Family Life

How My Old Band Director Influences My Family Life Today
Sometimes you get a life-changing lesson from an unexpected source. My 8th-grade band director taught me something really important about relationships. Last week, my old band director passed away. Pat Wylie (it’s still hard to think of him by his first name) was a major part of my young life, for two years in middle…
Hypocrisy and Boiled Peanuts
Have you ever had an embarrassing parenting moment? Yep, just had one. To be fair, my kids thought it was funny, but I was pretty embarrassed. Hal and I decided before we even had kids that we would try to help our kids avoid being picky eaters. So, they hear us say some things over and…
Talking to Kids About Disasters
  The news is full of alarming stories - hurricanes, flooding, wildfires, and more - and it's nearly impossible to shield our kids from hearing about it. How do you help your children understand natural disasters and bad news with concern but not panic? Do you talk with your teenagers differently than your young kids?…
Hard Conversations
Hal had a friend in college that he’d known for many years. Like good friends do, they shared a lot of interests, opinions, and experiences in common. Yet an unexpected break happened – the friend made some lifestyle changes that Hal was uncomfortable about. At the time, they seemed like a really big deal, and…
Kids and Phones – Smart or Not?
We recently passed a huge cultural milestone – ten years ago, Apple introduced the iPhone, and our whole culture changed. The Pew Research Center reports that almost four out of five American adults own a smart phone and nearly three-fourths of teenagers have one of their own. Is this a good thing, or not? We’ve decided…
Dear Mama to Boys
I'll never forget the first time I went out shopping after our third son was born. We were in the shoe store when an elderly couple approached me. "Is it a girl???" they asked, gesturing towards the stroller. "No, this is our third son," I said with pride. "Oh, honey! I bet you were just…
Our Family Gets Bigger This Month!
  We're over-the-top delighted to announce that our family will be growing this month when our son Matthew exchanges vows with his college sweetheart Camille! Camille is a strong believer and a talented, sweet-spirited young woman from Nicholasville, Kentucky. She's a graduate of Berea College where she and Matthew met. They'll be moving to Chapel…
Surviving the Breaks with Your College Students
Friends often ask us something like this, "Why can't I get along with my adult kids when they come home from college? They are really great people, but it seems like when they are here on break they become rude, sassy, lazy boogers. Help!" We get it. Just a couple of months ago during the…
Lovebirdseed
Weekly Fun for Your Marriage
  The Bible speaks about marriage as a partnership, like two horses pulling in harness together. It's a good image of shared purpose and common goals - but we need to be sure we spend time face-to-face as well as shoulder-to-shoulder! Isn't it time to really look at one another and think about yourselves as…
Fifty Shades Darker in Christian Marriage
Warning: Adult subject matter, may be disturbing to abuse victims. Adrienne* shook with heavy, harsh sobs. Then her eyes flashed with anger, "I couldn't believe he would do that to me!" She described haltingly how her husband had forced her into a sexual act that she was ashamed to even talk about. Then she began to…