Family Ministry

The transition from "married" to "married with children" can be tough. Before they know it, a once youthful and energetic married couple finds themselves in a minivan loaded with noisy kids and littered with Cheerios, crusty Sippy cups, banana peels, and missing library books. As much as you love your children and work hard to nurture and train them for the future, the challenges that come with parenthood can make the "for better or for worse" promise a hard one to honor.

Parenting isn't rocket science, it's just brain surgery. And Dr. Joshua Straub has good news for you: You can do it! You don't need to do all the "right" things as a parent. Both science and the Bible show us that the most important thing we can provide for our kids is a place of emotional safety. In other words, the posture from which we parent matters infinitely more than the techniques of parenting. Emotional safety - more than any other factor - is scientifically linked to raising kids who live, love, and lead well.

Anxiety among Catholic mothers is sky high. How do we teach our sons to be chaste when a sex-obsessed culture is ready to drag our boys into the pit at every turn? All we want to do is protect the innocence of our little ones and the honor of our teens, yet the snares of ubiquitous porn, hook-up sex, the LGBTQ juggernaut, and the devaluing of true manhood appear unavoidable. What's a mother to do?

Respected Christian couples open up about the wisdom that has made the difference in their marriage. Nearly 20 of today’s Christian authors, speakers, and entertainers relay their joys and fears, their triumphs and failures - and the advice that got them through - in this inspiring collection from Focus on the Family. The names of these husbands and wives, like their experiences, will be familiar to anyone who’s ever said, "I do". But the transforming advice these couples received when they needed it most is what will motivate you and your spouse - whether you’re newlyweds or in your golden years - to strengthen your relationship.

This book is for everyone who has a father. And for all those who know what it's like to long for a father's blessing: his approval, affection, and attention. It's for anyone who's ever longed to hear your dad say, "I love you. I'm so proud of you." You may already know what it's like to live in the rays of such a blessing, to flourish in the marvelous light of a father's love. Yet, in this "fatherless generation", it's also likely you've never known the blessing of your earthly dad.

Moms today have a lot to handle! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of raising a family, especially in a culture that’s spiraling away from Christianity at an alarming speed. Yet our God is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The battle belongs to him, and his strength shines bright when we bring our weaknesses to Him and simply say, “Here. I can’t, but You can.” Prayers for the Battlefield is a collection of prayers and reflections to help you stay strong through the daily challenges of motherhood.

This short but wacky collection of 18 fairy tales by Peter Leithart is perfect for bedtime, each tale invoking the imagery, plots, and themes of the book of Proverbs. Whether its the story of the fairies that live in walnuts or of the man who never got out of bed, these stories will make you laugh. Though you may be tempted to read deep theological meaning into each story, in reality, they owe their origin to Peter Leithart telling his kids stories before bed. Perfect for the family.

Children today live in an unpredictable, disruptive, and often violent world. Many of them live in two different homes with different sets of expectations. They face bullying at school and online. They hear news of school shootings, and racially or religiously motivated violence. They may have lost a friend or a loved one. As parents, the impulse to protect our children is strong, but that very protection can end up handicapping them for life. Rather than seek to save them from the hard things, parents must teach their kids how to cope with and rise above their problems.

In this 52-week devotional, Bruce Gordon challenges the idea that youth is the best part of life. He asserts that we make too little of our opportunities in later life - we were made for more than the golf course or the rocking chair! These practical devotionals, steeped in Scripture, will help you transition to a time of life that can be rich with purpose, significance, and hope as you serve God. You’ll be encouraged and empowered to build a life that matters now and for eternity. Discover for yourself that the best years, the most impactful years of your life, are still to come.

Often it seems like everything is against you as a parent, and your everyday life can feel far from joy-filled. But it doesn’t need to be that way. Parents Rising will show you eight cultural trends that parents are up against today and what you can do to claim victory. This audiobook is about growth, not guilt. It’s not a pep talk or a “try harder” speech. This is real help for real problems that every parent faces. It’s a way to focus your efforts, so that they’ll be more effective and you’ll be less exhausted.

How to Teach Kids Theology by Sam Luce and Hunter Williams takes the deep truths of the Christian faith and gives practical, actionable direction for sharing them with children.

Even good parents often underestimate the dangers their children face. Research indicates that one in four females and one in six males are sexually abused before age 18. In most cases, the enemy is not a faceless stranger; it's someone you know and trust. This book provides practical steps to ensure you're doing all you can to reduce the risks of abuse. But since you cannot be with your children 24/7, it goes beyond what you can do as a parent to teach you how to increase your child's own awareness and strategies in the face of potential dangers - without making them fearful.

“A deeply felt meditation on the vital role of passion in good teaching”—with useful samples, interviews, and advice (Anthony Rotundo, The Washington Post) Every teacher can be a passionate teacher—one who engages young people in the excitement of learning and ideas—if teaching is...

How you parent directly impacts who your children are and who they will become. No one is naturally born a good parent. It takes hard work, determination, and passionate intention to raise our kids right. In the end, we can either parent on purpose...or idly sit back and allow everything else in the world to shape our children into the men and women they will become.

Men were designed, created, and commanded to bear responsibility, but our history of failure in this area stretches all the way back to Adam. Today, irresponsibility is considered normal, even a birthright. Jim Wilson outlines the causes and results of this failure, the biblical principles and characteristics that define a responsible man, and how men can apply them both in their own lives and in raising their sons.

Amoris Laetitia (Latin for The Joy of Love) is the postsynodal apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis. Dated March 19, 2016, and released on April 8, 2016. It follows the Synods on the Family held in 2014 and 2015. Its introduction and nine chapters comprise 325 numbered paragraphs. Quotations are drawn from earlier popes, documents of the Second Vatican Council and regional bishops' conferences, St. Thomas Aquinas, and Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Although he holds a doctorate in depression, author Greg L. Russ chose to create this audiobook from a patient's point of view. Having suffered five clinical bouts, Russ offers a graphic look inside the dark abyss while chronicling the insights he learned when his depression intersected God's mercy. The audiobook extends an invitation to families, friends, churches, and their pastors to become part of the comforting process.

Many of the statistics you read about teenagers and faith can be alarming. Recent studies show that 40-50 percent of kids who are connected to a youth group throughout their senior year will fail to stick with their faith in college. As youth workers are pouring their time and energy into the...

A woman marries a man, not his ministry. But all too often her husband’s calling complicates their life together. What if ministry life isn’t what she bargained for? What happens when her children make mistakes? How does she deal with church gossip, or even slander? As a pastor’s wife of almost 50 years, Jani Ortlund addresses these questions, along with many others, as she offers encouragement and guidance to ministry wives. Jani reminds listeners that God works out his delightfully good purposes in and through their sacrifices.

In Uncovering the Love of Jesus, Asheritah Ciuciu invites you to reclaim the Lenten season with 40 devotionals that reveal the deep love of Jesus that's exhibited at the cross and tomb. Each daily reflection looks at Jesus’ personal interactions in Scripture and leads you in meditation on a new aspect of his love. Don’t let Easter pass by this year. Reflect, engage, and be transformed as you uncover the love of Jesus and learn to love your neighbor as he would. The audiobook also includes optional family activities to help you celebrate Jesus together.