Family Ministry

Since the very beginning, God's design for marriage is for husbands and wives to be ambassadors of holy love to a hurting world. Still, so many couples stop short at happy and wonder why they feel unsatisfied. Rather than "you and me against the world", God calls each couple to the rich and meaningful mission of "you and me for the world".

You can meet Hannah in 1 Samuel, chapters 1 and 2. The Bible says she was "barren", and we know she suffered heartache, anguish, and grief because of her empty arms. Perhaps you do, too. Hannah's Hope is for all who long for a child yet to be conceived, grieve for a baby too soon passed from the womb, or have lived through the no-man's-land of failed adoption. It is intended as a guide to assist you in making wise decisions as you struggle through your grief.

Mary Katherine Backstrom spends her days mending booboos, conquering the boogie man, comforting heartaches, laughing at knock-knock jokes, cooking pancakes, throwing baseballs, and mopping muddy floors. In other words she spends her days relishing in the beautiful, constant noise that is a life with children. In Mom Babble, Mary Katherine (MK) Backstrom, founder and personality behind the Mom Babble online community, offers up hope, humor, and spiritual inspiration to families in the trenches of parenthood.

From the cradle to college, tell your daughters the truth about life before they believe the culture's lies. For mothers with girls newborn to 18, 5 Conversations You Must Have with Your Daughter is simply a must-have book. Youth culture commentator Vicki Courtney helps moms pinpoint and prepare the discussions that should be ongoing in their daughters' formative years.

In 1-2-3 Parenting with Heart, Dr. Thomas W. Phelan and pastor Chris Webb teach Christian parents to take charge while refraining from yelling, leading to better behaved children, happier parents, and a more peaceful home environment. Complete with relevant Bible verses, explanations, and exercises, this guide allows you to get back in charge of your home and enjoy your kids again by helping you set limits for your children, and by breaking down the complex task of parenting into three straightforward steps.

Men were designed, created, and commanded to bear responsibility, but our history of failure in this area stretches all the way back to Adam. Today, irresponsibility is considered normal, even a birthright. Jim Wilson outlines the causes and results of this failure, the biblical principles and characteristics that define a responsible man, and how men can apply them both in their own lives and in raising their sons.

How can a good parent like you become an even greater parent? By shifting the focus to what's right with your kids instead of what is wrong with them. Discover how you can replace your frustration with joy by taking the pressure of performance and comparison off your children's shoulders. Based in the belief that every child has God-given greatness within them, Play to Their Strengths shows you how to move with the natural momentum of your kids' talents and make the shift to a collaborative, strengths-based, and motivational approach to parenting.

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.

Cutting. It’s become a buzzword lately, but very few books address it from the perspective of a youth worker or concerned friend. Marv Penner has lived in this world for the past few years, talking with teenagers online and meeting with them to understand what drives them and why they self-injure. In this timely and helpful book, youth workers, coaches, teachers, and others will get the information they need to begin to understand and help (or point to help) kids who cut.

This book equips readers with proven principles to help them have life-changing discussions with kids about how Jesus changes lives, explain the plan of salvation, or lead a child in prayer to begin a relationship with Christ.

In Lead Me, Matt identifies the tension many men experience when trying to balance work and home life. With bracing honesty, vulnerable storytelling, and practical application, Matt challenges you to be faithful both to God's vocational call and to His call to lead your family well. Discover the extraordinary joy of actively and intentionally pursuing your wife and children. Matt reminds us that it's messy. It's difficult. And it's the most rewarding thing you can do, beyond following Christ.

In CinderGirl, Christina tells her piercing and poignant story of leaving behind homelessness to become Ms. California and the founder of a nonprofit organization that provides advocacy for foster-care children.

Join Drs. Henry Cloud and John Townsend, authors of the New York Times bestseller Boundaries, as they share the research and guidance you need to raise your kids to take responsibility for their actions, attitudes, and emotions. What Boundaries has done for adult relationships, Boundaries with Kids will do for you and your family.

Those conversations that are so vital for your children's health and happiness don't have to be difficult if you're prepared. A Chicken's Guide to Talking Turkey with Your Kids about Sex shows you how to deal with what goes on above the neck as well as below the waist. Here's how to help your child face the struggles, questions, wonders, and rewards of his or her developing sexuality.

We live in a fearful, anxiety-driven age where the problems and challenges of the world assault us from every direction and every media source, and they far exceed our abilities to respond to them. The sense of desperation that often comes of this leads to discord and violence: from bitter, cutting remarks to the atrocities of war; from pervasive racism to knee-jerk micro-aggressions. It contributes to our current, peace-bankrupt social discourse, leading to patterns of dismissing, dividing from, condemning, or hating people.

How Children Raise Parents provides a bold new paradigm by showing that parenting is the process God uses to help parents grow up. This liberating approach helps parents learn to prize what they're being taught by their child's quirks, failures, and normal childhood dilemmas, rather than worrying about what their children will accomplish in life.

If you are currently providing care for your aging parents or facing the prospect of doing so in the near future, you are definitely not alone. Dr. Grant Ethridge and his wife, Tammy, have been there, having given care during their dads' last days. They know the stress and uncertainty you face. Through their story and those of other caregivers, Grant and Tammy share research and practical tips to aid you in dealing with everyday caregiving struggles and situations. You will learn how to decide which care is best, prepare legal documents, handle family disputes, and much more.

"Lord, here am I. Change him". "God, I'm trying. She started it". Common claims but they're so far from what a Christian marriage should look like. We invoke Christ at the wedding then seem to default to an alien theology afterward. In this simple and practical audiobook, Doug Wilson offers a richer and more comprehensive theology of marriage than in his prior works. Marriage is intended to be a glorious picture of the gospel, and marriages grounded elsewhere regularly create a small Hell on Earth.

Instead of trying harder to change your boy's behavior or worrying about his future, enjoy the peace that comes when you pray specific prayers for him straight from the Bible. This encouraging book helps you target your prayers on what your son needs most - from patience and self-control to having a pure heart and making wise decisions. Written for moms but great for dads (and grandparents), too, this easy-to-use book is filled with uplifting stories and biblical wisdom that will equip you on your journey to raising a godly man.

This world feels like it's spinning faster every day. As the darkness has crept in, your brave prayers may have given way to fearful pleas that your kids would experience God's kingdom - in a safe and comfortable way. This generation needs heroes of the faith and your child can be one of them, but that will require you to be strong and brave. You and I must call out the bold Christ followers within our children and help them face the unknown future with divine confidence. Brave Moms, Brave Kids is an equipping tool.