Every second, 28,258 people are watching pornography. It’s a global pandemic that shows no signs of waning — one that is destroying millions of marriages and families. But there is help and there is hope. In the Pure Victory Podcast, Braden Hafner (FamilyLife Canada’s Regional Director for Alberta) and Matt Cline (Director of Restored Ministries) speak firsthand of the freedom and hope they have found from their pornography addictions. As hosts, they engage in faith-based discussions about finding lasting freedom from porn and what God’s design is for healthy sexuality. They share their o ..read more

Maybe you’ve heard people talking about bringing more of Christ back into Christmas, but have you considered bringing more of Christ into your marriage this December? Imagine the difference more of Christ will make in your relationship! Especially at what can be a stressful, really busy time of year. Take a moment to watch this short video from Matt and Josie Jaggers as they share some practical ways to bring more of Christ into your marriage this Christmas season. Learn more by tuning in to the recent Marriage Talk Podcast in which hosts Sheldon and Valerie Dean discuss this topic in depth w ..read more

A friend of mine has been in a serious dating relationship for a few years. When I recently asked him when he and his girlfriend would be getting married, he responded, “Not yet! I’m not done having fun!” Unfortunately, many people think marriage is the end of freedom and fun. It’s the “ball and chain” mindset — once you’re “hitched,” you’ve lost!  But I’m here to tell you, being married is fun! We just need to be intentional about it.  Here are three ways to ensure the fun stays alive in your relationship. 1. Laugh at Yourself Humour is essential to fun. When we don’t take ourselves ..read more

Imagine that your spouse has had a sudden personality change. Maybe he is usually an upbeat person who loves to interact with people, and suddenly he is acting cynical and avoiding people (including you). Or perhaps your normally energetic wife is becoming increasingly lethargic and sad, spending more and more time in the bed or on the couch. One thing’s for sure: they’re acting completely out of character, and you can’t seem to get through to them. At first, you feel angry. They’re saying things they normally wouldn’t say–things that disturb or upset you–and you can’t seem to help brighten th ..read more

A friend of ours grew up with a mother who could never admit that she was wrong. By watching her mom, our friend learned that she should never acknowledge that something is her fault, even if it’s obvious. And so she brought this mindset and behaviour into her marriage, which of course became a huge problem in her relationship.  Our suitcases are never empty when we enter into marriage. We all carry baggage with us from our families of origin and our life experiences. So much of it can be good, like our sense of responsibility or adventure, humour or strong work ethic. But many times it i ..read more

Ever had moments where choosing to be grateful made a huge difference in a situation? Does gratitude come easy for you or is it something you have to work at? In our family, we’ve been working at strengthening the muscle of gratitude.  Some exercises we have introduced are: Saying thank you — even for the little things Appreciating each other — even the differences Keeping a gratitude journal — this helps us to remember  Praying — giving thanks to God As we have worked on this area of our marriage, our family has become stronger. Grab your favourite drinks and watch this short vide ..read more

One of the… “assets” Michael brought into our marriage was his grandparents’ vacuum. It was likely from the 60s, weighing almost 40 pounds. One of the features of this beastly machine was that it had a retractable cord, which only the most skilled and talented of people could actually get to retract. I was neither skilled nor talented in this endeavor. But, week after week, I diligently vacuumed our area rug, and week after week I struggled with the cord. Until one fateful day, when I pulled too hard. The cord would no longer retract.  That morning we had decided to clean our basement sui ..read more

When John Ramos became lead pastor of Heart of Worship International Church in Winnipeg last year, he saw that its strength was in its families — 60 families attend the church, some even spanning four generations! “I’m a firm believer in when God said to Moses, ‘What is that in your hand? Let’s see what we can do with it,’” says Pastor Ramos. “In looking at this church… I saw how our church composition is mostly families. And I [know] that the strength of a family is the couple. So one of the things we were looking for is: how can we strengthen the couples that we have already?”  Pastor R ..read more

Dear Dads, We are a big deal. Our kids look up to us in a unique way. They need our affirmation and approval. Statistics show that kids who get a father’s love tend to soar well into the world, and those who don’t tend to struggle. Consider that. Perhaps this is why the Bible speaks so specifically to fathers (see Colossians 3:21, Ephesians 6:4, Proverbs 20:7). My own dad had no idea what a big deal he was. He thought our mom was the cat’s pyjamas when it came to parenting (and she was pretty awesome), so he left her to take care of most of the affirmation and approval ..read more

Do you feel like your family has more than your share of conflict and anger? In the stresses of family life, anger can quickly get to the level of yelling, screaming, hurtful words, or even aggression. If that’s your reality, it’s certainly not what you envisioned when you decided to become a parent! It might sound strange to describe anger as an addiction; however, that paradigm might give valuable insight into why it’s so easy for kids and parents to get stuck in this pattern. Is it possible you or your child are addicted to anger? Let’s find out. What is an addiction? What is an ..read more