Family Ministry

Everyone experiences pain at one time or another. For some of us, a few days of pain turn into weeks, months, years, and then decades. What do you do when you feel betrayed by your own body? How does faith fit into a life of pain? What can you do when, like Paul, God says, “No” to your request for healing? Can God receive glory from your life? Can you be used in spite of your limitations? These are a few of the questions I have asked as I’ve had to learn to live with chronic pain caused by fibromyalgia.

Author Heather Anderson Renshaw, mother of five, is a lot like you. She knows all about the wild, crazy, and often hilarious experience of motherhood. And she feels sometimes like she's barely keeping up and maybe even failing at the whole “mom thing”. Thankfully, as she shares in this book, motherhood isn't a trip that's meant to be taken alone. God's got this, and the more we let him lead, the more we find the fruits of his Holy Spirit taking root in our hearts and in our families.

A good marriage is a strong and sacred foundation upon which a God-loving family may be built. It is between a man and a woman; it is a permanent union; and it is blessed by God. Unfortunately, modern marriage laws no longer reflect true marriage - in fact, today's legal definition of "marriage" bears little resemblance to the institution of traditional marriage many of us still hold dear.

To be human is to long for home. Home is our most fundamental human longing. And for many of us homesickness is a nagging place of grief. This book connects that desire and disappointment with the story of the Bible, helping us to see that there is a homemaking God with wide arms of welcome - and a church commissioned with this same work.

Family is difficult because family - every family - is an echo of the gospel. Family can be the source of some of the most transcendent human joy, and family can leave us crumpled up on the side of the road. Family can make us who we are, and family can break our hearts. Why would this social arrangement have that much power, for good or for ill, over us?

If we are truly honest, most of us don't really know what we're doing as parents. We have good intentions, but daily frustrations and ongoing struggles might be evidence that we were better prepared to drive a car or pursue our career than raise children. To counter the usual trial-and-error method of parenting, Jim Burns offers time-tested advice and strategies for today's busy families.

In the midst of a Christian subculture that idolizes families, an evangelical history of overcelebrating families, and a secular culture that overprograms families, one American family identifies the danger they’re in the midst of and embarks on a radical adventure. Household Gods offers an examination of the culture that spawned family idolatry and the steps we can take to flee this idolatry and escape to the Cross.

How you parent directly impacts who your children are and who they will become. No one is naturally born a good parent. It takes hard work, determination, and passionate intention to raise our kids right. In the end, we can either parent on purpose...or idly sit back and allow everything else in the world to shape our children into the men and women they will become.

Filled with real-life stories and practical advice, Called to Care starts by helping you honestly assess your motivation to help - sometimes the wrong motivation sets the stage for an unsuccessful experience. From there, the book shows what adoption and foster care really look like in a variety of situations, from domestic and international adoptions to short-term foster care and foster-to-adopt arrangements. Also included is how churches and individuals can minister to refugees.

We all long for homes where we can thrive and flourish. What does it take to have a spiritually vibrant household? Don Everts invites us to contemplate what the Bible says about households and consider what a new research project has revealed by pulling back the curtains on everyday households of faith. Original research from the Barna Group and Lutheran Hour Ministries shows that some of the healthiest, most vibrant homes extend beyond the nuclear family and include people that may not be biologically related but feel like family.

Most people think that money is the key to happiness, but when an ecstatic Nina Lawson wins millions in the Powerball lottery, her world is turned upside down. At first, she and her fiance, Rick, are delighted with the unexpected windfall and immediately begin planning their future. Soon, family members and friends begin coming out of the woodwork to claim a piece of Nina's winnings. But the most unexpected request comes from Todd, Nina's ex-husband.

Collins presents a 'mental diet' of 10 negative attitudes to lose during times of hardship that hinder character development, strain relationships with others, and diminish faith.

Drawing from his leadership and ministry experience as president of Alpha USA and Vineyard Churches USA and from his own life experiences as an ordinary Christian, Hunter calls us to reframe our salvation and discipleship. He believes that God intends us to become cooperative friends of Jesus, living in creative goodness for the sake of others through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Moms have been hoodwinked - tricked into believing lies that keep them from not only enjoying motherhood, but forging friendships with other moms who might tackle the tasks of motherhood differently. Myths such as “Mothering is natural, easy, and instinctive” cause moms to feel like failures if they have questions or apprehensions in raising their kids.

Best-selling author, speaker, and columnist Ronda Rich draws on her rich legacy as an 11th generation Southerner to celebrate the faith heritage of our country's Steel Magnolias.

Dvora responded to the call of her heritage, moved to Israel, developed a successful career, and had a fruitful ministry among Chinese students, but her internal world was fractured. She married at 52 and became a widow at 55. Would trusting in God really be enough? Well-acquainted with grief and loss, author Dvora Elisheva, with courageous honesty, talks about her life experiences and her relationship with God. Her story has many “dots” of hope, mercy, and grace. Connecting these dots reveals a grace-filled perspective on hurt, disappointment, and grief.

A compassionate, humorous story of faith, betrayal, and coming of age on the sawdust trail. She was just three years old when her mother signed on as the organist of tent revivalist David Terrell, and before long, Donna Johnson was part of the hugely popular evangelical preacher’s inner circle. At seventeen, she left the ministry for good, with a trove of stranger-than-fiction memories.

Fights at school, sexual abuse, eating disorders, school crises … the list goes on and on. Hardly a day passes without a local crisis at involving junior highers or high schoolers. This practical resource covers the whole continuum of private and public crisis, equipping parents to work with their kids to deal with any crisis in a way that helps the individual and helps the family stay intact.

Let God guide you in thinking, acting, and becoming like Jesus through these 365 powerful devotions. Randy and Rozanne Frazee walk you through the key beliefs, practices, and virtues of the Christian faith and help you along the journey to renew your mind, practice your faith, and be transformed - to live more like Jesus. This devotional is a great standalone devotional or a wonderful companion to the Believe campaign.

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.