relationships Archives

Falling in Love While Grieving a Loss

Dave Aldridge died unexpectedly just four days before Christmas in 2012. The happy husband and father of three was a strong believer who loved the Lord and poured himself into everything he did, from being a husband and father to going the extra mile for anyone who had a need. The Colorado Springs resident collapsed while running, the victim of a congenital heart defect. He was just 39 years of age.

The obituaries are full of stories of people like Dave, men and women whose lives on earth seem all too brief.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage, relationships April 17, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Find Your Lifelong Love

Some adult men and women feel called to singleness. They live alone, but not in isolation. They enjoy deeply connected friendships, and they value the opportunities for service and adventure that being single affords them.

But a lot of adults hope their singleness is only a temporary season of life. They yearn and even pray for marriage. But, for many, the journey to find a mate has not panned out quite the way they expected.

Where do you go to meet quality people?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, friendship, relationships March 20, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This New App Will Help Engaged Couples

Do you know someone planning to get married?

Our new “Engaged! Marriage Preparation for Couples” app is designed to help men and women get ready for their new lives together as husband and wife.

Divided into 15 topics, the app provides introductory as well as in-depth Christian teaching and articles, and includes more than 16 hours of audio and video content designed for couples to review and discuss together.

Research shows that couples who devote time to premarital counselling are both happier in the short-term and more likely to avoid divorce, long-term.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: faith, marriage, promos, relationships February 20, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This Valentine’s Day, Go Beyond “I Love You”

It’s a little sad how even the most heartfelt phrases can sometimes become habit.

“I love you.”

These are three meaningful words that every husband and wife should say to each other, often.

And yet, sometimes even this beautiful expression can lose some of its luster.

That’s why I appreciated the heart behind this video: a husband and wife, together for 56 years, were asked to describe what they felt for each other … but with one catch.

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage, relationships February 13, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Daughter Shares Her Father’s Influence

Television often portrays dads as blubbering simpletons or even optional accessories to a family. Yet, we all know that dads matter, for good or bad. To lift up this truth, I want to share a story today from a daughter on how her dad positively influenced her.

A father’s influence on his daughter’s life can mean the difference between her entering a good marriage or a bad one. Here’s how Glenn Stanton, one of our family experts, summarizes the research:

Girls with involved fathers, therefore, are more likely to select for themselves good suitors and husbands because they have a proper standard by which to judge all candidates.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting, relationships November 20, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor

Glenn Stanton’s new book, “Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor: Being Friends in Grace and Truth,” is an important read. I was honored to write the foreword to the book, which I want to share with you today. -JD

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Not long ago, Glenn Stanton invited Jonathan Rauch, a noted author, journalist and gay rights advocate, to address members of our team at Focus on the Family. Glenn and Jonathan have been friends for some time despite representing opposite ends of the spectrum in the national debate over homosexuality.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: faith, homosexuality, relationships November 13, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Couples Can Work Through PTSD

Yesterday I wrote about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder from the perspective of military marriages – what might couples expect after a war veteran returns home. Today I’m continuing this two-part series by sharing how couples can work through PTSD in a way that will make the marriage stronger than it ever was before.

One thing to remember is that it’s not only war vets who can struggle with PTSD. Experiencing any sort of trauma, like living through a natural disaster or a school shooting, can trigger PTSD.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, relationships November 11, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Things to Remember About PTSD

With Veterans Day tomorrow, it’s hard for us at Focus on the Family to forget the many sacrifices the men and women of our armed forces make.

Colorado Springs is a military town. We have Army and Air Force bases here. NORAD, the North American Aerospace Defense Command, is located within our mountains. Every May, Focus employees stand on our ministry’s balcony and watch the Thunderbirds perform at the Air Force Academy graduations. Huge cargo planes fly overhead and rattle our houses.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, marriage, relationships November 10, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Six Ways to Boost Happiness in Your Marriage

A lifelong marriage goes through many seasons.

The romantic honeymoon phase kicks off the journey, but soon enough, the couple often enters into the hectic young-children-and-little-sleep stage. Before they know it, those toddlers are teens … and then the high schoolers go off to college.

Pretty soon, that once fresh-faced husband and wife are coming home to an empty nest.

With all of these changes and challenges how can we keep our marriages healthy and happy?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, relationships October 13, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Too Busy to Rest?

I often feel like I’m burning the candle at both ends. I imagine the same may be true for you.

No matter how much we get done, there’s always one more thing to do.

And rest? There’s hardly time for that, is there?

I confess I’ve had moments where relaxing seemed like a waste of time. It felt like the absence of something – like an empty space where productivity ought to be – rather than an active and beneficial component to my life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, marriage, relationships August 28, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura