Christian Living
A friend asked recently: Ok ladies, it's time for me to do some major/drastic behavior boot camp in this house. I am committing to staying home for several days, going nowhere and do nothing but set straight some major behavior issues we have here. I need some advice, though...How do I handle/tackle my 4 and…
Usually, teaching the first stanza of familiar hymns means correcting misunderstandings about the language (like angels singing, "Hark!"). The second stanza is where you usually find the first totally new lyrics. It's where you often find new insights, too, since the words are are fresh and we haven't grown complacent from hearing them a hundred…
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="403"] Schnorr von Carolsfeld, From the Bibel in Bildern, 1860[/caption] This is one of those hymns that we think we all know, but usually only sing the first verse. This is like nibbling on the salad and walking out on the feast. Charles Wesley packed so much Biblical truth into this carol,…
Nearly thirty years ago, we had what was in many ways an unusual relationship compared to many of our friends. For us, it grew rather naturally from a friendship between two people who were rather analytical about things—even affairs of the heart. But we’re getting ahead of our story. When it comes to marriage or…
This has been a pretty sobering week for many homeschool families. A very prominent leader and speaker in Christian homeschool circles confessed to an inappropriate relationship with a woman and resigned from his ministry and speaking engagements. As speakers ourselves, we and our children know most of the other families on the speaking circuit, so…
Lately, I've been noticing a phenomenon among our acquaintances that really concerns me. Single ladies, we don't often address you on these pages, but this one's for you. Most of the young adults we know are very intentional about finding a mate in the right way. They are committed to waiting until they are ready…
The headlines have been everywhere this week. Grand Theft Auto V is out and, to listen to social media, everyone is super-excited. Well, not everyone, but it sold $800 million dollars worth the very first day! And it has over 4.3 million fans on Facebook. We were thinking about this today when we read the…
We are thrilled to announce that we'll be hosting an hourlong weekly streaming radio show on the new Ultimate Radio Network! Our new show, Making Biblical Family Life Practical, will be the Hal & Melanie you guys know and love -- there will be lots of back and forth and humor, but also pointed, principled…
When we last left this story, we were speaking at a church in Harrodsburg, Kentucky and the boys were enjoying Aunt Helen's sandwiches of mercy beside the road some 160 miles away in in a remote spot in the mountains. Melanie's tummy was aching from gulping a hamburger with a side of anxiety... As soon…
It was terrible timing. We were just 15 minutes from the church where we were speaking that night and we were running late. We were in the "turn here, go two-tenths of a mile and bear to the right, then make an immediate left" part of the GPS directions. We'd just driven through and grabbed…