Moments with You

Ever witnessed anything like this at your house before? After falling under deep conviction during the pastor’s sermon entitled “The Family Altar Will Save Your Family,” Dad cranks up his courage and announces, “Tonight after dinner, we will have family devotions.((READMORE))

The hypothetical scenario I shared with you yesterday about the frustrations of family worship probably isn’t too far from what you’ve experienced. Just about all of us who have ventured to put the Bible front and center in our homes have had to crawl past situations very similar to that one.((READMORE))

As Easter approaches, don’t you often wonder why Christmas gets all the good press, while Easter is treated more like a very distant second cousin? After all, it’s a commemoration of the greatest news ever proclaimed in history: Christ is alive and we are forgiven! Easter arrives with so little fanfare, we almost forget it’s coming.((READMORE))

It began as a short, one-night romantic getaway for Martin and Gracia Burnham. It turned into a year-long nightmare when armed Philippine rebels burst into their cabin and took them hostage. These humble, hardworking missionaries, whose hearts had been wedded to their work in the Philippines, now found themselves with a handful of other captives, trudging at gunpoint through the tropical jungles of this island nation.((READMORE))

He coached his UCLA Bruins to 10 NCAA basketball titles—including seven in a row. At one point, his streak of consecutive victories stretched to 88 games, nearly double the amount—even today—of the next coach on the list.((READMORE))

Barbara and I admit that we’ve never experienced depression in its rawest, deepest form. Yes, we’ve had seasons of intense discouragement. We’ve had our share of valleys, crying out to God in the agony of our souls.((READMORE))

One thing we painfully learn throughout life, either by direct experience or observation, is that rebellious children can come from any type of home. But even as they run from God and from us, and even in our anguish and frustration, we must hold them before God in prayer, trusting Him to lead them home.((READMORE))

As I settled into my seat on the small regional jet, I noticed that the man next to me was embroiled in an intense cell-phone conversation. Although he was doing his best to control his anger and keep his voice down, his conversation was unavoidable for me—and all the passengers within two rows of him.((READMORE))

As my flying companion (from the story I began yesterday) and I began to talk, I asked about his relationship with God. He told me about a near-fatal accident he had once experienced. After rolling his truck several times, he was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.((READMORE))

From early on, Dennis and I let our children know that God had a special mission for their lives. We explained that He had gifted them with abilities, personality and other qualities that were tailor-made to help them accomplish His plan.((READMORE))

For more than 50 years I have enjoyed fishing. And ever since our honeymoon, when we went fishing together, I’ve been inviting Barbara to get into the sport with me. Finally she agreed to give it a try on a vacation out West.((READMORE))

As Bob Lepine, my cohost on FamilyLife Today, was leaving for work one morning, he put his arm around his wife and prayed, “Lord, I ask that You would stretch Mary Ann today, that You would challenge her spiritually and cause her to grow in the image of Christ.((READMORE))

You should always consider your children your primary “disciples”—the main ones you’re responsible in leading to faith in Christ and keeping infused with biblical truth and spiritual guidance. But this can become a very difficult task, especially through the teenage years, when simply keeping up a conversation can present a challenge.((READMORE))

We see a lot of advertising slogans today. Companies are always looking for newer, snazzier ways to position their products and services. But one positive feature that can never be dreamed up in a brainstorming session is a statement such as “Serving You for More than 50 Years” or “Celebrating 75 Years of Excellence."((READMORE))

One story that stands out among those contributed to my book A Mother’s Legacy is Vonette Bright’s account of the “kissing club” that she and some other teenage girls tried to start, in hopes of getting kissed by some of the boys in school.((READMORE))

As a teenager, I recall my dad pushing back from the dinner table and walking a few blocks to visit his mother. Sometimes I would go with him, though the visits were pretty boring. There was little more than the ticking and occasional chirping of the cuckoo clock and the creaking of Grandma Rainey’s rocking chair.((READMORE))

It’s been both fun and extremely touching in writing these devotions to go back through the mailbag and re-read some of the letters I’ve received over the years. I love hearing from those who have been inspired through our ministry to invest in their families.((READMORE))

Several years ago, I began a mentoring relationship with Bryan Carter, an African-American pastor in the Dallas area. One of the first things I challenged him to do was to write a tribute to his father to thank him for the things he had done right.((READMORE))

Not everyone has fond memories of their relationship with their parents. Perhaps even now, the relationship you share with your parents is strained and distant. You may even find yourself avoiding them, weary of being hurt by the things they say or do .((READMORE))

Many of us marry with the illusion that the excitement and magic of new love will never fade away. Then, at some point in the first couple years of marriage, we wake up and realize that reality is a bit different.((READMORE))

After one of our many radio broadcasts in which I talked about the vital importance of praying together as a couple (I hope you’re hearing that strongly in this book, because it is so essential to the success of your marriage), a gentleman wrote me with a new way of looking at this.((READMORE))

Many of us adopt the world’s view in how we raise our children: We believe that responsible parenting means making sure they go to the best schools, wear the best clothes and participate in numerous outside activities so that they’ll grow into successful adults with well-paying jobs.((READMORE))

We all long for the perfect. The perfect home, perfect spouse, perfect body, perfect job, perfect church.

In 1976, our family moved from Dallas to Little Rock and bought a little yellow three-bedroom frame house with a porch and white shutters.((READMORE))

Barbara and I know a little about building into our marriage when we are separated by travel. In fact, some of our most miserable disagreements have occurred around traveling. We’ve come to greatly admire those married couples who serve in the military and are separated for long periods of time because of deployments.((READMORE))

As our children were born and my responsibilities as a mom increased, my spiritual disciplines and devotional life became a phenomenal source of failure for me.

As a single and then as a young married woman, I had been so faithful in experiencing daily, set-aside time with God.((READMORE))