Archive for 'Family'

Surviving Christmas?

Several years ago I wrote an article that was published in a Christian newspaper. I thought I would post it here in these waning days before Christmas. Hope you find it encouraging. I am not against celebrating Christmas. In our home we exchange presents, listen to and sing Christmas songs, host and attend parties, ride [...]

Protecting Your Marriage in Stormy Weather (BGMFPOD-004)

Protecting Your Marriage in Stormy Weather (BGMFPOD-004) You don’t have to be married long before stormy weather attempts to capsize your marriage boat. God is gracious and does not often allow couples to experience the same kind of suffering as Job did in the Bible. However, he does allow measured doses of trouble at sovereignly [...]

Married with Children (BGMFPOD-003)

Married with Children (BGMFPOD-003) Being married with children requires greater determination than many of us expected.  It changes your life in many ways – both in being a blessing and a challenge. The need to maintain a satisfying relationship with your spouse while raising children is enormous. Marriages advance through an assortment of developmental stages.  [...]

Tools for Great Relationships (BGMFPOD-002)

Tools for Great Relationships (BGMFPOD-002) Every couple enters marriage with their own bag of tools, but is often frustrated by their attempts at fixing things. They either have the wrong tools or do not use the tools properly. Having the right tools in your relational tool bag and using them properly can help you build [...]

Family Builders Friday Five: 5 Great Ways to be a Family

Everybody helps everybody…always, in whatever ways are needed. Remember, “please” and “thank you” are not just good manners; they’re the calling cards of a grateful heart. Have a lot of fun, just not at the expense of anyone else. Eat as many meals together as possible as a family. Your kids will be less likely [...]

Raising Moral Kids (BGMFPOD-001)

Raising Moral Kids (BGMFPOD-001) Strategies for helping parents raise moral kids. Raising moral kids in an immoral world is the result of parents who have clearly defined values and are intentional about communicating their values to their children. Children are born with a will that influences their choices and judgments. As parents, our God-given “job [...]

The Legacy of a Parent

My 88-year-old father passed away peacefully at his home in North Carolina on July 25. Cindy and I were able to get there four days before he died, giving us some time with him. When he took his last breath he was surrounded by those who loved him and whom he loved dearly. Speaking at [...]

No Hint of Sexual Impurity (4)

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (Ephesians 5:3) Eight Things to Think About Living Together Before Marriage Does cohabitation, living together before marriage, fall into the category of sexual immorality? Yes! [...]

No Hint of Sexual Impurity (3)

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (Ephesians 5:3) God’s standard for sexual purity for Christians is pretty high. There’s not even to be a “hint” of these sins because they “are [...]

No Hint of Sexual Impurity(2)

“But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God’s holy people.” (Ephesians 5:3) In my previous post on this topic I briefly looked at the historical, cultural and spiritual context of this warning to the Christians [...]