Family and Home Archives

Sharing Your Faith with Non-Believers

Is your home a lighthouse?

The purpose of a lighthouse, remember, is to shine brightly through the darkness to lead people on the open water safely to shore.

It’s no accident that sort of imagery illustrates how the Christian’s life is supposed to be. I’m sure you’ll recall Matthew 5, where Jesus says, “You are the light of the world” and then encourages us to let our “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”

That means a Christian’s home ought to shine with God’s love, grace, and presence and be inviting to the neighborhood around it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith July 17, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Use Your Words Wisely

I’ll bet you remember the moment your life changed.

It may have been in childhood or even when you were an adult. But someone said something to you that was hurtful. That person may not have even meant for their words to sting, but they cut you deep, and that moment changed your entire perception of yourself from that point forward.

For me, it was ninth grade. I was in my high school’s weight room, getting ready for football season.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith July 16, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

We Don’t Need Nice Men

“We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise” – C.S. Lewis.

It’s a popular trend these days to raise boys into “nice guys.” Men are expected to be sweet and gentle – almost feminine – in the way they interact with the people around them. But I think that mentality is putting our families at risk. We don’t need more “nice” guys. We need strong men.

First of all, let me clarify.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, husband, parenting July 13, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hope for Parents of Prodigals

Few things are as painful for a Christian parent as a child who turns away from his or her faith. And the deeper the pain, the deeper our need for hope.

Maybe that’s why the story of the prodigal son has remained one of the most beloved parables in Scripture for centuries.

The story doesn’t make promises or guarantees about “wayward” children, of course. But it does offer hope to parents in desperate need of it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, pop culture July 9, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Same-Sex Couples at Family Gatherings: Would You Take Your Kids?

Long before the Supreme Court imposed same-sex marriage on the country, Christian parents had been dealing with the culture’s growing acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships and the impact it has on their children.

We at Focus are hearing from more and more of them as they navigate these difficult waters with friends and relatives who are homosexual while also trying to model Christian behavior for their own children. Here’s a question typical of those we receive:

My sister-in-law is currently married to her partner.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, homosexuality, parenting July 8, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Do You Get Along with Your In-Laws?

Do you get along with your in-laws?

Okay, so I didn’t intend that question to be funny. But if you caught yourself snickering a little, who could blame you? In-law jokes (particularly about one’s mother-in-law) are a mainstay of modern comedy routines and a common stereotype in movies and television shows.

But within every joke you can find a kernel of truth. And the truth here is in-law relationships can be difficult.

When you get married, in-laws may start doing or saying things you never anticipated, and before you even know what’s hit you, you find yourself in an adversarial relationship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, marriage July 7, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Cost of Independence

When it comes to America’s sovereignty, freedom has never been free. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, more than 1.3 million Americans have died in combat. It’s important to remember that each of these deaths is not an isolated incident; no man is an island. When a soldier falls, life within a family unit is irrevocably and permanently changed. Those deaths represent a lot of tears over the course of 235 years.

Yes, freedom in the U.S.A.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: religious liberty July 3, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Bringing Balance to a Busy Mom’s Life

Women face a lot of pressure.

Many are trying to maintain a career or an otherwise busy outside schedule while being a wife and mother and caring for the family home. The demands on their time are immense.

That’s how it is for my wife, Jean. Our boys are in those middle, “tweener” years, so she always seems to be running from one activity to another.

But, as many women discover, too much responsibility makes it easy to get out of balance.

Topics: Family and Home July 2, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Is Relational Intimacy So Scary?

It’s been said that fear is the enemy of intimacy. I think that’s right.

Our guest on today and tomorrow’s program, author Donald Miller, agrees as well. He compares intimacy with standing on the edge of a cliff, fighting through anxiety and fear to jump into the water.

We don’t often equate fear with lack of intimacy because we don’t recognize all the ways we avoid vulnerability with the people closest to us. We rely on our humor, beauty, social status, or whatever identity we’d rather people see than our deepest, truest selves.

Topics: Family and Home June 30, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sex and Love: Do Husbands Know the Difference?

Do most men know the difference between love and sex?

A lot of men assume they have that distinction pretty well settled – until they realize the lines are more blurred than they thought, and their marriage suffers because of it.

The fact is, struggles related to sex and intimacy within a marriage are one of the top reasons we’re contacted here at Focus on the Family. So it’s an important issue for us to address.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, intimacy, marriage, wife June 23, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura