In ancient times parents arranged marriages for their children, and the feelings of the bride and groom usually had little or nothing to do with the match. Abraham, for instance, sent his most trusted servant to Haran to find a wife for Isaac. The servant returned from the long journey and presented Rebekah, a young…

Paul urges parents to bring up children “in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Parents are teachers. But do little ears pay attention to everything mom and dad say? About 10 years ago, Donald Joy was a guest on the “Focus on the Family” radio program. In his conversation with the show’s…

On a family radio program some years ago, I heard an eye-opening story told by the mother of three small children. She and her husband had taken them to Grandma’s on Christmas Eve. Grandparents, uncles, and aunts showered the little ones with gifts. The next morning the kids wanted to play with the toys opened…

A permissive attitude concerning divorce and remarriage has beaten the American family to its knees. Adults bounce from one disastrous marriage to another, and innocent children suffer the consequent instability and abandonment. The church must guard against contributing to the confusion and hold firmly to the biblical principles that govern marriage. Below are two common…