Two statues are erected outside the entrance to the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Though completely different, each one conveys wisdom about building a better future. The first statue is titled “Past.” It’s a sculpture of an old man staring back through time. He’s holding a closed book, representing history. The past is over. It’s unchangeable. But carved into the statue’s base is a paraphrase from Confucius that reads, “Study the past.” That is, remember the past and learn from it. The second sculpture is titled, “Future.” It depicts a young woman looking ahead, contemplating what cou ..read more

When it comes to instilling character in children, the most important characteristic we can model is resilience – overcoming struggles and difficulties. As the apostle Paul writes, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed” (2 Cor. 4:8-9). Resilience is a mindset. It’s a process of adapting in the face of significant stress. With resilience, challenges become opportunities to learn and mature. We recover much more easily from disappointment, defeat, and adversity. At first, resilience is a ..read more

Joining me on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Unsung Hero: How Our Mother Made a Difference” are three siblings from the Smallbone family. Rebecca St. James is a successful Christian solo artist who has recorded 10 studio albums, winning one Grammy Award and three Dove Awards. She also co-hosts our podcast called Practice Makes Parent, along with our Vice President of Parenting and Youth, Dr. Danny Huerta. Also with us are Rebecca’s brothers Luke and Joel, who have won multiple Grammy and Dove Awards as the contemporary music group For King & Country. All three say their achievements ar ..read more

What you say and what somebody hears are often two different things, which can lead to miscommunication and misunderstanding. Your kids can learn that lesson and have a good time doing it if they’ll tune in to a special edition of our Focus on the Family Broadcast featuring an episode of Adventures in Odyssey called “War of the Words.” If you’re new to Focus on the Family, Adventures in Odyssey is a radio drama for children (click here for more information). Jean and I raised our boys on these high-quality programs because they present great moral lessons about family and faith in entertaining ..read more

In set 16 of the That the World May Know series, titled “Cultures in Conflict,” Bible teacher Ray Vander Laan leads viewers on a journey to where the Apostle Paul founded the church in Corinth and preached in Athens, Greece on Mars Hill. Ray highlights Paul’s tremendous ability to share God’s truth in a way the culture of his day could understand. For example, at one of the most important structures in Corinth – a temple dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing – Paul communicated God’s truth by taking advantage of a popular custom. At the time, people who attributed their healing to Asclepi ..read more

You and I have never met, but I already believe one thing about you is true: you’re capable of more than you think. I also believe this: you won’t discover how strong you are until you’re tested. An unusual example of that is seven-year-old Chase Poust. On a weekend boating trip with his dad, he and his four-year-old sister, Abigail, jumped overboard for a swim. Dad had anchored off-shore at a slow point in the river, but the current was stronger than anyone realized. Abigail was swept away. Then Chase let go of the boat to grab her. Which is when Dad jumped in to save them. Dad and Abigail we ..read more

What “season” is it for your marriage? Is it summer because things between you and your spouse are sizzling? Or is it winter because things feel a bit chilly? Like many couples, when Jean and I first got married, we enjoyed being together every chance we could. In those early years, it was easy for us to think, “We’ll always feel this way.” However, we soon discovered that relationships are like the weather – they change. Some seasons are filled with heat and excitement, while others are cold and a little dull. Author Debra Fileta says how we manage the seasons of our marriage determines wheth ..read more

There’s an old saying that “laughter is good for the soul.” It’s good for the soul of your marriage as well. My wife Jean and I have certainly discovered that to be true. Some of our greatest memories involve laughing together. A few times, we’ve laughed so hard for so long that we forgot why we started laughing in the first place. We were laughing at each other’s laughing. One thing that’s obvious after laughing yourself to tears with someone is how connected you feel afterward. Somehow laughter brings people together. It’s contagious. When we hear someone else laugh, we are more likely to la ..read more

What’s your relationship with clutter Does it bring your comfort? Or fill you with anxiety? We’re all a little different. Some of us don’t mind a little clutter, or see a good reason to pick up somebody’s else socks. Some of us feel a tidy home offers peace. We’re more calm if we’re not navigating scattered piles of things and activities. Regardless of where you fall on the tidiness spectrum, there are ways to organize that increase the efficiency of your home, so you can maximize the time you devote to family and other priorities. Joining me on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Organizing th ..read more

Would you forgive someone who shattered your life? On a beautiful summer afternoon in 2015, Bryan Kuck and his wife, Lynn, went for a motorcycle ride. On their way home, less than a mile from their house, they were run off the road by a drunk driver whose blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit. Lynn was killed instantly. Bryan was critically injured with two crushed hips, a broken pelvis, and a left leg that was amputated after being pinned under the wreckage. The drunk driver was charged with homicide. At the hearing, Bryan told the court that he and his family had been given a li ..read more