Family and Home Archives - Page 2 of 170

Connecting with Your Teen or Young Adult

There’s no one way to raise children. Discipline that works magic with one child may be completely ineffective with another.

At the bottom of every effective parenting strategy lies a universal foundation to good parenting: relationship.

Author Josh McDowell says, “Rules without relationship leads to rebellion.” That means your child’s primary concern in life is not your rules.

What matters most to your teen or young adult is knowing that you love them.

That sense of intimate connection won’t come through your instruction, lectures, or rules.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, parenting, relationships September 26, 2019 by Jim Daly

Preparing to Care for Aging Loved Ones

We don’t like to think about getting older. We especially don’t like to think about death.

Maybe that’s why studies show only a third of us prepare for the inevitable with advanced directives. It’s also why a growing number of people are finding themselves ill-equipped for the rigors and responsibilities of caring for an aging loved one.

Taking on the care of an aging parent or family member is a big job that rarely comes about at a convenient time for the caregiver.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family September 23, 2019 by Jim Daly

Guest Post: Pressing on through Rejection

By: Linsey Driskill

When a project I poured my heart and soul into was rejected, it stung. Badly.

While these painful moments happen to all of us, it’s easy to feel alone – thinking we’re the only ones.

But, even C.S. Lewis experienced rejection. Dr. Seuss’ first book was rejected twenty-seven times. Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team. In 1919, Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because his editor said he “lacked imagination and had no good ideas.” Elvis was told he’d be better off driving trucks than singing.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 20, 2019 by Jim Daly

Reaching Your Child’s Heart When They Disobey

I remember taking our boys to Disneyland when they were around 6 and 8. One of them was determined to get his way and had a meltdown. My attempted solution was to threaten, “Control yourself, or you will never come here again.”

It was a silly parenting strategy on my part because at the time, Jean and I enjoyed taking the boys to Disneyland and creating memories. In other words, I wasn’t really willing to follow through on the consequences I threatened.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, children, parenting September 20, 2019 by Jim Daly

Working Together as a Team in Your Marriage

The secret to winning in a team sport is no secret at all. Teammates have to share a common goal and know how to work together to achieve it. When you wear the same uniform, it’s not about “me,” it’s about “we.”

That commitment to unity is what makes a marriage work, too. But working together as a team isn’t always easy.

Just ask Joshua and Christi Straub. Their teamwork isn’t so great sometimes, either. And that’s saying something.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, couples, marriage September 13, 2019 by Jim Daly

What to Do When Tragedy Impacts Your Family

I still remember when a small airplane crashed across the street from where I lived when I was 14 years old. I heard the crash, then called 911 and ran to the plane. I was able to help two 20-somethings get out of the burning wreckage.

At first, I thought the young men were the only two in the plane. I soon realized two other men had been in the front – the young men’s fathers.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, tragedy September 12, 2019 by Jim Daly

Raising Mission-Minded Kids

Author Shauna Pilgreen says, “A life of comfort is a win for the enemy. When you’re comfortable, you’re usually leaning on your own strength, which means you’re leaning less on God’s strength.”

Shauna and her husband have learned to rely on God in uncomfortable circumstances, and they’re actively passing that faith on to their children.

It started in earnest when God led the Pilgreens from their cozy suburban life in Missouri to plant a church in San Francisco, where their lives are anything but comfortable.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: book, broadcast, faith, family September 9, 2019 by Jim Daly

Can We Talk? Communication Advice for Husbands and Wives

Dr. David Clarke says most guys are clams. Clams bury themselves in the sand and are quite content to hide there. Guys like to hide relationally. They’re naturally much better at tasks that require strength, confidence, and leadership. Those are key skills in business and sports, but they’re not especially useful when it comes to a relationship with a woman.

Women want closeness – connection, understanding, openness, and intimacy. That’s why when a woman’s husband clams up and hides, she tries to pry him open.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, couples, marriage September 5, 2019 by Jim Daly

How to Help Your Young Adult be Brave

Public speaking. Heights. Spiders. Did you know that these are the top three fears for Americans? Fear is the belief that something has the potential to harm you. It’s rooted in a lack of control.

The word “fear” occurs over 300 times in the Bible. Clearly, fear is something that has gripped mankind since the fall. It takes away our ability to enjoy life’s best moments and our ability to connect with the people closest to us.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: book, broadcast, fear September 3, 2019 by Jim Daly

Do Nice People Go to Heaven?

Is it really possible for nice people go to Hell?

To answer that question, we have to define the word “nice.”

Picture a spectrum of holiness. Abject evil to one extreme and pure holiness to the other. The Hitlers of the world would be closer to the pure evil side, while people like Mother Teresa would be to the other extreme. The rest of us probably fall somewhere in between and could rightly say, “I’m no saint, but I’m no mass murderer, either.”

With that worldview, our standard of “goodness” is reduced to shades of gray.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith September 2, 2019 by Jim Daly