Family and Home Archives

One Consequence of Same-Sex Marriage

By the end of this month it’s likely to be legal for children in California to have three parents.

As of now, the state’s current law only allows two parents per child, which is both the historical standard and the common sense one.

So why aren’t two enough anymore?

Same-sex marriage.

Children of lesbian couples may have two “mothers,” but it’s obviously impossible for a child to be conceived without a father. The same is true for homosexual men; every child is born of a mother, even if the male couple deems her simply utilitarian in nature.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, homosexuality, kids, parenting September 13, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Child’s Ten Commandments to Parents

1. My hands are small; please don’t expect perfection whenever I make a bed, draw a picture, or throw a ball. My legs are short; please slow down so that I can keep up with you.

2. My eyes have not seen the world as yours have; please let me explore safely: don’t restrict me unnecessarily.

3. Housework will always be there. I’m only little such a short time—please take time to explain things to me about this wonderful world, and do so willingly.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting September 9, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Miserable Christians

It surprises me when many Christians engage in work to redeem the culture with a somber, morose, and even anxious spirit. I don’t pretend to be smarter or more spiritually mature than anyone else, but this particular attitude is curious and even a bit contradictory.

Have you ever encountered this from time to time?

A dear friend of mine who is a pastor once preached on an uplifting text of Scripture. He spoke of God’s sovereignty and perfect will, of His love and goodness and graciousness.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, pastors September 4, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Photo: Why We’ll Never Tire Defending the Defenseless

This is what you looked like at just 12 weeks in the womb:

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, policy, pro-life August 30, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Urban Meyer’s Contract with His Family

Urban Meyer will take the field on Saturday for his first game as head football coach of Ohio State.

In many ways, the 48-year-old will be coming full circle, both personally and professionally.

Born in Toledo, Meyer met his wife, Shelley, while attending the University of Cincinnati. He was hired as an assistant coach at Ohio State in 1986 and earned a master’s degree at the school prior to his departure for another coaching position with Illinois State.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, marriage, parenting August 29, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Marriage

Terri Orbuch is a psychologist and research professor at the University of Michigan’s Institute for Social Research. She recently identified some of the top common regrets of divorced couples.

“Divorced individuals who step back and say, ‘This is what I’ve done wrong and this is what I will change,’ have something powerful to teach others,” she recently told the Wall Street Journal.

Here are five things divorced couples regret not having done more of with a few comments of my own:

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, intimacy, marriage, wife August 28, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Have a Quiet Child? Here are Three Things You Must Do

Susan Cain is the best-selling author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can’t Stop Talking. A popular lecturer, the Harvard-trained lawyer offers terrific insight and advice for everybody in her book, but especially for parents who have “quiet”- tempered children:

“The best thing parents and teachers can do for introverted kids,” she writes, “is to treasure them for who they are, and encourage their passions.”

Here are three things she recommends parents do:

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting, relationships August 21, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Secret to Finding Joy

Do you want to have Christian joy?

Meditate on Him; think about Him. Try to think about the glory of this person, this incomparable person. The New Testament is constantly dealing with this. Our Lord told us that the Holy Spirit has been specially given in order to glorify Him: “He shall not speak of himself … he shall glorify me” (John 16:13-14).

The way to test whether or not our experiences are the work of the Spirit is always to ask what view they give us of Him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith August 20, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: How to Make a Difference

In East Los Angeles you’ll find a little boy with a big imagination. Only nine years-old, Caine Monroy spent his summer at his dad’s auto parts store with nothing much to do. So with the help of a little packing tape and a lot of creativity, he turned a back room full of empty boxes into a makeshift arcade.

There was only one problem.

For weeks and weeks, only one person stopped in to play. But that one person got an idea.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, events, kids August 16, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would You Take Friends on Your Honeymoon?

According to a recent article in The New York Times, more and more couples are bringing their friends and even their parents on their honeymoon. In fact, there’s even a newly coined term for the practice:

The Buddymoon.

To borrow Dave Barry’s famous phrase, “No, I’m not making this up.”

Interestingly, though, it’s the newly married couple who are instigating the extended celebration with family and friends.

With cohabitation on the rise, a special romantic getaway for the newlyweds doesn’t quite have the same draw.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, intimacy, marriage, sex, wife August 15, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura