All of us know that our parents, spouse and other family members will eventually grow old and face inevitable health challenges. We understand that sickness and death are part of living in a fallen world.  But we are never quite ready for these realities to hit our own loved ones – especially when a debilitating disease gradually robs them of a once active life or seeps away their memories. It’s a confusing, stressful, and exhausting time. But it can also be a time of remarkable spiritual growth...

No one plans to become a broken family or a miserable couple.  We marry because we yearn for a life-long, thriving relationship.  So, how can believers become intentional about building a God-honoring marriage? 

Couples that are contemplating starting a family will be confronted with a materialistic and leisure-focused culture that tends to dwell on the challenges more than the joys of parenthood. Couples today tend to worry about the effect kids will have on their education, career and lifestyle more than past generations did. As a result, they are often encouraged to push family off a little longer while enjoying the perceived freedom of life before children...

Grandparents in the 21st century face a mix of new opportunities and challenges. Extended life expectancy has dramatically changed the length and look of the empty nest years. Many grandparents now have greater opportunities for work and travel. Tight-knit family relationships have increasingly given way to family members spread over wide geographic distances. Some grandparents face the challenge of getting time with grandchildren because of divorce. A growing number of grandparents have watched circumstances drive them to take primary responsibility for raising their grandchildren. 

Statistically 90% of all people eventually marry.  This means that 90% of all people should consider themselves in pre-marital development.  An intentional path to finding a spouse recognizes that God is at work but that we have a responsibility to be faithful in our part of the process.  This raises the question: How does a person who hopes to marry live intentionally during this season?

Every believing parent hopes his or her child will embrace the faith and grow deep spiritual roots.  But studies tell us that over half of those growing up in Christian homes will walk away from Christianity by the time they leave the teen years – never to return.   

Too often, parents “outsource” the spiritual formation of their children to the church.  And while a good church is very important, God designed the family to be the primary place where faith is nurtured.  So parents need to understand four principles that can help them become more intentional about their child’s faith. 

After years of saying, “When I grow up, I’m gonna be…” there comes a point in which your children start going through the steps of actually making it happen.  Dr. James Dobson calls ages 16 to 26 the “critical decade” as young people transition from childhood to an adult.  We’ve all heard the phrase “failure to launch” describing young men and women who don’t make that transition for one reason or another.  Unfortunately, more and more parents are inadvertently keeping their children from growing up by protecting them from the risks necessary to adulthood. How can you be intentional about successfully launching your older children?

The Bible has a lot to say about money and much that is specifically of value for someone trying to be intentional about family relationships. A financial treadmill of working and consuming can dominate your energy and thoughts to the degree that your good intentions for family relationships get squeezed out.

“Enjoy ‘em now, because they’ll drive you crazy when they’re teenagers!” That’s the warning parents of pre-teens often hear. The implication: the teen years will be excruciatingly, unavoidably rough for everyone concerned. Obviously you and your pre-teen are in for a lot of change, but turmoil isn’t inevitable. You have the opportunity—before the cataclysmic transition from childhood to adulthood begins—to intentionally navigate your son or daughter through that change in a proactive and positive way.

Congratulations on the exciting stage of life you’ve entered. Whether you’ve recently had a new baby or counting down to your due date, you’ve likely noticed that parenthood is an entirely different world. In the midst of all the joy and anticipation comes a whole new level of stretching (not just your belly) and character development. You may be wondering if life will ever be the same...

Congratulations!  Few times in your life are as exciting and filled with anticipation as preparing marriage.  It is very easy to allow the preparation for the big day to overshadow preparation for married life.  Don’t forget, the wedding day is only the first day of the rest of your life.  Spend this time not only creating the special day but also laying the foundation for a strong, healthy marriage.  Consider these five steps...

Douglas Fagerstrom, in the Baker Handbook of Single Adult Ministry, says, “America is changing.  The singles phenomenon is a large part of this change.  The statistic of over 70 million single adults is staggering, as it has many implications for the American culture.”  He also notes that in the near future, more than half of adults will spend a significant amount of time as either divorcees or widows.  When you add in the average age of marriage shifting back to 26 and 28 for women and men, respectively, you can see that America has far more single adults than ever before...

Achieving the long-term goal of raising and then launching a child (or children) is one of those milestones in life that can lead to surprising emotions. One day you might feel relieved to catch your breath after such an intense marathon and then the next day you miss the busyness—especially the ever-present relationships that went with it. Whether you are approaching, just hitting or deep into the empty nest season you are likely experiencing a range of feelings that can leave you asking yourself “What next?” This would be a great time to take steps toward rediscovery in your life.

There is no other stage in life like Young Adulthood.  The transition between adolescence and adulthood is becoming increasingly blurred and finding your place as a young adult in an immature adult culture can be difficult.   Breaking the ties of dependency on parents in order to establish one’s own lifestyle and opportunities can be daunting and unnecessary in light of the society we live in.  Don’t let the world determine how you will live but rather use God’s standards as presented in scripture help you make decisions that will have a lasting impact.


Parents today often feel like they fail to measure up in their responsibilities—especially in something as challenging as giving their children a good education in an increasingly complex world.  As you evaluate the many schooling options available to your family, reflect on the following questions to help apply Biblical wisdom to your educational choices...

There is little in life that creates more anxiety than having a teenager who seems out of control. Experiencing emotional outbursts, being lied to, or staying up at night worrying about their safety can greatly damage your relationship with your teen. You may have tried different approaches to help them—being tough one day and then trying to show mercy the next—but nothing really seems to make a difference.  Watching your teen continue to make bad choices can leave you torn between wanting them to just learn the hard way and being afraid of what they might do in a moment of irresponsibility. What steps can you take now to best help your child?

Does someone you love seem to be self-destructing in addictive behavior? Are you watching a spouse, son or daughter abandon everything that was once important to them because of drugs, alcohol, sex or some other stimulant?  This pointer outlines several steps in dealing with addiction.

“Did you ever notice how The Brady Bunch got just about all their stepfamily challenges worked out in the first episode?” asks Ron Deal of Successful Stepfamilies. Ron works alongside a growing number of ministries coaching people to use Biblical principles to overcome the challenges of blending their families.  Any home in which at least one spouse brings children from a prior relationship knows that it is much harder in real life than it was for the Brady family.  That’s why blended families need to add an extra measure of intentionality, including several important steps...

Should you adopt a child? Millions of children around the world need homes. Many homes seem to have something missing that adoption offers to fill. As you process feelings of hope and eagerness in your heart, the practical questions can often seem paralyzing.  See this pointer to discover more about adoption.

“So, when are you going to have kids?” That question is invasive enough when babies are part of your plan. But what if you’ve just found out you’re unable to have children or experienced yet another miscarriage?  How are you supposed to deal with the awkward conversations about kids that inevitably come up? Facing infertility can cause a woman, or a man, to wonder about their identity. Looking around at other families with children you might ask, “What’s wrong with us—why can’t we have what they have?”

Grief is the recognition that someone you deeply love has died.  The reality of the loss deeply hurts.  It triggers a whole variety of emotions.  It is a process and a journey that each one has to uniquely go through...

Those who marry will have troubles. That’s what Paul told the Corinthian church 
(1 Corinthians 7:28).  Even the best couples can struggle to protect their marriage vows. But what happens when marriage troubles become unbearable? Is there a point at which couples should end a bad marriage?  Or is there hope for something better?  Walk through the following steps as you prayerfully evaluate your situation...

The fact you’re reading this indicates you are concerned about your child’s faith. As you care for your child’s daily needs and work to prepare him or her for success in life, there’s nothing more important than caring for their spiritual needs and helping them prepare for eternity. It’s likely that you are reading this because, like many parents, you don’t know quite how (or when) to go about introducing your child to Christ. Parents who worry that they don’t have the training or understanding to lead their children to salvation may be tempted to just leave it to the “professionals”—to rely on people at church or ministry events. That’s understandable, but God has given you the most important and most influential role when it comes to influencing your child’s path to salvation. All it takes is a little training for you to feel more comfortable about the when and how of introducing them to Christ.

The Bible has a lot to say about money and much that is specifically of value for someone trying to be intentional about family relationships. A financial treadmill of working and consuming can dominate your energy and thoughts to the degree that your good intentions for family relationships get squeezed out.

Marriage offers the most intimate and rewarding relationship we ever experience.  When a marriage collapses, it causes about as much pain and suffering as any human experience.  Divorce not only reflects the death of our most significant relationship, it may result in the death of our family unit, dreams for the future, financial solvency as well as breaking our hearts.  We often feel alone, ashamed, afraid and so unlovable that we conclude we’ll never recover.  Even our relationship with God may be adversely affected because we feel unworthy to come to Him for comfort and rest.  However, moving towards God, his word and his people will lead you towards healing.

One of life’s greatest blessings and sources of joy is being called somebody’s parent.  But if you find yourself raising children alone, you know better than anyone else that parenting is a job meant for two.  That’s why Dr. James Dobson calls single parenting “the toughest job in the universe.”  Few understand the loneliness and emotional hurt many single parents carry or how exhausting the role can be.  So, how can you be hopeful and experience joyful success as a parent despite more challenging circumstances?

Only those with first-hand experience truly understand the blessing and challenges of raising a child with special needs.  Parenting is hard work under the best of circumstances.  When you add managing the needs of a child with physical or mental disabilities it can bring a whole new level of physical and emotional stress for parents.  But it also brings a level of joy others rarely comprehend.   Whether you have just recently received a troubling diagnosis, are moving into a new stage of care or have just started attending this church, we want to be a source of encouragement and hope as you fulfill your calling to parent a child with special needs. 

Growing in intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is a source of great joy. But it also can be a source of conflict when your spouse doesn’t share your commitment to Christ. The absence of a shared faith impacts your relationship and makes it more difficult to face life’s challenges, to make important decisions and to grow in your own spiritual life.

It’s a jarring shift for a woman to go from processing a relationship that has become sexual to trying to figure out what to do about a newly conceived life. Even if you’ve always believed that life is precious and that babies deserve the chance to live, experiencing an unplanned pregnancy yourself can be overwhelming. You find that it’s more complex than just a yes or no decision. All the things that are at stake, added to the hormones that are likely affecting your emotions, can leave you feeling confused and afraid. What should you consider as you try to decide the best options for both you and this new life?

Parents today often feel like they fail to measure up in their responsibilities—especially in something as challenging as giving their children a good education in an increasingly complex world.  As you evaluate the many schooling options available to your family, reflect on the following questions to help apply Biblical wisdom to your educational choices...