Family Matters

Are you struggling with sibling rivalry in your home? Is there one child who constantly dominates another? This scenario is not unusual, but it’s also difficult to manage.

How would you respond to an announcement from one of your children that they identify as a “gay Christian’? We’ll be responding to a mother whose son made just such a declaration on the next Family Matters.

For husbands and wives, the marital bed can be an area of contention. There seem to be cultural norms that have crept into our thinking, or misguided ideas on what is Biblically appropriate in terms of sexual expression.

Breakdowns in family relationships, unfortunately, happen all the time, sometimes without an actual event taking place that causes the division. We’ll be discussing how to go about making repairs to broken relationships with family members.

In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. (Prov 16:9 NIV) Isn’t this proverb exactly right? We may have ideas of how we want our life to go, but the Lord will determine a plan for our lives.

Am I saved by faith or good works? As a new Christian, I was relieved to hear that salvation doesn't depend on works, but solely on God's gift of grace. But then someone told me that "faith without works is dead" and that God cares as much about my actions as He does about my beliefs. Now I'm worried. Maybe I'm not "doing" enough to get into heaven. What do you think? Can you help me understand what seems like a contradiction?

How can I encourage my parents to stop spoiling our children? Grandma and Grandpa give my kids whatever they ask for, sometimes in complete disregard of my wishes. I don't want to alienate my parents, but I've got to do something. Any ideas?

As a father, what are some of the key roles that I play in the life of my daughter? What areas in her life should I focus on and what are some things I can do to create a healthy relationship between us?

Can you help me "let go" of my son who is heading off to study at university? I'm worried about the challenges he'll be facing on his own – challenges to his faith and his moral values, not to mention the practical challenges of living on his own for the first time. We've always been a close-knit family, and sometimes the thought of seeing him go is almost too much for me. In fact, I've been lying awake nights thinking about this. How can I deal with this transition?

It’s often extremely difficult for an alcoholic to admit that they are an addict and that they need help. Most people who have an issue with alcohol will deny the problem and continue on a downward spiral until perhaps it is too late to hold on to the relationship with their loved ones.