Family Ministry

How do we, as orthodox parents, keep our children in the church throughout their lives? It all begins with involving them in the life of the church from birth onward - in the parish and also at home. Blueprints for the Little Church provides practical ideas and encouragement - without judgment - for incorporating the primary practices of orthodox spirituality into your family life at every stage of its growth and throughout the church year.

We need companions on our spiritual journey. The modern world has taught us to value autonomy and individualism. Our churches often see spirituality as personal and private. But we cannot go long in our Christian pilgrimage before realizing that isolation leads to spiritual barrenness. We soon discover that our souls long for accompaniment, intimacy, and spiritual friendship. As a result, many Christians today are rediscovering the ancient practice of spiritual direction.

For more than 15 years, Scott Stanley's A Lasting Promise has offered solutions to common problems - facing conflicts, problem-solving, improving communication, and dealing with core issues - within a Christian framework. Thoroughly revised and updated, this new edition is filled with sacred teachings of scripture, the latest research on marriage, and clear examples from the lives of couples. The audiobook's strategies are designed to help couples improve communication, understand commitment, bring more fun into their relationship, and enhance their sex lives.

For parents who are concerned that their child is pulling away, following poor role models, or making choices that will lead to pain and difficulty, Mike Berry has good news: It's not too late. He offers parents six keys to maximizing and leveraging their influence to help their children through these difficult years and develop a relationship with them that can weather any storm.

The relationship between a father and a son is like none other. Dads have a God-given role to protect and provide for their families, always striving to teach their sons the life skills they'll need to grow into honorable men. But many dads struggle with feelings of inadequacy regarding their fathering abilities. They want to be better dads. Rick Johnson can tell them how.

Raising Gender-Confident Kids by Dr. Jeff Myers and Dr. Kathy Koch is a practical, biblically grounded resource that helps parents guide their children toward a confident understanding of their gender.

In the summer of 1928, sixteen-year-old Minka was looking forward to a sewing class picnic. This would be a rare chance to put aside farm chores, don a pretty dress, and enjoy an outing with other girls. It would be a day to remember. And it was - but not in the way Minka had dreamed. Cornered by a stranger in the woods, the young girl was assaulted. Minka still believed that the stork brought babies; she would not discover for months that she was pregnant.

Family is difficult because family - every family - is an echo of the gospel. Family can be the source of some of the most transcendent human joy, and family can leave us crumpled up on the side of the road. Family can make us who we are, and family can break our hearts. Why would this social arrangement have that much power, for good or for ill, over us?

Drawing on decades of counseling experience, Jim Newheiser explores forty crucial questions relating to the complexities of marriage, divorce, and remarriage—unpacking the answers given in God's Word. This useful reference work for pastors, counselors, and personal study can also be listened to straight through for a scriptural overview of the topic or assigned in small sections to counselees.

You were created to be God’s agent of blessing to your children. Blessing is a custom established by God and is meant to function in every family. In fact, there are seven critical times in each of our lives when God wants to give us a powerful message of identity and destiny. It is never to late to start your children on the road to fulfilling their destinies. Whether you are a parent, grandparent, or step-parent, these powerful blessings will help the children in your life to prosper.

Perhaps there has never been a more challenging time to raise children than in today's culture. Parents are having to address challenges that their parents never had to with them. And while the core elements to raising children are the same, parents need wisdom for applying them to this day and age. That's what this book is about: navigating the times and raising a generation of men on godly principles - sons who are ready, able, and motivated to represent God during their days of sojourning on this earth.

In A Dad After God's Own Heart, best-selling author Jim George shares the basics for how to be a good dad with your kids, including letting your kids know you love and care for them; learning the keys to positive and effective communication; knowing the qualities kids need most in a dad; ways to encourage your children in their spiritual growth; and how to build healthy relationships that will last for a lifetime. As you commit to learning how to become the dad your kids need, you'll not only draw closer to your children, but you'll find incredible blessings in fatherhood.

Nathan was different and Sally knew it. From his early childhood, Nathan was bursting with creativity and uncontainable energy, struggling not only with learning issues but also with anxiety and OCD. He saw the world through his own unique lens - one that often caused him to be labeled as "bad", "troubled", or someone in need of "fixing". Bravely choosing to listen to her motherly intuition rather than the loud voices of the world, Sally dared to believe that Nathan's differences could be part of an intentional design.

Motherhood often looks like bottomless piles of laundry; a sink full of dishes; sleepless nights; and unshowered, nonstop, endless days. No wonder "Grumpy Mom" sometimes sneaks into your heart and home. Journey with Valerie and be inspired and equipped to find energy in the most unlikely places, pursue your own dreams, be set free from mom guilt, feel content despite unfinished to-do lists, spend purposeful time with God amid the daily chaos, and discover more joyous moments of motherhood. So take a holiday from Grumpy Mom, and enjoy life as the mom God made you to be.

History tells of women whose love for the Bible shaped its earliest and most prominent teachers. It tells of women who were great theologians in their own right, yet whose only students were their own children. It tells, time and time again, of Christian men who owe so much to their godly mothers. Raising children to honor and glorify the Lord is the goal of every Christian mother, but how can you do that? Who can teach you? One of the best ways to learn is to read or listen to examples of women who have succeeded at the very task you are attempting. Come and listen to some of them.

In Giving Is the Good Life, best-selling author Randy Alcorn teaches life-changing biblical principles of generosity and tells stories of people who have put those radical principles into practice. Each story is a practical application that can help stimulate your imagination and expand your dreams of serving Jesus in fresh ways. These real-life models give you not just words to remember but footprints to follow.

A poetic portrait of faith, futility, and the joy of this mortal life. In this astoundingly unique audiobook, best-selling author N. D. Wilson reminds each of us that to truly live, we must recognize that we are dying. Every second we create more of our past. Then, we must see the future. We stand in the now. God says create. Live. Choose. Shape the past. Etch your life in stone, and what you make will be forever.

Christian parenting is hard work - and it's getting harder. Parents have a deep desire to pass on their faith, but fear that today's increasingly skeptical and hostile world will eventually lead their kids to reject the truth of Christianity. That leaves many parents feeling overwhelmed - uncertain of what they can do to help their children, given the difficulty and extent of the faith challenges they will face.

Empower your kids to respond well to the hard questions that threaten their faith. It's no secret that children of all ages are being exposed to negative criticism of Christianity as they spend time at school, with friends, or online. Are you prepared to talk with your kids about how they can effectively answer the tough questions that come their way? In Keeping Your Kids on God's Side, you'll find 40 of the most common challenges kids face - along with clear, easy-to-understand responses you can discuss together.

Raising positive, drug-free kids in a negative world is not easy, but in the long run, it's easier than raising negative ones. Now, the best-selling motivational author reveals his simple prescription for success with children, step by positive step. Drawing on the most comprehensive measurable results ever made available to an author-his "I CAN" course, taught in more than 5,000 schools with more than three million participants - and his own successes and failures as a parent - Zig Ziglar offers his sensible guidelines.