Family and Home Archives

Being the Man Your Family Needs

There’s a lot of talk these days about “toxic masculinity,” that is, what men are not supposed to do.

Author Brant Hansen says that many men – especially many young men – don’t know what they’re supposed to do.

The culture routinely deconstructs, but we rarely construct. Men need a vision for what is distinctly and inherently good about masculinity.

God creates men for a purpose. Every man has a role to fill. Whether you’re healthy or have a disability, wealthy or poor, a student, an accountant, or a mechanic, God is calling you to do something and to be something for Him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting October 25, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding True Healing From Trauma

There’s a popular belief among Christians that “God won’t give us more than we can handle.” That phrase is intended to encourage, but it’s not biblical, nor is it true. We can’t handle the pain of life all on our own.

That’s never truer than when discussing trauma.

Most people define trauma in extreme terms, like enduring the battlefield or a school shooting. But we can also experience trauma in everyday life, like facing a serious illness, physical injury, or abuse.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 24, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Theme for Marriage

When my boys were growing up, my wife and I often talked to them about their goals. Trent and Troy usually focused on things like grades or what they hoped to achieve in sports. Jean and I supported those ambitions, but we also encouraged them to think outside the box, like considering what they could do to develop their character.

Which got my wife and me thinking about setting goals for our marriage. We began having conversations about our relationship in terms of themes, like forgiveness, grace, or patience.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage, parenting October 24, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helping Your Kids Identify Their Strengths

There are two approaches to parenting:

See your child’s mistakes as problems to fix.Understand the “why” behind your child’s behavior to help your child harness their strengths and channel them in positive directions.

The second of those is a strengths-based parenting approach that encourages parents to move beyond the negative (fixing problems or worrying about how poorly the child’s behavior reflects on the parent) and instead parent from positivity: helping your children discover their God-given talent and become the person He created them to be.

Topics: Family and Home October 21, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Fake vs Real Relationship

A lot of things in your home are probably fake. And that’s okay. Just don’t let your relationships fall into that category.

Home construction technology has come a long way. In the early 1900s, wood floors made from real trees were standard to home construction. These days, everything from flooring to furniture to back decks are made from composites that only look like real wood. And the fakery doesn’t stop there. We’re surrounded by veneers, synthetics, and man-made stone.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family October 21, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Never Too Early for Christmas Music

Although Halloween is still ahead of us, Christmas music may already be playing at your local stores. Some say October is too early, but I love it … because, for me, the music of Christmas conveys the message of Christmas.

Christmas is about hope – something we’re all searching for. C.S. Lewis turned Christmas into a powerful metaphor in his classic novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the story, a little girl named Lucy stumbles into the wintry land of Narnia through a magic wardrobe.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 20, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Living Joyously

David Ring often says, “I have cerebral palsy. What’s your problem?” In other words, we all face problems of one kind or another. We can choose to be defeated by adversity, or we can live victoriously in Christ.

David developed cerebral palsy after not receiving enough oxygen at birth. Throughout his life, he endured excruciating pain, physical struggles, and constant public humiliation. Orphaned at age 14 when both of his parents died of cancer, David was cast about from family to family with nowhere to call home.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 19, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Bless This Mess

It’s amazing what you can learn about yourself when life gets messy.

My son Troy and I were once on a camping trip, filled with horse rides and hikes through the woods. But one night, just as we were about to hit the sack, I noticed Troy looking a little green. When I asked him how he felt, he said, “Not so good.”

That was just the beginning. Later, at about two in the morning, I awoke to the sound of Trent retching.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 19, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

In Our Relationships, Reach for the Things Money Will Never Buy

Focus on the Family President Jim Daly writes:

Have you ever noticed that the more you have, the more you want – and that the never-ending grasp for things beyond your reach is not only making you miserable, but also hurting your relationships with the people closest to you?

That’s the conclusion of a new study, “Money Over Marriage,” that finds materialism is behind so much of the relationship tension we experience – and cheapening the very sacred institution itself.

I read an analysis of the research findings this past weekend, which dipped into some of the higher-profile cases that make headlines, such as the reported tension inside NFL’s Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen’s marriage.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage October 17, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Getting Along with Strong-Willed People

Author Cynthia Tobias humorously says that every strong-willed person lives according to the same motto: “I’m not bossy. I just know what you need to do.”

She didn’t always consider it a joke. In fact, it used to cause her trouble. Like an incident that occurred while she was working in law enforcement. She was working alone and pulled a guy over running a red light. Before she got to his door, he had rolled down his window and was yelling at her, “You can’t give me a ticket.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 14, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura