PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE If you were planning for the future, how would you prepare? With an IRA or paying into Social Security? Purchase a house and think about retirement savings for the trips you’d take? I met a fellow once who said, “I don’t prepare for the future. That’s unspiritual.” Then I walked with […]
A Father-Daughter Model A Story by Michael S. Bly We all have passions. Passion for our spouse and our kids. Passion for family and friends. Also, passion for our country, our work, and our favorite sports teams. Lin Thomas had all those passions, in spades. But he also had great passion for God and old […]
SIGNS OF A SPIRITUAL HOME What makes a spiritual home? What do you think? Try this True or False Quiz. A spiritual home is one in which … ? At least three pictures of Jesus hang on the wall. A pulpit is displayed in the living room. A large, black King James Bible lies open […]
EMOTIONAL MATURITY & THE PERFECT FAMILY What was it like to be part of King Ahab’s perfect family? (See 1 Kings 21:1-6). When Ahab returned to the palace after being turned down from making a nice little vegetable garden out of Naboth’s vineyard, he slammed those big, old palace doors, and marched across to yell […]
Keys to Family Intimacy According to surveys over the decades, materialism, inattentive parents, and a lack of spiritual foundations in the home rank as the biggest threats to family life. I maintain that each of those three threats can be dealt with by strengthening family intimacy. A need for intimacy is at the core of all […]
Purpose and Plans for Family Privacy God designed that we live in families. But that doesn’t mean we should never be alone. Times of planned family privacy can meet crucial needs. Those Who Most Need Privacy 1. Mothers with young children, especially pre-school kids. Jesus said in Mark 6:31, “Come away by yourselves to a lonely […]
Save Your Family. Get a Jesus Heart. Is your family full of stress? Is there one member in particular who drives you crazy? Have you been praying for God to change them? Here’s a secret. If you’re concerned about family peace, happiness, and wholeness, start with a good foundation. Redesign your heart into a Jesus […]
Pet Peeves and Other Irritations At times in every relationship, each marriage, things don’t go completely smooth. We face irritations that we call ‘pet peeves’. Relationships can be complicated, especially in marriage, the ultimate invasion of privacy. Husband Stephen and I realized that more intensely when we moved to Idaho to experiment with writing together […]
Quick Ways to Improve Your Marriage For both husband and wife, here are some of my quick ideas that may stir up more of your own too. Quick Ways to Impress Your Wife These easy, quick tips will really impress her. Next time you’re in the presence of both her mother and your wife, speak […]
What Every Baby Should Know By the time this day of December 29, 1979 ends, I will know the gender, weight, and looks of our third Bly baby. Then, the whole exciting process of discovery starts for us. When will the baby smile? And when should the baby roll over, sit up, or crawl? When […]
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