girlfriends. She had been battling stomach problems all morning, a problem she dismissed as indigestion. But after just a few practice swings she realized she was feeling short of breath and light headed as well, too much for the amount of exertion her warmup should have required of her.

In only a matter of minutes, she knew she was in trouble.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, news February 10, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Dr. Tony Evans’ Tips for a Better Marriage

There’s a war waging over your marriage … and a lot of days you probably don’t even recognize it.

The epic war movie “Saving Private Ryan” opens with one of the most riveting battle scenes in film history. It depicts in graphic detail the D-Day invasion of Omaha Beach in Normandy, France, on June 6, 1944. It’s a vivid reminder of the tremendous sacrifice asked of our soldiers and their heroic bravery.

But I think it also illustrates the intensity of the spiritual battle that’s waging for your marriage and mine.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage February 9, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Establish Healthy Boundaries with Your Teens

Dr. John Townsend hits a parent’s struggle during the teen years right on the head when he says it’s “because we’re needed the most and wanted the least.”

Our teenagers need us as much as ever in their final years at home before they venture into adulthood, but they don’t exactly want us interfering in their lives.

Remember when your teen was a 10-year-old? They were more likely to say, “Mom and dad, can you help me with this?” Teenagers, on the other hand, say, “I’m a grownup; I don’t need your help.”

The unofficial mantra of teenagers everywhere is “Come close.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting February 9, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Lee Strobel’s Amazing Stories

Kaing Khek Ieu didn’t deserve God’s grace.

In the mid-1990s, he was a teacher living in Cambodia when he was invited by a friend to attend a Christian leadership training event held by Christopher LaPel, a pastor living in Los Angeles but born in Cambodia.

In the midst of the services, Kaing Khek Ieu approached LaPel and said, “I don’t have any hope. I’ve done too many horrible things. God can’t forgive me.”

Christopher had never met the man, but assured him that no one is beyond hope.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith February 5, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura