Family and Home Archives

What to Do When You’re Not Okay

Here’s a discouraging fact: You’re probably not as healthy as you think you are.

According to a long line of psychological studies, we tend to see ourselves as better than we are. Social scientists call this the Better-Than-Average Effect. We’re compelled to put our best face forward and suppress our inadequacies. We look like we have it together on the outside even when we don’t have it together on the inside.

The last year and a half has shown how important it is to take care of ourselves emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith December 14, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Cherishing Your Spouse Every Day

Author Gary Thomas thought he had a good marriage. Then God reminded him of the pledge he made to his wife at their wedding: “I promise to love and to cherish you until death do us part.”

Thirty-six years later, Gary realized that he hadn’t thought of the word “cherish” in terms of his marriage since he spoke those words. Determined to change course, Gary set out to understand what it really meant to cherish his wife.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage December 13, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Your Faith with Grace and Purpose

Focus on the Family serves the culture according to five foundational pillars.

The first pillar is evangelism and discipleship. “We believe the ultimate purpose of life is to know and glorify God and to attain eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, beginning within our own families and then reaching out to a suffering humanity that needs to embrace His love and sacrifice.”

Although every Christian would agree with that truth, many shy away from evangelism.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith December 10, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Identifying Triggers in Your Marriage

Guy and Amber Lia were convinced that their marriage was a mistake soon after the mountaintop experience of their wedding. Neither had the communication skills to work through their differences. They reacted to each other instead of responding. Their relationship spiraled, and they considered throwing in the towel.

Every dating couple imagines marriage as a string of mountaintop experiences. Life will never be perfect, but we can’t fathom romance fading. We can’t foresee our conversations not stretching into the wee hours of the night.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage December 8, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Mothers and Sons: Being a Godly Influence

Jesus’ mother was Mary.

The prophet Samuel’s mother was Hannah.

King David’s mother?

The Bible doesn’t tell us, but she must have had tremendous insight into how boys become men because she didn’t rescue her son from risk. David was a teenager when he conquered Goliath relying on strength and trust in the Lord he developed in the field. First Samuel 17:34-36 says:

“But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting December 6, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Embracing Your Role as a Spouse

On our Best of 2021 list of Focus on the Family Broadcasts is “Embracing Your Role as a Spouse,” with our guest Kevin Thompson. On the program, he describes the three roles of a spouse:

As friends, spouses play and laugh together.As partners, spouses handle conflict and communicate well.As lovers, spouses put sizzle into their relationship.

Kevin is the lead pastor at Community Bible Church in western Arkansas and regularly counsels couples. He’s also a conference speaker with popular talks about the topics of marriage and parenting.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage December 3, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

GUEST POST: Christmas Anticipation

We are in the Advent Season, and the word “anticipation” seems like an appropriate word to describe how I feel about the approach of Christmas. Saints of old, by faith, anticipated the coming of Christ on that first Christmas. Simeon, for example, rested on the promise God had made to him that he would not see death until he had gazed into the eyes of his savior (Luke 2:25-32).

As a child, my parents required that my older brother and I feed and water our horses before starting our celebration of Christmas.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family December 3, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Praying Scripture Over Your Child’s Life

Author Jodie Berndt has heard from hundreds, if not thousands, of parents through the years who struggle with praying for their children, as she did:

They feel inadequate.They believe prayer to be a natural part of the parenting process, but rarely feel like their prayers “pack a punch.”Jodie even worried that her proud or anxious prayers might elbow God out of the picture.

The more familiar Jodie became with the Bible, the more Scripture reshaped her perspective and her desires – and the more her prayers lined up with God’s will

The book of James says that “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting December 1, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Post Pandemic State of Marriage and the Family

Coming out of the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, you might have missed news last week of a significant study concerning the current state of the American Family.

“The Divided State of Our Unions: Family Formation in (Post) Covid America” confirms much of what we’ve been tracking here at Focus on the Family regarding the rapidly evolving dynamics surrounding attitudes toward marriage and children.

A crisis almost never leaves anyone the same, so a fair question to ask is just how has the global pandemic impacted our relationships?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage, parenting November 30, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus

I love meeting new believers in Christ. Their faith is so alive and vibrant that it bubbles over into every area of life. They are eager to serve and worship Him at every opportunity.

Do you remember feeling that way?

Unfortunately, many of us lose passion for our faith over time. We get busy with work, children, and household responsibilities, and the fire that once burned bright begins to fade.

If you’re wondering how to keep your passion alive – or to reignite it if it’s gone dull – tune in to our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus.” We’re speaking with Kim Meeder, author of the book Revival Rising: Embracing His Transforming Power.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith November 29, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura