Smartphones for Smartfamilies
We advise against giving your children a phone if you are not ready to have a conversation with them about it multiple times a week for multiple years.
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The Importance of a Moms’ Ministry in Your Church
Ministering to this group can be instrumental in reaching everyone in the home.
There She Is: Miss America, #MeToo, and Your Kids
Brava, Miss America, for eliminating a bit of the external from the ideal. And let’s not stop there. What does it look like for each of us to disregard the bigger “swimsuit competition” far deeper within?
Respecting Your Son’s Desire to Provide and Protect
God put inside every boy something that stirs him to be brave and protective.
The Story Behind FamilyLife’s New Film, ‘Like Arrows’
Bob Lepine answers behind-the-scenes questions about the movie.
Get Connected
You’ve got gifts. We’ve got needs. Explore the many opportunities with FamilyLife. When friends like you—with your gifts, your stories—help us, this boots-on-the-ground work becomes
You Matter To Us
You Matter to Us We appreciate your courage in reaching out for help. Unfortunately, due to the volume of questions and concerns we receive, we
Dennis and Barbara Rainey Share 13 Milestones of God’s Faithfulness
“FamilyLife is a ministry ‘in spite of’ rather than ‘because of’ … God did not grow this ministry because of our hard work and brilliant ideas.”
Resources
FamilyLife Blended Resources FamilyLife Blended® provides bibically-based resources that help prevent re-divorce, strengthen stepfamilies, and help break the generational cycle of divorce. Resources Strengthening Stepfamilies Are you part
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About FamilyLife Blended® FamilyLife Blended provides biblically-based resources that help prevent re-divorce, strengthen stepfamilies, and help break the generational cycle of divorce.Our resources for blended
Start a Stepfamily Ministry
Start a Stepfamily Ministry FamilyLife Blended® provides bibically-based resources that help prevent re-divorce, strengthen stepfamilies, and help break the generational cycle of divorce. Minister to stepfamilies in your community
Billy Graham’s Incredible Ministry … and His Incredible Marriage
Billy’s marriage to Ruth was a partnership that had a worldwide impact.
Learning to Pray With My Wife
My journey of committing to praying with my wife for 30 days and the tips I learned along the way.
She Was Repulsed by Her Husband
For Hans and Star Molegraaf, their marriage wasn’t headed for disaster. It was already there.
Divorced Parents Can Co-Parent Peacefully
Divorced parents should constantly evaluate themselves and ask if their behavior is helping or hurting their children.
5 Romantic Needs of a Woman
I’ve spent a lifetime learning about how to satisfy my wife’s romantic needs. That means meeting her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.
What Should Be the Husband’s ‘Role’ in Marriage?
If you apply these concepts correctly, you’ll experience freedom in your roles and work better as a team to combat isolation and conflict in your marriage.
It’s Not Your Husband’s Job to Make You Happy
The only way you can experience true joy is by pursuing intimacy with Christ on a daily basis.
Is Marriage a ‘Dying Institution’?
Marriage is facing some big challenges today, but that doesn’t mean we should replace it with something different.
Is Marriage Just a ‘Piece of Paper’?
A growing number of couples are choosing to avoid marriage altogether.
The Futility of the 50/50 Plan
One the surface, this approach to marriage sounds reasonable, but in the end it won’t work.
A Marriage Struck by Lightning
When Ryan and Sarah were jolted by forces out of their control, they saw God transform the circumstances into good.
Stopping the Cycle Entering Marriage as a Child of Divorce
So you’re getting married! Congratulations! According to the latest research, if you are under the age of 30, there is a 58% chance that you
Can God Do the Impossible in a Marriage
I wrote an article for The Family Room ezine called “She Hated Her Husband.” It was about Brian and Julie Moreau’s disintegrating relationship and the
‘Indivisible’ Deals With Conflicts in War and in Marriage
New film tells the true story of Army Chaplain Darren Turner, who survived on the battlefield but almost lost his marriage in the process.
What Should Be the Wife’s ‘Role’ in Marriage?
While the Bible doesn’t apply our modern word “role” to marriage, the Scriptures are clear about the unique responsibilities God assigns to a wife.
Setting Boundaries for a Meddling Ex-Spouse
When you have a new marriage and blended family, it’s important to build a respectful working relationship with your ex.
10 Things to Know Before You Remarry
Challenges every single parent should consider before deciding to remarry.
Managing Emotions in the Midst of Disagreement
The goal of a balanced communicator is to properly manage and express both thoughts and emotions.
Do You Feel Like an Outsider With Your Stepchildren?
Practical suggestions for stepmoms.
Why Sex Is So Important to Your Husband
God wired men and women very differently. And a man’s sexual performance with his wife is an inseparable part of who he is.
25 Things a Dad Should Teach a Boy
Use this helpful list as a springboard for spending quality time with your sons.
Honest Communication Is a Stepfamily’s Greatest Ally
Every time David successfully put off another conflict, he stored up resentment toward his wife or stepchildren for “controlling him.”
Ideas for Observing Halloween Without Compromising Your Faith
Two moms discuss ways they have allowed their children to participate in the holiday without undermining their values.
Loving the Prodigal Who Seems to Hate You
The way we love sinful people must be patterned after the rugged love God has for us.
Obeying God Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
It is only as my view of Him increases that I will be more able to view my issues with a proper perspective.
Stepfamilies: Is This Normal?
Blended families live in a different land than first-families.
Finding God in the ‘White Space’
When we live a life of constantly reaching for the next big thing, we miss the greatness God is calling us to right here, right now.
3 Steps to Spiritual Wellness
If we are totally focused on the material things of this life and this world, we will miss out on most of what life is all about.
5 Qualities for Thriving in a Hostile Culture
As our society and culture become increasingly hostile toward Christianity, here are five spiritual qualities that become especially important.
“Without God There Is No Hope”
Rick and Judy Taylor talk about recovering from the death of their son, Kyle.
A Life-Changing Weekend Marriage Retreat
At the Weekend to Remember, I got to see how God was at work in the lives of married couples.
Do You Love Your Wife Out of Obligation?
It takes courage for husbands to fulfill God’s calling to love their wives for a noble purpose.
Parents Today Say Their Job Is Harder Than Ever
Many parents today feel overwhelmed by the pace at which technology is changing the American home.
They Didn’t Know How to Have ‘The Talk’ With Their Kids
How Doug and Deb Gulbranson used Passport2Purity® to teach their children about the pressures they would face as teenagers.
Giving Your Spouse the Freedom to Fail
Six gifts you can give that remove the pressure to perform.
My Father’s Secret to Staying in Love
As a wonderful example of a godly husband and father, I’ve always been able to go to my father for advice about anything.
Talking to Your Kids About Transgender Issues
Your kids will encounter this issue someday. How will you handle their questions?
Training Our Children to Pray
Rather than only teaching them simple prayers they can memorize and recite, we need to intentionally educate our children about what prayer should look like.
‘I Fell in Love Again With My Wife’
Their marriage was all but over when Dolores Hardin offered an astonishing and radical proposal to her husband, Al.
His Lies Finally Caught Up With Him
Mary Murray felt betrayed, and Mike felt desperate and suicidal. That’s when God stepped in.
He Didn’t Know His Marriage Was Dying
Alberto and Debbie Rodriguez were two strangers living in the same house. One was getting lonelier and lonelier … while the other was clueless.
It’s Never Too Late for God to Save Your Marriage
If you drink deeply from the well of God’s love, you will inevitably pour that love into each other.
Divine Appointments
Are you listening to the nudge of the Holy Spirit to talk to those around you?
He Returned Home a Troubled Man
Rusty Mauney couldn’t forget his wartime experience in Iraq. As he found relief in alcohol, his wife, Marsha, began asking God to save their marriage.
10 Tips for Leading Marriage Small Groups
As you prepare for facilitating a small group, you will find God strengthening your own marriage and giving you a heart to minister to others.
Why Is Saying “Thank You” So Hard?
Giving thanks is not just for God’s glory—it’s for our good.
When Our Issues Become Bigger Than Our God
It is only as my view of Him increases that I will be more able to view my issues with a proper perspective.
A Great Love Life Without 50 Shades of Anything
These five steps have personally helped me have enjoyable and satisfying intimacy with my husband.
Why Mike Pence Is Wise to Protect His Marriage
Constructing “zones” or “hedges” around marriage can help protect against temptation and appearances of impropriety.
Stepmom: The Place Between Rock and Hard
Stepfamilies are hard no matter what your circumstances were before remarriage. Here are seven practical steps for healthy relationships.
The Art of a Loving Rebuke
When it’s necessary to confront and correct someone, do it in a way that puts a priority on the relationship.
Remembering How God Is Working
A couple weeks ago, in my work here at FamilyLife, I was feeling lazy and listless, uncreative and unmotivated. Looking for some inspiration, I began
Not Every Mom Must Be a Natural Homemaker
Sincere love and an emotional haven are worth so much more than a perfect house and a gourmet meal.
Surprising Secrets of Highly Happy Marriages
If research showed you there were five things you could do to turn a marriage around or to keep a marriage strong, and that they were
How to Stop Praying the Same Old Things
It doesn’t take long before rote prayers fragment your attention span and freeze your heart.
Unrealistic Expectations Almost Destroyed My Marriage
In the midst of my pain and self-centered complaining, I exhausted my husband and saddened God.
Four Words That Revived a Dying Marriage
Both Vivian and Guy had been married before, and the frustrations of trying to blend their two homes had reached a breaking point.
What Is Your Family’s ‘Brand’?
An important part of parenting is determining who you are, what things you stand for, and how you’ll pass those values on to your children.
10 Ways to Talk About Christ This Christmas
Is this your year to make a change and replace some time-stealing activities with something more meaningful?
I Decided to Give the Whole ‘Faith’ Thing a Try
During the early years of their marriage, Jim and Nina Roesner made some life-changing decisions at Weekend to Remember getaways.
The Enemy of Your Marriage
It doesn’t take long for fear to replace trust, for intimacy to be broken. Just look at what happened in the first marriage.
A Marriage Raised From the Dead
Less than 12 months after Tim and Teena Hoover married, their vows to God and to one another were shattered.
Social Media and the Comparison Trap
Too often what we see on social media, at a party, or even on Sunday at church in no way reflects what’s really going on in someone’s life.
Keeping Your Family Stable in an Unstable World
Four practical suggestions for facing uncertain times with faith and courage.
Recruiting and Equipping a Marriage Ministry Team
Suggestions for creating a strong foundation for marriage ministry in your church.
Letting Jesus Love Through You
Don’t let fear cause you to mistreat those who are different from you.
Would She Walk Out on Her Marriage?
Troy and Sara Groves once said divorce was not an option. But they didn’t anticipate the struggles they’d face with weaknesses, expectations, and bitterness.
4 Hard Questions About Homosexuality
We all need to live lives of constant repentance, recognizing that the entire Christian life is one of constant temptation to sin and simultaneous call to obey Christ.
What’s the Real Problem in Your Marriage?
Instead of focusing on treating the symptoms, identify the underlying “disease” in your marriage with these six suggestions.
When Should You Involve Someone Else in Your Marriage Problems
Five issues that warrant outside intervention.
Wrestling With God Over a Broken Marriage
Trusting my husband was not an option, but I wondered if I could trust God.
Did You Know Your Home Is an Embassy of the King?
In a weary and wavering land, your home can be a place of love, encouragement, and comfort.
When Your Husband Needs Help—and Doesn’t Know It
You have strengths your husband doesn’t have. It takes a bit of wisdom and skill to help in a harmonious, nonthreatening way.
5 Prayers for Prodigals
Even when we see no visible evidence, we can trust that God is at work.
Raising Kids in an ‘Anything Goes’ Culture
In the minds of most teenagers, there is no universal standard for sexual morality of absolutes beyond a person’s own view as to what makes sexual activity right or wrong.
‘It Was as Though God Was Crying Through Me’
Looking back at how God used an unlikely person to help start FamilyLife.
A Safe House Begins With You
Your love for your child should define your relationship—just as God’s love defines His relationship with us as His children.
10 Survival Tips for Stepfamily Life
Many couples travel to the “foreign country” of stepfamily living with little or no preparation.
Raising Sons During the ‘Crisis of Manhood’
It’s a daunting era to raise a son into a man, but here’s a game plan for shaping growing boys into godly men.
Pointing Your Children to God When They Fall
As much as we hate it, our children lose control, make poor choices, and deal with shame, grief, and remorse. That’s when they need you the most.
Reader Responses: Marriages We Most Admire
Editor’s note, May 2015: In a recent FamilyLife contest, participants were asked, “What marriage do you most admire, and why?” Here’s a selection of their
An Unlikely Hero in a Time of War
The same faith that led Alvin York to be a pacifist also led him to become the most decorated soldier in World War I and a post-war philanthropist.
Shut Up and Let Her Talk
Your wife’s need to be heard is her way of letting you be the caretaker and confidant her mother and friends used to be.
9 Ways to Protect Children From Sexual Abuse
Here are some practical things you can do to guard your children.
Breaking the Silence on Sexual Harassment
Something has shifted in our culture the last few months as hidden sexual sins—especially in the workplace—are brought into the light. Why has this happened so suddenly?
Fifty Shades in the Age of #MeToo
In the wake of the current outcry against sexual mistreatment of women, what reception will the film Fifty Shades Freed receive?
Sexual Abuse and the Nature of Evil
My counseling experience leads me to conclude that evil is very much at work in the world, in our mind, and in our body.
After a Hurricane: Offering Help and Hope
How you can be involved in the aftermath of disasters like Irma and Harvey.
Marriage Always Turns Out Different Than Expected
My wife’s suffering taught us that marriage can bind our hearts together in an unconditional love that our human emotions could never manufacture on their own.
Disciplining Your Children Is Challenging, but Vital
Seeing the fruit of correcting your children requires delayed gratification.
8 Ways to Be a Super Mom (Not Supermom)
There is no such thing as a superhero mother. Here’s how to stop trying to do it all and start learning to be you.
When Sex Is at the Bottom of Your List
Marriage has taught me how different I am sexually from my husband.
Yearning for Peace When Life Falls Apart
If we could handle the messes of life on our own, we’d never have to seek God’s help in managing it.
10 Ideas to Challenge Your Teenage Son to Make His Faith His Own
Here are a few steps you can take to create the right environment for your son to grow in his faith while he’s still living in your home.
10 Questions to Ask Your Wife Every Year
An annual exercise to listen to your wife’s words and hear from her heart.
You Will Always Be Your Daughter’s First Love
As a father, you need to love her not only when she is your sweet, affectionate girl, but also when she’s a real pain in the neck.
When Your Kids Ask, ‘How Far Can I Go?’
Helping your children understand God’s design for sex … and how to save themselves for marriage.
Nourishing and Cherishing Your Wife
The goal of our love is to see our wives become more like Christ. I must be ready to die to myself as I cleanse her, nourish her, and cherish her.
The Judge Kicked Them Out of Divorce Court
Tom and Maureen Santacroce wanted to stay together. They just didn’t know how.
I Thought I Married the Wrong Person
Editor’s note: This article was adapted from the story of a woman who attended one of FamilyLife’s I Still Do™ events between 1999-2002. As we
The Dynamic Duo of Baltimore
Bonita and Tazwell Thornton are leaving a priceless legacy to untold generations.
‘Our Marriage Was Dead’
Nobody knew Dale and Laura Danser were experiencing problems in their marriage. Attending an I Still Do event was the turning point.
Who’s Running Things Around Here?
The undeniable fact is that God expects parents to lead the family.
What It Means to Be a Member of God’s Family
Because of what Christ has done for us, we are free to enjoy Him, to live for Him, and to confidently trust Him to meet our every need.
Face Your Blitzes With Confidence
When you face hardships, it helps to know the truth about God’s peace and sovereignty.
7 More Things a Man Should Know About Marriage
In last week’s Marriage Memo, I wrote of seven things men need to know about marriage. In a culture of counterfeits and mistruths, it’s important
5 Tips for Investing in Your Wife
Your wife needs your creative energy if she is to become all that God designed her to be.
3 Ways to Bring Your Children to Jesus
While we should strive to be a godly example by the way we live, we must be proactive in teaching our children about God.
5 Important Scriptures for My Family
My desire is to incorporate these truths into the fabric of my family’s values.
10 Surprising Ways to Increase Romance
Believe it or not, these small changes can amplify your feelings of love without mood lighting or lingerie.
14 Ideas for New Christmas Traditions
Is it time to consider doing something different this year?
Your Best Thoughts Are God-Thoughts
When troubles come our way, we can be stressed and upset, or we can trust God.
Immanuel: God With Us!
The wonder of Christmas is that Jesus became a baby and lived on earth. To understand and know Jesus is to understand and know God.
Romance in a Busy Marriage
For mothers, parenting children can be an enemy of romance. Check out these practical tips for reining in a busy lifestyle.
Don’t Let Bitterness Poison Your Marriage
Over time, repeated hurts can build up to destroy a relationship, but these suggestions can help you heal before the damage is done.
She Was Ready to Leave Her Husband
Before she got a divorce, her mother had one task for her to complete.
Avoiding the Tough Conversations
Let me encourage you to step into the relationship rather than away from it. Be courageous.
Do You Have Unrealistic Expectations for Your Marriage?
Because God is faithful, powerful, and willing, you can be realistic and hopeful about your marriage at the very same time.