Family Ministry

We live in a culture that seeks to destroy the embryonic faith of our children and usher them into politically correct ideology, godless systems of belief, and gross immorality that would have shocked previous generations. This is what confronts today's Christian parents and many of them are terrified of it. We live in truly perilous times. But the good news is there is a way you can be victorious in this battle for the hearts, minds, and souls of your precious children.

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.

Based on research from more than 10,000 surveys from children and parents of divorce, Collateral Damage presents parents with an overview of the impact that divorce has on their children and offers ways to better serve their needs at this critical time.

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.

If God Is in Control, Then Why...? deals with that difficult question about the nature of God that plagues the minds of most people. Whether you are a lifetime believer in Christ or you have just begun looking for answers, the question, "If God is in control, then why...?" has probably been one you have heard or asked many times in your life. Craig Hill has gifted insight into God's Word and an ability to teach through riveting real-life stories.

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.

In this uplifting and often humorous audiobook, Gloria Furman offers pastors' wives a breath of fresh air, reminding listeners that Christ stands ready to help regardless of the circumstance - whether it's late-night counseling sessions, unrealistic expectations about how they spend their time, or complaints about their husbands' preaching. Filled with life-giving truth from God's Word, this book will help pastors' wives joyfully treasure their Savior, love their husbands, and serve their churches.

Discover a movement of Christian young people who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to “do hard things” for the glory of God. Combating the idea of adolescence as a vacation from responsibility, Alex and Brett Harris weave together biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life and map a clear trajectory for long-term fulfillment and eternal impact.

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.

When God wanted to act on his promise to save the world, he started with a family and gave them a mission. He spoke to Abram and his household, and they became a family on mission. We see Jesus operating in the same way, gathering an extended-family-like group of disciples around himself before embarking on his mission. Jesus needed a family on mission.

"Children don't fail, the adults around them do - and it is up to us to light the candle of excellence within each one we know and love," begins Marva Collins, one of America's foremost educators, in her important work, Values. This practical guide is for those of us who strive to be role models, who want to know the important values, live them, and teach them to our children.

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.

Do you crave peace? Are stress and feelings of inadequacy your constant companions? Peaceful mom. It hardly seems that the words could go together. Yet the peace we crave can be ours in every season of raising children. Whether you have teenagers or toddlers, being a mom is a daunting and amazing responsibility. And it's a part of God's design for you. You are deeply loved by God. Draw from the well of a relationship with him, even if it's a new well - to sift through all that the world plops in your path. Learn to partner with him.

"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.

Find the balance between tough love and tender love. In The Two Sides of Love, best-selling authors John Trent and Gary Smalley explain how to find a healthy balance between the protective, consistent, "hard side" of love and the tender, understanding, "soft side" of love. This is the groundbreaking book that introduced the four "animal" personality types and it will show you how to best demonstrate both sides of love in all your relationships-with your spouse, children, and friends. Included in this thoroughly updated edition is a free assessment of your core personality type.

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.