Family and Home Archives

The Importance of Leaving and Cleaving

“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”

That verse, Genesis 2:24, is usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.

The verse declares that a man will leave his father and mother. It assumes that our children will leave home as adults, not as children who must then set out on a journey to become grownups on their own.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 4, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding Peace in Your Everyday Life

One busy weekday morning, author Kay Wyma was backing out of her driveway when a big truck barreled down the road and forced her to the shoulder.

Frustrated and annoyed, she took a deep breath and realized that she had a choice: she could choose to wallow in her anger and frustration, or she could choose to be thankful that no one, including herself, had been injured.

Instead of condemning the truck driver, Kay felt compassion for him, wondering what kind of bad day he was having that would cause him to drive so recklessly.

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

What Every Father Needs to Teach His Son and Daughter

It seems obvious, but in this day and age, it bears repeating: A father is not just a parent. He is a male parent who contributes things to his child’s life and development that are unique as a father. A mother can never replace a father in a child’s life – and vice versa.

It’s one of the great lies of today’s culture that moms and dads are interchangeable. In fact, the social science confirms what most every generation knew instinctively since time began.

Topics: Family and Home June 2, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Quitting Isn’t an Option: My Life as a Navy Seal

We’re commemorating Memorial Day on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Quitting Isn’t an Option: My Life as a Navy Seal.” We’re airing the testimony of Chad Williams, who was transformed from a college dropout to one of America’s most elite military operatives – a Navy SEAL.

Chad’s story illustrates the grueling process of becoming a SEAL, the dedication of our military men and women, and honors American heroes who have died for our freedoms, including his beloved SEAL training coach, Scott Helvenston, who died tragically after redeploying to Iraq.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 31, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Wisdom with the Next Generation

Rob Parsons is the founder and chairman of Care for the Family in the United Kingdom, a sister organization to Focus on the Family. In his study are two armchairs, one to the right of the fireplace and one to the left. One night, Rob imagined each of his grandchildren, not as the little ones they were, but as grown men and women in their 20s or 30s. They each sat in one of the armchairs after somebody had broken their heart or stepped all over their dreams.

Topics: Family and Home May 27, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Surviving a Family Tragedy

On Good Friday, April 9, 2004, tragedy struck the Bainter family. Brett was mowing the lawn on his riding mower, while his three-year-old son, Jake, played in the driveway.

At one point, Brett backed up, not realizing that Jake had run up behind him. A baby-sitter who was supervising Jake tried to stop the impending accident, but it was too late. Brett ran over Jake, and the young boy would end up losing his right leg.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, tragedy May 26, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Understanding Your Spouse’s Emotions

For a stronger marriage, ask yourself, “What’s my EQ?”

While your IQ is a measure of your intelligence, your EQ is a measure of your “emotional intelligence.”

That term was coined in 1995 by Daniel Goleman, who first applied the concept to businessmen and women. As he defined it, emotional intelligence is the degree to which you are able to make healthy relational choices based on your understanding of your emotions and those around you. The concept eventually spilled outside of the business world into other arenas.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage May 24, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Developing Your Leadership Skills as a Woman

Over the last few decades, our culture has seen a tremendous increase in the number of women leaders.

From the beginning, God instructed men and women to function as equal, interdependent partners. We can be fruitful only when we work together. Our differences are complementary, not conflicting.

Women’s leadership styles are often more transformative, participative, and inclusive than those of their male counterparts. Author Deborah Pegues shares the special innate qualities God has gifted women leaders:

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Developing Your Leadership Skills as a Woman,” Deborah Pegues is with us to examine the special innate qualities God has given women and how those characteristics can be honed to make you an effective leader and woman of influence.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: leadership, women May 21, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Rebuilding Trust in Your Marriage After Infidelity

Infidelity is a mirage.

It promises fulfillment. It delivers heartache and tragedy. Not only is the rush of excitement short-lived, but it is quickly replaced by long-lasting and devastating consequences.

When an affair is exposed, the betrayal is often so deep that couples rush to divorce. But ending your marriage in the wake of infidelity isn’t the simple solution people assume. It often replaces one set of problems with another.

Reconciliation can create long-term resolution. Research shows us that couples who are willing to work through betrayal and pain with godly forgiveness can eventually rebuild their relationship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage May 19, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Understanding Your Teen’s Behavior

“What were you thinking?”

If you’re a parent of teenagers, you’ve probably asked that question a few times. I know I have. More than once, Jean and I have looked at each other and asked about one of our boys: “What is going on in that brain of his?”

According to Dr. Jeramy and Jerusha Clark, our guests on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Understanding Your Teen’s Behavior,” there’s an avalanche of change happening inside a teenager’s body.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting, Teens May 17, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura