What’s New at FamilyLife?

The ad is surfacing yet again, as Gillette attempts to explain billion-dollar losses this quarter. The public wonders if we need more or less masculinity.

It’s your billionth fight about the same thing. Your go-to conversations throw out divorce as a threat. What should you do if your marriage is dying?

Fun and laughter can illuminate our world by reminding us life is not supposed to be so serious.

Society tells women they are not naturally beautiful. But what does God say?

The college years can be a tricky transition not just for students, but for their parents as well.

Josh and Tracey Devine barely survived their blended family turmoil, but with God’s grace and the help of resources like FamilyLife Blended®, they are now helping other stepfamilies survive and thrive.

Whether or not Ed Sheeran recognizes it, his lyrics communicate the truth that the things of this world will never satisfy.

In the wake of tragic events, it’s tempting to feel hopeless or point fingers at others. Here are some practical ways I can respond now.

Sure, social media has been known to ruin a marriage or two. But if used in appropriate ways, it's a tool to actually strengthen your bond.

Disagreement usually sparks hatred. But when did disagreeing equate hating?  We, as a whole, have forgotten how to respectfully disagree.

I’m Jenn. I’m a 9. If you’re a 6, like my husband, you’re waiting to decide if I’m knowledgeable about the Enneagram until after you hear what I say.

How do we know in the middle of deep despair if it’s time to throw the house key in his face? Or if we can check our emotions and reevaluate? 

An Enneagram 3 to the core, I know I can change the world. Feeding hungry children, slashing divorce rates, and housing homeless: bring it on!

These practical strategies will give you tools for a peaceful and effective interchange.

Blended family couples avoid many problems when they communicate and discuss money matters mutually.

In year one of marriage, we did a lot of right things to be good spouses. But for marriage to last, it has to be based on more than a few early habits.

People say talking about depression will make it better. Jarrid Wilson‘s suicide shows you can talk about it and not be okay.

Suddenly I knew it was true. He may not be listening, but I finally understood I wasn’t either.

Mike Pence, among many men, committed to not being alone with a woman in the workplace. Is this offensive to working women who don't have the same option in the male-dominant workforce?

What is it about Rachel Hollis that makes her so appealing to hundreds and thousands of women? I get why she satisfies and why she doesn't.

The move from New York to Arkansas was painful for our family, but the journey taught us a few things.

I spent most of my 20’s trying to be someone else. Finally marriage, motherhood, depression, and my 30’s forged my self-discovery and acceptance.

Advice on seeing both the stepmom’s and biological mom’s perspectives.

Americans choose sides as if the entire country is getting a divorce. Shouting in ALL CAPS. Colorful @#$% thrown in. Outrage culture is our world today.

Ten questions guys commonly ask and our best answers to these often tricky (and awkward-to-talk-about) situations.

Casual sex boasts the benefits of being a modern woman: freedom, confidence, independence. But how is hooking up good for girls if 83% prefer commitment?

We've all wondered the long-echoed question: how often should we have sex? Likely you and your spouse don't agree, but there's no magic number.

It’s easy for Astros fans to love José Altuve's series clenching 2 run walk-off sending Houston to the World Series. But we all cheer his poise and class.

I am the dreaded Enneagram 8—the challenger. Self-confident, decisive, willful, and confrontational. But I also stand for what is right in an unmoving way.

My grandmother said to prevent getting pregnant she just "...didn’t do the evil thing!” No disrespect to her but sex is not dirty or shameful.

I know my kids’ emotions are complex. I'm learning that rather than the disease, those emotions are symptoms. So I'm seeking understanding and solutions.

John MacArthur told Beth Moore to “Go home." Male and female opinions on both sides erupted. But there’s a bigger offense at play that no one is outing.

Seven ways to make the holy days peaceful days.

"I think the bottom line is that God just doesn’t like women," my friend shared her frustration. But is that the truth about us?

"Even good moms have scary thoughts sometimes," my husband reassured. I didn’t want to admit it. But I knew deep inside I was facing postpartum depression.

Do my high expectations create a stressful environment? Am I helping my kids succeed? Or am I hurting their chances of experiencing the joys of life?

How could we possibly think retirement, changing health, and decline ahead wouldn't have surprises and challenges like our 40+ years of marriage?

What's the answer for the many who suffer quietly in the supposed safe place for the hurting--the church--yet go without the comfort of others?

No one tells you all your dreams can’t fit in one life. You may wonder if a strong woman follows or leads. Is she in the boardroom or the kitchen?

My wife refused all my attempts to reconcile, keeping her distance both physically and emotionally.That scared me. And I had a choice to make.

What if we stopped treating gratitude like green bean casserole—something to dish out once a year?

Your spouse might find openness struggling with depression. But mental health issues don’t just impact the lives of those who have them.

I have a hard time Christmas shopping for my wife. It's not because I don't enjoy giving her gifts. I do. It's just that I don't want to mess it up.

I wanted to be shocked that my 5-year-old kid wants a cell phone. But it’s the world we live in. Mandy at NextTalk says the digital world changes parenting.

When dating, we often miss one very important truth of relational health: Intimacy should never exceed commitment.

The cultural confusion about masculinity has left many young guys to either shy away from their masculinity or use it selfishly.

Instead of looking to Hollywood for the answers about love and dating, find out what Scripture has to say.

God gives us eternal treasures, so let’s take time to notice during the season of stuff.

There can be a lot of rottenness in the world. At times, it’s so obvious and undeniable it’s nearly enough to knock you for a loop.

“No jumping on Mimi’s couches. No snacks in the living room.” Welcome to disciplining kids at Grandma's. But whose rules do you follow? Yours or Mimi's?

Satan is our real enemy, and he would love to divide our marriages through suspicion, jealousy, disrespect, and resentment.

Peer pressure can be subtle. Other times your child's friend sports a Michael Kors bag. Or their second grade class splits into boyfriend-girlfriend duos.

Manipulation is a mind game leaving you wondering: Is my spouse manipulating me? We all have unhealthy ways to get what we want. So it’s worth considering.

It’s hard to get romantic in your mother-in-law's living room, kids snoring around you on sleeping bags. Still, sneaking in sex over the holidays is doable.

Having fantasy arguments in your head or Facebook fights with toxic people? It's tiring! But defending your reputation might not be worth your time.

The Christmas season didn’t kick off quite how we had planned after receiving the text from our son … “I’m not coming.”

As much as we hope we’ll become idyllic people during this idyllic season, our struggles refuse to take a holiday.

Christmas is for the broken, the lonely and forgotten, and the misfits.

In only a few short months, we had gone from gazing lovingly into each other’s eyes to glaring at each other with anger and disgust, each wondering – and not only to ourselves – if we had married the wrong person.

My wife of 10 years told me she didn't love me anymore. I would have said our marriage was a 10 out of 10. How was I so blind to the deadness of her heart?

We're in the practice of resolutions. These prayers for the New Year will move us toward spiritual renewal too.

A new job. Losing a baby. A new house. Or a spouse's confession. We can’t see what the new year may bring, but we can trust God to write our story.

As bad as your situation might be, it is not beyond God’s power to fix.

What started as an online affair devastated their marriage. Could they find renewal after infidelity?

Rejection in blended families hurts and is discouraging. What is needed is the resolve to keep going and a few helpful tools.

In your marriage, will you be the gardener or the consumer?

Many blended family weddings incorporate a ceremony called “blending of the sands.” But in reality it does not mean they have obtained “familyness.”

You want to find joy and delight in your marriage. But you’ll never be able to accomplish this alone in the four walls of your home together.

We'd been sufficiently warned. We were working against all the odds to stay together: divorced homes. Demanding careers. And now, a chronically-ill child. 

Then I asked my wife a question that would change the nature of our relationship forever. I needed her to be more than someone who I did fun things with.

Conflict with your spouse is inevitable for all couples. Whoever got the idea into our heads that “marriage should be easy” probably wasn’t married.

Leaving heaven and coming to earth was part of God’s plan for Jesus—and all of humanity—all along.

When he recommended abortion, I finally understood. That choice is for when the fear is suffocating. Sometimes scared moms want an easier way.

Our unknowns are known by God, and the very moments we think are scary are opportunities for growing our faith.

Would I prepare my heart for God to do something new, or would I let old labels and seasons paralyze me?

As I narrow down my list of potential bridesmaids, I realize I need more than someone to plan a wedding shower. I need someone who will help me be the wife I long to be.

Romance is all around. But that only accentuates how hard your marriage feels right now. How do you do Valentine’s Day when marriage is hard?

Wondering which direction you should go with a big decision? Don’t overestimate your ability to mess up your life by taking a wrong turn! 6 Q's to help.

We found out that no one is immune from marriage challenges. When we faced a serious conflict, I didn’t know where to turn for help for my marriage.

When you have a friend who talks about suicide, it's scary. Not knowing what to do, we often do very little. But doing nothing isn’t helpful. Try this.

I’ve always thought there was some marital finish line protecting your marriage on the other side. But few people warn you about gray divorce.

Most people mistakenly believe remarrying in the empty nest years is easier. But this union brings its own unique struggles.

I’m not married yet, but I’ve spent my entire life learning how to have a strong marriage through watching my parents' example.

Mistakes and pain can label us. But if we tell our kids about our past we show them ways we are overcoming. Our kids need to know that too.

The brain magnet has shown that attachment—specifically, joyful attachment—is the most powerful motivator in life. No doubt, joy in marriage changes a home.

Families and communities go through a long process to put pieces back together after a natural disaster. We can play a vital part of the recovery effort.

Pornography drives our curiosity and shapes our sexual expectations. If you or someone you know is struggling to break a porn addiction, these tips can help.

Saying “I’m sorry” is one of the most important phrases you can say in any relationship. But it’s also one of the hardest.

Every morning I wake up wondering if it’ll be another day of doctors, supplements, tears, and doubts for my spouse who suffers with chronic pain.

The effort to lump stepfamilies at church with biological families may have noble motivations. But it often leaves stepfamilies feeling unloved and unseen.

With more COVID-19 closures, families are gathering at home and around the table again. If it’s been awhile, here's insight on making family dinners work.

This time of being quarantined is challenging! One surprising aspect might be how hard it is to adjust to being together 24/7.

As COVID-19 shutdowns continued, we realized ongoing conversations with our kids were a must. But first, we needed to talk to each other.

The threat of COVID-19 has forced us to face the fear of death. It has become real: human life is fragile. But you can control the fear.

Any semblance of date night just got drop-kicked out the door. But with a little commitment you can still make time together. 10 date-ins get you started.

Often, we ask ourselves "How do I get my spouse to do things my way?" Yet arguments about the “right way” are rarely about what they seem.

We know. The idea of your family having a service for Easter can feel weird and even sad. But this Easter at home can still be meaningful, memorable.

Finding patience at home is one of the hardest parts of this quarantine life. My impatience grows as my cabin fever increases.

As I sit at the beginning of another week, grieving the quarantine, it’s clear: we don’t like feeling out of control. This new normal comes with loss.

My husband supporting me through my mental health wasn’t in our plans when we got married, but it was in our wedding vows. 

If absence makes the heart grow fonder, being sick and tired together sucks the fondness right out. But this quarantine means we're stuck in this together.

I worry about blended families in quarantine where emotions are being processed in a place that doesn’t feel safe. For stepchildren and stepparents alike.

A recent article predicted a rise in divorces due to the COVID-19 quarantine. Here are four ways you can avoid becoming a coronavirus divorce statistic.

You can’t know everything that’s going to happen in marriage, but you can decide ahead of time how to handle it with the promise in your vows: I choose us.

Since the coronavirus quarantine hijacked our lives, I feel frazzled. It's hard to focus on anything when everything is on me in this new normal.

There are many lessons I’ve gathered on the journey of grief, and one of them is this: The heartache of losing a spouse lasts a lifetime.

Being shut-in during the pandemic only intensifies the anxiety we feel. Here are a few tips on how to reduce stress while you’re stuck at home.

Quarantines, social distancing and health hypervigilance have us out of our routines and comfort zones, causing a host of emotions erupting in marriage.

What does comforting a loved one and caring at a distance look like during the quarantine? For starters, find ways to make your compassion unmissable.

As the coronavirus claims lives, we wonder how to grieve from a distance. Usually we find comfort in community. What do you do when you face death alone?

Even if you’ve never done this sort of thing before, you can trust your instincts about what your child needs. No one knows your child like you do.

Crusted cereal bowls. Kitchen counter desks. Bed sheet forts just out of conference call camera view...How do we keep up working with kids at home?

Maintaining friendships when you can't be together isn't easy. Now, thanks to a pandemic and nationwide shutdown, all our friendships feel long distance.

Quarantine and most blended families don’t mix. And if you’re wondering how to bond with your stepfamily while home, you might feel stuck.

My heart grieves as friends describe new struggles and blended family stress during the pandemic. It feels like too much to manage some days, doesn’t it?

I'll admit my first priority when the quarantine began wasn't to find ways to bless others. But I'm reminded of Jesus' commandment to love our neighbors.

When your spouse faces a layoff, hold back on the cliché, this-is-what-you-should-do responses. Instead, here are five ways to help.

A mixed bag of emotions comes with being a stepmom on Mother’s Day. A day set aside to honor moms, where does that leave a stepmom?

Sometimes bad circumstances bring about future good. And for many families, their lives have been changed for the better by the quarantine.

We need some clear, concrete directions about how to operate in the era of a global pandemic and deal with anxiety about the consequences of quarantine.

What started out like a nice extended weekend has mutated into a family siege. After the initial quarantine shock though, many have found the best of times.

As a married couple, you likely each have a different stress response. How can you leverage relationship stress to draw you together as a team?

Ahmaud Arbery's death isn't just about politics. It's a chance to teach our kids to think and act with Christian minds in areas we’d rather avoid.

Being laid off brings stress and struggles to make ends meet. But as you search for a job, don’t miss what's in the waiting.

School closings, changes to home and learning routines, and anxious parents. Right now, even the most resilient children can turn into stressed kids.

If you're trying to figure out how to navigate hosting a small group online, here are five practical tips to help you get started.

Does the idea of states reopening make you rejoice? Or cause you worry? Whichever side you are on, here are a few ways we can all pray.

As states reopen and life attempts to go back to normal, I’m reevaluating my family’s needs. But what I’m finding isn’t necessarily a beach vacation.

From Analyn and Brandon Miller's interview on FamilyLife Today® on June 1-2, 2020.

I weep in response to the hashtags I see. George Floyd’s life mattered. But how do we talk to our kids about another black man's death ... again?

Like many, I’m savoring the (albeit slow) exhale of life after quarantine. But there are also some rich gifts from the past few months that I don’t want to lose.

Aching for a summer vacation with your spouse but don't know what to do or where to go? Here are eight creative ideas for a getaway with your love.

Silence does not communicate FamilyLife’s long-standing vision of “every home a godly home.” We’re all learning how to engage in a way that communicates trust, community, and Christ’s love to all families, all homes.

I'm encouraged by the support and solidarity I have witnessed from my Christian friends. Thank you for your expressions of heartbreak. But don't stop there.

Being a stepdad on Father’s Day can be a tricky, often overlooked, role. But here are a few ways to show your appreciation.