Find A Topic, Author, Guest or Category
Changing the culture doesn’t always begin in politics, media, or the halls of power—it often starts much closer to home. Discover how godly women can strengthen families, influence the next generation, and create a ripple effect that reaches far beyond their own homes.
Raising boys can be noisy, unpredictable, and sometimes overwhelming—but beneath all that energy is a heart that longs for connection. Drawing from Dr. James Dobson’s Bringing Up Boys, discover simple ways to strengthen your relationship with your son and create moments that will stay with him for years to come.
We now know that faith must be tough, but why? Is there a logical reason why the Lord asks us to strengthen our resolve and meet our difficulties head-on?
In an effort to draw on the experiences of those who have lived together successfully as husbands and wives, we asked married couples to participate in an informal study. More than six hundred people agreed to speak candidly about the concepts and methods that have worked in their homes. The advice is not new, but it's a great place to begin.
As strange as it seems, habitual well-being is not advantageous to a species. An existence without challenge takes its toll on virtually every living thing. Just look at the flabby animals in a zoo, for example. Food is delivered to them every day, and they need do nothing but lie around and yawn.
Although hundreds of Scriptures tell us that God hears and answers prayer, it is important to acknowledge what most of us have already observed—that He does not do everything we ask in the manner that we would desire. Years may pass before we see the fulfillment of His purposes. There are other occasions when He says “no” or “wait.” And let's be honest, there are times when He says nothing at all. Many believers become confused and wounded in those instances, and their faith begins to wobble.
One of the most breathtaking concepts in all of Scripture is the revelation that God knows each of us personally and that we are in His mind both day and night. There is simply no way to comprehend the full implications of this love by the King of kings and Lord of lords. He is all-powerful and all-knowing, majestic and holy, from everlasting to everlasting. Why would He care about us—about our needs, our welfare, our fears?
Clearly, what we have in Scripture is a paradox. On the one hand, we are told to expect suffering and hardships that could even cost us our lives. On the other hand, we are encouraged to be joyful, thankful, and “of good cheer.” How do those contradictory ideas link together?
We live in a fast-paced world where we have come to expect instant responses to every desire and need. But God doesn't operate that way. He is never in a hurry. And sometimes He can be agonizingly slow in solving the problems we bring to His attention. It’s almost enough to make an impatient believer give up and try something else.
The natural reaction to hardships is to say, "Lord, is this the way You treat Your own? I thought You cared for me, but I was wrong. I can't love a God like that." It is a tragic misunderstanding.
