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Focus on the Family Canada
https://www.focusonthefamily.ca/ -- 77 posts
Focus on the Family Canada is a charitable organization which has been serving families in Canada since we opened our doors in 1983. For more than 30 years, we have been providing care, advice, support and encouragement to Canadian families at every stage of life. Every day, we work hard to respond to the many real issues families face and to provide sound and practical guidance based on Christian principles.
The Desires of Our Hearts
What does God mean by this promise? Years ago, when I first became a Christian, there was a young couple at our church who...
6 Unique Ways Fathers Positively Influence Their Sons
My husband, Stan, was just seven months old when his dad died, and his mother never remarried. I have often wondered, How did...
Every Nation, Tribe and Tongue: Jesus’ Beautiful Multiracial Bride
The story of humanity begins in a garden with a man and woman made in the image of God. It ends in a city with a vast...
How to Serve Your Spouse in Truth, Love, and Grace
The sentiment "and they lived happily ever after" never seems to include the how. How did they live happily ever after when...
The Ancient Creeds: Essential Truths That Unite Christians
“In essentials, unity; in non-essentials, liberty; in all things, charity.” This well-known quote has been attributed to...
7 Reminders For Task-Oriented Parents
You're likely doing a good job taking care of your children. But how are you at being with them? You can raise organically...
Managing Our Screwtape Resolutions
My Dear Wormwood, The most alarming thing in your last account of the patient is that he is making none of those confident...
Talking to Children About Easter
Years ago one of our family friends asked my then three-year-old brother, Brent, about what happened at Easter. My dad heard...
Why the Resurrection is the Heart of Christianity
“For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,...
The Best Thing About January
The post-Christmas blues. Or blahs. Or whatever. Most of us know the feeling. It’s that natural letdown that follows the...
New Year, Renewed Relationship: 4 Solutions for a Stronger Marriage
January is a month that marks new beginnings. This can inspire dreams for what the year might hold, and the resolve to turn...
How to Turn Financial Problems Around in the New Year
Last year, two-thirds of American women identified financial strain as a major threat to their families, according to a survey...
30 Random Acts of Kindness – That You’ll Enjoy Doing!
Guaranteed "win-win-win" situations are hard to come by. But here’s one that needs only a few minutes to reap some rewards:...
No Greater Love: A Biblical Vision for Friendship
“Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) In our present cultural...
Whole Person Evangelism: Caring for Body, Mind, and Soul
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in...
All Things to All People: Living As Contextual Believers
“To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being...
Four Mysteries of the Incarnation: A Meditation for Advent
The Incarnation of Jesus is one of the great mysteries of reality. The idea of the infinite Creator becoming one of his finite...
A Mosaic of Advent Themes in the Four Gospels
During Advent, it’s traditional for Christians to prepare our hearts and minds to celebrate the birth of our Saviour. We...
Communication, Time and Perspective: The Three Best Gifts You Can Give Your Spouse This Christmas
George Bailey, the lead character in It’s A Wonderful Life, was no stranger to stress and hardship during Christmas of 1946,...
Reinventing Christmas: Tips to Help Moms Stress a Little Less
Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening? Sorry, did you just ask me something? In the lane, snow is glistening. Oh - we still...
Why Parenting Matters: Ensuring Success for the Next Generation
In 1982, Dr. Tim Kimmel recognized a trend in Christian families that most have come to know in this day and age all too well:...
Building Lasting Faith in Kids: Proven Ideas from Sticky Faith Research
The research results have been rolling in, study after study, for over ten years now, and the story they tell is a...
Spiritual Disciplines and Abiding in Christ
For many of us moderns, the idea of discipline has decidedly mixed connotations. We live in a culture of quick fixes and life...
What Kind of Example Are You Setting in Your Marriage?
Whether you like it or not, you’re being watched. Your kids, those newly married, newly engaged or newly dating couples you...
Communication 101 For Couples
Is effective communication in marriage an art or a science? The correct answer is yes, and that’s not just a politically...
Faith5: A Simple Routine That Boosts Faith Formation in Kids
A year after her classmate was murdered, a first grader finally sleeps through the night. Two young daughters are able to...
Longing For a Far Country Never Visited
C.S. Lewis and the concept of Sehnsucht In his writings, C.S. Lewis spoke of an “inconsolable longing” in the human heart for...
How to Respond When a Friend Reveals Tension in Their Marriage
It usually begins with a simple admission. But that admission changes everything. One minute you’re exchanging small talk with...
Millenials, Evangelism and the Importance of Defining Terms
A Barna report examining how Christians feel about sharing their faith has yielded some unexpected – and confusing – results....
When You Feel Squelched by Your Forceful Spouse
When a passionate and determined wife – or husband – is married to an equally determined partner, it’s usually clear when one...
Identifying the Negative Feelings Behind Unresolved Conflict
Marriage conflict is a lot like taming tigers. Consider this: A keeper wanted to have a tiger as a pet. At first, the keeper...
How to Survive Vacation with Your In-laws
A weekend trip to a cute, seaside town could almost be described as idyllic for Tim* and Heather*. Who doesn’t want a chance...
7 Things to Remember When Your In-laws Can't Let Go
"My husband always stops by his mom’s house on the way home." "My wife still asks her father for advice instead of asking me."...
Preparing Your Child for Summer Camp
It seemed like such a good idea at the time. In February, your neighbour had phoned and urged you to register your child for a...
Back to Basics for Spiritual Success
At the end of a long day, I sometimes find myself curling up for the evening with a good book and a cup of tea. I want to...
The Impact a Father's Love Has on His Daughter
My dad was outnumbered almost from the start. Only a few years after he and my mom were married, they had a daughter . . . and...
Building Bridges in Intimate Loneliness
Recently I came across a treasure in the Walmart entertainment aisle. Tucked into a massive bin was an album filled with...
How to Stay Connected Across Distances
There are many reasons married couples need to live apart temporarily: military duty; long-term missionary work or furloughs;...
5 Tips For Doing Devotions as a Couple
As Christians, we know the value of daily devotions. We see great men and women of God who set aside time every morning to...
5 Languages of Apology
If someone wrongs you and says, “I’m sorry,” do you believe them? Or do you need them to say and do more to show the sincerity...
More Than Us: How Marriage Can Draw You Closer to God
From the thrill of wedding anticipation to settling into the roles of husband and wife, it can be easy to forget that marriage...
The Spiritual Life of a Busy Mom: Carving Out Time with God When There's No Time to Be Had
It’s morning. I sit at my kitchen table, sipping a mug of coffee and smiling as the sun glints across my immaculate...
5 Steps to Developing Your Emotional Intelligence
Do you ever feel as though your emotions get the best of you? Your spouse says something that pushes a button and you can feel...
Mind Your Media: 8 Tips to Raise Discerning Teens
Do you sometimes wish you could present this ultimatum to your teen? "No television, no movie theatres, no Internet, no...
Living with Anxiety: What You and Your Spouse Need to Know
Lana* always suspected anxiety would play a role in her life. Her brother and mom both struggle with anxiety and it was only a...
Praying For Your Spouse: The Good, the Bad and the Barriers
"Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my spouse to keep"? That's not the bedtime rhyme you teach your four-year-old,...
Four Tips for a Stronger Marriage Post-baby
A baby won't change anything. We'll be the same couple we've always been. A baby will change everything. Our entire world...
Four Steps to Giving and Receiving Comfort in Marriage
Do you know your spouse's deepest shames and fears? Do they know yours? What do you do with that private knowledge? We all...
How Childhood Attachment Impacts Your Marriage
We often think of attachment in terms of a loving parent soothing their upset baby. But the impact of this nurturing...
How to Stop Pet Peeves From Ruining Your Marriage
You need to stop tolerating your spouse. Jenna’s* husband scrapes his plate at the end of a meal to get every last edible drop...
Highly Sensitive Spouses: What You Need to Know
When Sam and Annie* were first married, they quickly learned that neither of them did well with conflict. By the end of an...
Disappointing, Difficult and Destructive Marriages: What’s the Difference?
From the beginning of their relationship, Jane and Simon felt as though they were soul mates, complementing one another in...
Married with Friends: Why Couples Need Community
"I think when people first get married, it’s a natural process to turn towards each other and tune out the rest of life," says...
Loving Your Introverted or Extroverted Spouse
Do you know how to help your spouse rest, recharge and find the energy they need to live well tomorrow? Or, on the contrary,...
Head-to-toe: Must-know Body Language for a Happy Marriage
Look at your ceiling. Now look at your wife. Now back to your ceiling. Now back to your wife. What’s on your wife’s face? It’s...
Engaging Your Quiet Spouse in Deeper Conversations
When asked if Heather* ever struggles getting her husband, Tim*, to open up and talk, Heather responded with a speedy, “Oh...
First Steps to Financial Freedom as a Couple
The fact that money is a major stressor in marriage is not news. The way we spend and save can be a black or white issue for...
Dealing with the Sorrow of Miscarriage
"13 weeks" is scrawled across today’s date in blue handwriting. My mind drifts back to when I first wrote those words on my...
Mourning in Marriage After the Loss of a Child
"Grief knits two hearts in closer bonds than happiness ever can; and common sufferings are far stronger links than common...
Three Qualities Necessary for Overcoming Marital Distress
"Is marriage this hard for everyone?" "For the sake of our children, for the sake of us, I just want to get through this...
How to Protect Your Marriage When Your Child's Marriage Falters
For a few years, John and Joan* had seen the warning signs. Short tempers had turned into silent stand-offs which had...
8 Truths to Hold On To in a Destructive Marriage
When Mary* asks her husband about his late nights and questionable finances, she's continually told she's overreacting, she's...
What We Wish We Knew as Newlyweds
One of the signs of a healthy couple is an openness and desire to continually learn more – more about themselves, more about...
8 Steps for Making Time in Your Marriage
At the end of the day, I often ask myself where all the hours went, then I think back to how I could have made more use of...
After-School Questions to Ask Your Kids
Your kids spend hours apart from you each day during the school year, and naturally, you want to know how they’re doing in the...
Safeguarding Kids From Sexual Abuse
The statistics are so appalling they almost defy comprehension: as many as 10 per cent of Canadian children are sexually abused...
8 Steps for Making Time In Your Marriage
At the end of the day, I often ask myself where all the hours went, then I think back to how I could have made more use of that...
Under The Covers: Talking About Lost Sexual Interest In Your Marriage
Carla* admits to having affairs with married men. One man told her that his wife perceived herself as less desirable after...
Build a Friendship Big Enough For An Empty Nest
When David and Claudia Arp’s youngest child moved out and started university, they came home unsure of their identity as a...
Boys Forced To Be Stoic: Why You Need to Foster Your Son's Emotional Intelligence
Your son returns home from school. He’s quiet, but collected. “How was your day?” you ask. What he wants to say is, I'm having...
Marriage Mentoring: Take Your Relationship Back to School
Enjoy connecting with other married couples and gleaning from their experiences? If so, marriage mentoring may be for you!...
Disaster Watch: How to Recognize a Marriage Crisis Before It Hits
What happens when you experience a marriage crisis? Do you believe your relationship is doomed, or do you take action to mend...
Words That Bruise: Are You Emotionally Abusive?
This is the second installment of a two-part series. Click here to read the first article. While we recognize that men are...
Supporting Your Spouse Through An Involuntary Career Change
My wife and I had a solid plan for 2020. We had just relocated the previous summer to a whole new region when she took a great...
Caring For Yourself When Your Child is in Crisis
If your child is hurting, you don’t need to be reminded that you’re under a lot of stress too. Perhaps your child’s situation...
What You Need to Know About Your Teen's Brain
"I wish the teen years would go on forever," said no one, ever. Teenagers are battling a deluge of mood swings, friendship...
After-School Questions To Ask Your Kids
Your kids spend hours apart from you each day during the school year, and naturally, you want to know how they’re doing in the...