Family Matters

Mom and Dad Disagree About Child Discipline

How can my wife and I come to an agreement about child discipline? I've tried to teach my son a strong sense of discipline, but my wife often disagrees with my approach and methods. She says I'm "too hard on the boy." As you can imagine, this can sometimes become…

14 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Moving forward after the death of loved one

What can I do to overcome the sadness that has overtaken me since the death of my husband? How do I step forward into the next phase of my life? He battled a number of challenging health problems during the last two years of his life. As a result, my…

13 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Spouse Maintains Unhealthy Attachment to Parents

How can I help my husband see that he is placing the needs and feelings of his parents ahead of mine? After several years of marriage, his attachment to his mom and dad is still so strong that it's causing serious damage to our relationship. I've confronted him about this,…

12 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Biblical look at gambling

Does the Bible really say that gambling is wrong? I realize that it's one of those activities – like dancing and playing cards – that religious conservatives have traditionally been "against." But I'm not convinced that there's any solid biblical basis for their opposition to what I regard as innocuous…

9 Jul 2020 6PM 5 min

Non-traditional female career for girls

If it's important to maintain clear distinctions between the sexes – and I agree that it is – should we encourage our school-age daughters to think in terms of pursuing non-traditional female career choices? One of our girls has been talking about becoming a firefighter when she grows up. I…

8 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

The Bible on pre-marital sex

Where does the Bible actually say that pre-marital sex is wrong? My parents have always taught me that the Bible commands us not to have sex before marriage. Now that I'm old enough to think for myself, I'm having serious doubts about this. I haven't run across anything in Scripture…

7 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Questions about God provision

Can we count on God to provide materially for His faithful children? Philippians 4:19 seems to promise that He always will. I've been clinging to this verse since losing my job, but it doesn't seem to have done me and my family much good. Over the past several months we've…

6 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

How to handle working mom guilt

How can I stop feeling guilty and resist the temptation to be "Superwoman"? I'm a working mother with a preschooler and a couple of school-age kids who are also involved in lots of extra-curricular activities. I have to admit that I feel bad whenever I'm not doing something "productive." My…

5 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Unsure About Whether To Confess An Affair To Spouse

Should I tell my husband that I've been unfaithful to him? I recently ended a relationship with another man, but I have serious doubts about the wisdom of revealing this to my spouse. As things stand, he has no idea that anything of this kind has been going on. I've…

2 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Spouse Is Receiving Flirty Messages

How should I respond if my spouse receives inappropriate and flirtatious messages via social media? I ran across something like this on her page the other day and it's been bothering me ever since. What can I do about it?

1 Jul 2020 6PM 4 min

Praying Together As Family

How can we make family prayer a priority? We're a Christian family and my spouse and I are eager to raise our kids in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Can you give us some helpful pointers in this area? Our children are small, and it's been a real…

30 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Parental authority over a grown child

Now that our son is past eighteen, should he still obey us? The Bible says that children should "obey" and "submit to" their parents (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20), but he says that because he's an adult, this commandment no longer applies to him. How do you feel about this? At…

29 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Cohabiting boyfriend is negligent and abusive

Do you have any answers for someone who's stuck in a destructive relationship? I just had a baby with my boyfriend of six years. We've always had problems, but things took a turn for the worse when we moved in together a year and a half ago. Our plan was…

28 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Guidelines for online dating

What's your opinion of online dating? I'm in my mid-twenties and have developed a friendship with a young woman I met on the internet. She lives in another province and we've talked quite a bit on the phone since then. We've both expressed an interest in exploring this relationship further,…

25 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Encouraging healthy habits at home

How can I help my family develop a healthier lifestyle? We have young children, and I'd like to do everything I can during these early years to encourage everyone in the house – mom, dad, and kids – to develop habits that will give us many long, healthy, happy days…

24 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Dealing with a chronically late spouse

How do I deal with a chronically late spouse? He's late for everything except work. I know I'm not responsible for this behavior, but it makes me late too when we're going somewhere together, and that reflects poorly on my reputation. More importantly, this constant tardiness inconveniences and is disrespectful…

23 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Angry father, angry son

How can I help our young sons control their tempers? My husband comes from a long line of "angry men," and I'm beginning to see the same tendency in our kids. What should I do?

22 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Why marriage license

Why do Christians need a church wedding and a piece of paper from the state to make their marriage "official"? My girlfriend and I are both dedicated believers and we intend to spend the rest of our lives together. We've been wondering why we should bother applying for a marriage…

21 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Unmarried and pregnant, boyfriend uninterest

How can I encourage my boyfriend to embrace his role as a father-to-be? I'm due to deliver our baby next month, and up to this point he's been completely uninvolved. He has actually told me straight out that he's just not interested in being a dad. He's been emotionally detached…

18 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min

Sibling conflicts and rivalry

How do we stop our two daughters, ages thirteen and seven, from fighting and bickering all the time. I'm concerned that the effects of all this conflict may be potentially harmful. We're a Christian family, so we've talked many times about what it means to be kind, loving, and forgiving…

17 Jun 2020 6PM 4 min