Family and Home Archives

Sharing Your Faith as a Family

Is your home a lighthouse?

The purpose of a lighthouse is to shine brightly through the darkness so that people on the open water can make it safely to shore.

That imagery illustrates the profound nature of the Christian life. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world” and then encourages us to let our “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”

A Christian’s home ought to shine with God’s love and grace and be welcoming to the neighborhood around it.

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

Identifying Triggers in Your Marriage

Every dating couple believes their marriage will be a string of mountaintop experiences.

In the early stages of a relationship, couples can’t imagine feeling discontent with their significant other. They can’t fathom their romance fading or their conversations not stretching into the wee hours of the night. And disagreements? What disagreements?

But once a couple is married, those expectations often hit speed bumps. There’s the monotony of work and paying bills week-in and week-out. There are stressors – a job loss, the death of a loved one, financial struggles, the birth of children.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, stress March 8, 2021 by Savannah Light

Reconnecting with Your Spouse

Many couples contact Focus on the Family because they feel like married roommates. Their intimacy has faded, their relationship is no longer deepening, and they’re growing apart instead of becoming one.

Drifting in marriage happens when couples stop making their relationship a priority. After the fun of dating and the splendor of the wedding celebration, other things begin to distract husbands and wives from each other.

Spouses stop talking to one another about what they’re thinking and feeling.

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

WATCH: Tony Dungy, Jim Daly: Don’t Do This When It Comes to Racial Tensions

From his days playing on the field, coaching on the sidelines and now, serving up insight in the broadcast booth on NBC’s Football Night in America, many of us have admired Tony Dungy.

But while Coach Dungy has a keen football mind, we especially appreciate him for his commitment to his family and the boldness with which he shares his deep Christian faith.

“My job as a dad is to point my children to the Lord, and everything else in life will take care of itself,” he once observed.

With eleven children, Coach Dungy exemplifies and models Christian fatherhood.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: culture, Racism March 3, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Journeying from Tragedy to Triumph

Would you be able to forgive the person who shattered your life?

In a recorded message on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Journeying from Tragedy to Triumph,” Bryan Koch shares how a drunk driver turned a pleasant Sunday afternoon motorcycle ride into a horrendous tragedy for his family.

After a lovely summer afternoon drive, Bryan and his wife, Lynn were less than a mile from their home when their motorcycle was run off the road by a driver whose blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit.

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

Navigating a Toxic Culture with Your Daughter

Our culture is so toxic for young girls that an increasing number are suffering from a growing list of troubles – from low self-esteem and anxiety to depression and eating disorders. What’s the answer?

It isn’t so much a “what” as it is a “who.” Mothers are instrumental in helping their daughters navigate a world that is often against them.

One of Mom’s key roles is being a good listener. Teen girls usually seek out Mom for advice and feel most comfortable sharing their heart with her.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: daughter, parenting March 1, 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 to raise a boy to become man. Everyone remembers David for conquering Goliath. Yet, his strength and trust in the Lord were developed as a teenager in the field:

“But David said to Saul, “Your servant used to keep sheep for his father. And when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb from the flock, I went after him and struck him and delivered it out of his mouth.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting, sons February 25, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Staying Together When You Feel Like Leaving

Vicki Rose was sitting on the beach when she realized her life was crashing down around her. Up and down the coastline families played together, built sandcastles, splashed in the waves, and created memories.

Vicki sat there alone, sobbing. Her kids were hundreds of miles away with a babysitter. Her husband, Bill, was back in their hotel room, sick, trying to survive withdrawals from his drug addiction.

Vicki had once believed that marriage would offer her the love and care she’d always wanted, heal her childhood hurts, and fill up her emptiness.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage February 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sudden Cardiac Arrest: A Survivor’s Story

Give her an opportunity, and Pamela Christian will gladly tell you about the day she died.

It all began during an afternoon of tennis with girlfriends. She had been battling stomach problems all morning, a problem she dismissed as indigestion. But after a few practice swings, she started feeling short of breath and lightheaded, too much for the amount of exertion her warmup required.

In a matter of minutes, she began vomiting and collapsed to the ground.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith February 22, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Building a Lifelong Relationship with Your Child

Do you feel like a failure as a parent?

At Focus on the Family, we hear from thousands of parents who do.

Formulaic parenting is a common reason for this. It’s the go-to method for a lot of moms and dads. They believe that parenting ought to be predictable. The right input should guarantee the right outcome. When it doesn’t, they wonder, “What’s wrong with me? What’s wrong with my child?”

A better approach is something called “trust-based relational parenting,” an idea that many say has revolutionized their parenting.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: children, parenting February 19, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura