Resources by Topic: Marriage and Family

Children will despise and resent parents who just want to be their friends, even dressing and acting like them. Your children already have friends. They need you to be what only you can be—their parent.

I encourage you to endeavor to “hold hands” with your wife, as Randy says above. Walk together in this without pushing or pulling too hard. Patiently keep on praying for the Holy Spirit to move in both your hearts. 

I am so sorry. That is such a difficult position to be in and I know you and your husband must feel such pain over the separation from your son and grandchildren.

The process of discovering God’s countercultural will about money and possessions can both excite and liberate. For my late wife, Nanci, and me, our growth in financial stewardship paralleled our spiritual growth. In fact, it propelled it.

 This would be a great subject to discuss with your pastor or another leader at your church—someone who knows you personally and can speak biblically into your lives with love and wisdom. And of course, I encourage you and your husband to ask Jesus if there is something more He wants you to do. 

In this clip from his conversation with Matt Mancinelli from Generous Giving, Randy answers the question: How do you manage the tension between caring for your family’s needs and giving generously?  Randy says that he realized early on “my biggest responsibility to my children is not to leave them an inheritance but to leave them a heritage.” 

What helped Nanci and I most avoid idolatry in marriage was that over the years, we came to say—and to really believe—that we were each other's second best friend. Based on John 15 and His sacrificial love toward us, Jesus was our best friend. No one else was close to taking the place we had in each other’s lives, but we would always put God first.

In this clip from his Q&A at The Fold (the college/youth ministry of Shepherd’s House Bible Church), Randy Alcorn encourages young adults to steward their relationships to God’s glory.

In a Q&A about giving and The Treasure Principle at The People’s Church in Cincinnati, Randy answers the question: How should we think about family, resources, and providing for the next generation?

Tell your children and grandchildren what God has done for you, and not only will it make a difference for them, one day when your mind is frail, it might come back to you from them, and make a difference for you! 

This article provides some excellent suggestions about how parents (and grandparents) can talk to the children in their lives about transgender and identity issues. Our kids need to see that the truth is not in what the world serves up to us about sex and gender. Rather, the truth is in Jesus, as revealed in God’s Word.

These are some thoughtful back-to-school prayers from Melissa Kruger with The Gospel Coalition. May they serve as reminders to pray for the children in our lives.

A friend asked me for some recommendations for resources on teaching the Bible to children. I researched and found some, but also thought I would include some resources for kids to read and discuss with their parents.

This is a sobering and important article from The Gospel Coalition’s Joe Carter, explaining how social media is causing our children to suffer, and encouraging parents to be proactive in protecting their children.