After days of illness and then spiking a high temperature it was clear my husband needed emergency care The hospital admitted him immediately One day folded into the next He improved but not enough to be released I faced the difficult choice to stay with my husband or fulfill an important work trip where many people and projects were involved My husband assured me he rsquo d be fine But my heart was torn between him and my work God rsquo s people needed His help at the crossroads of life rsquo s decisions Far too often they hadn rsquo [... more]

During the days of the COVID- pandemic Dave and Carla spent months looking for a church home Following health guidelines which limited various in-person experiences made it even more difficult They longed for connection to a body of believers ldquo It rsquo s a hard time to find a church rdquo Carla emailed me Within me rose a realization from my own longing to be reunited with my church family ldquo It rsquo s a hard time to be the church rdquo I responded In that season our church had ldquo pivoted rdquo offering food in surrounding neighborhoods creating online [... more]

Grainger McKoy is an artist who studies and sculpts birds capturing their grace vulnerability and power One of the pieces is titled Recovery It shows the single right wing of a pintail duck stretched high in a vertical position Below a plaque describes the bird rsquo s recovery stroke as ldquo the moment of the bird rsquo s greatest weakness in flight yet also the moment when it gathers strength for the journey ahead rdquo Grainger includes this verse ldquo My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness rdquo Corinthians The apostle Paul wrote [... more]

Elisa Morgan shares stories of brokenness from her own family to assure other wives and mothers that God uses tragedy to create beauty here on earth Part of Receive the book The Beauty of Broken for your donation of any amount Plus receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today Your monthly support helps families thrive https donate focusonthefamily com don-daily-broadcast-product- - - refcd Get more episode resources http www focusonthefamily com episodes broadcast restoring-the-broken-pieces-of-our-lives-part- -of- featured-resource-ctaIf you've listened to any of our podcasts please give us your feedback https focusonthefamily com podcastsurvey [... more]

Elisa Morgan shares stories of brokenness from her own family to assure other wives and mothers that God uses tragedy to create beauty here on earth Part of Receive the book The Beauty of Broken for your donation of any amount Plus receive member-exclusive benefits when you make a recurring gift today Your monthly support helps families thrive https donate focusonthefamily com don-daily-broadcast-product- - - refcd Get more episode resources http www focusonthefamily com episodes broadcast restoring-the-broken-pieces-of-our-lives-part- -of- featured-resource-ctaIf you've listened to any of our podcasts please give us your feedback https focusonthefamily com podcastsurvey [... more]

We sat atop some beach boulders my friend Soozi and I watching the foam send up sea spray in arched curls Looking at the incoming waves crashing one after another against the rocks Soozi announced ldquo I love the ocean It keeps moving so I don rsquo t have to rdquo Isn rsquo t it interesting how some of us feel we need ldquo permission rdquo to pause from our work to rest Well that rsquo s just what our good God offers us For six days God spun the earth into existence creating light land vegetation animals and humans [... more]

Lacey Scott was at her local pet store when a sad fish at the bottom of the tank caught her eye His scales had turned black and lesions had formed on his body Lacey rescued the ten-year-old fish named him ldquo Monstro rdquo after the whale in the fairytale Pinocchio and placed him in a ldquo hospital rdquo tank changing his water daily Slowly Monstro improved began to swim and grew in size His black scales transformed to gold Through Lacey rsquo s committed care Monstro was made new In Luke Jesus tells the story of a traveler who was [... more]

I attended a family birthday gathering where the hostess wove the theme of ldquo favorite things rdquo into the decor the gifts and best of all the food Because the birthday girl loved steak and salad mdash and white chocolate raspberry Bundt cake mdash the hostess grilled steak spun spinach and ordered that favorite cake Favorite foods say ldquo I love you rdquo The Bible contains many references to banquets feasts and festivals pairing the physical act of eating with celebrations of God rsquo s faithfulness Feasting was a part of the sacrificial system of worship practiced by the Israelites [... more]

When my baby brother underwent surgery I was concerned My mother explained that ldquo tongue-tie rdquo ankyloglossia was a condition he was born with and that without help his ability to eat and eventually to speak would be hindered Today we often apply the term to describe being at a loss for words or being too shy to speak Sometimes we can be tongue-tied in prayer not knowing what to say Our tongues tie up in spiritual clich eacute s and repetitive phrases We arrow our emotions heavenward wondering if they will reach God rsquo s ears Our thoughts zigzag [... more]

ldquo I rsquo m sorry rdquo Karen said apologizing for her flowing tears After the death of her husband she stretched herself to care for her teenage kids When men from church provided a weekend camping excursion to entertain them and give her a break Karen wept with gratitude apologizing over and over for her tears Why do so many of us apologize for our tears Simon a Pharisee invited Jesus to dinner In the middle of the meal as Jesus reclined at the table a woman who had lived a sinful life brought an alabaster jar of perfume ldquo [... more]

I helped my elderly dog Wilson out to the grass and in the process released the leash of our younger dog Coach for just a minute As I bent to pick up Coach rsquo s lead he spied a bunny Off he went ripping the leash from my right hand and corkscrewing my ring finger in the process I fell to the grass and cried out in pain After returning from urgent care and learning I rsquo d need surgery I begged God for help ldquo I rsquo m a writer How will I type What about my daily duties [... more]

When Hugh and DeeDee released their only child to heaven they struggled with what to call themselves in the aftermath There is no specific word in the English language to describe a parent who has lost a child A wife without her husband is a widow A husband without his wife is a widower A child bereft of parents is an orphan A parent whose child has died before they have is an undefined hollow of hurt Miscarriage Sudden infant death Suicide Illness Accident Death steals a child from this world and then robs the surviving parents of an expressed [... more]

When I served on my church rsquo s congregational care team one of my duties was to pray over the requests penciled on pew cards during the services For an aunt rsquo s health For a couple rsquo s finances For a grandson rsquo s discovery of God Rarely did I hear the results of these prayers Most were anonymous and I had no way of knowing how God had responded I confess that at times I wondered was He really listening Was anything happening as a result of my prayers Over our lifetimes most of us question ldquo Does [... more]

The clock blinked a m Burdened by a late-night text conversation sleep wasn rsquo t coming I unwound the mummy-like clutch of my tangled sheets and padded quietly to the couch I googled what to do to fall asleep but instead found what not to do Don rsquo t take a nap or drink caffeine or work out late in the day Check Reading further on my tablet I was advised not to use ldquo screen time rdquo late either Oops Texting hadn rsquo t been a good idea When it comes to resting well there are lists of what [... more]

Ellen opened her mailbox and discovered a bulky envelope with her dear friend rsquo s return address Just a few days prior she rsquo d shared a relational struggle with that friend Curious she unwrapped the package and found a colorful beaded necklace on a simple jute string Attached was a card with a company rsquo s slogan ldquo Say it in Morse Code rdquo and words translating the necklace rsquo s hidden and wise message ldquo Seek God rsquo s Ways rdquo Ellen smiled as she fastened it about her neck The book of Proverbs is a compilation of [... more]

Thwack I looked up and craned my ear toward the sound Spotting a smudge on the windowpane I peered out onto the deck and discovered the still beating body of a bird My heart hurt I longed to help the fragile feathered being In Matthew Jesus described His Father rsquo s care for sparrows in order to comfort the disciples as He warned of upcoming dangers He offered instructions to the twelve as He ldquo gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness rdquo v While the power to do such deeds might [... more]

Three-year-old Dylan McCoy had just learned to swim when he fell through a rotted plywood covering into a forty-foot deep stone-walled well in his grandfather rsquo s backyard Dylan managed to stay afloat in ten feet of water until his father climbed down the slippery rocks to rescue him Firefighters brought ropes to raise the boy but the father was so worried about his son that he hastily climbed down to make sure he was safe Oh the love of a parent Oh the lengths and depths we will go for our children When the apostle John writes to believers [... more]

Offering encouragement to couples whose children are facing a crisis author Elisa Morgan and her husband Evan describe how God and their faith have sustained them through the trials that have plagued their -year marriage including their daughter's teen pregnancy and their son's drug addiction Get Elisa's book The Beauty of Broken for your donation of any amount https donate focusonthefamily com don-daily-broadcast-product- - - Get more episode resources https www focusonthefamily com episodes broadcast forging-a-partnership-with-your-spouse-in-a-family-crisis featured-resource-cta If you've listened to any of our podcasts please give us your feedback https focusonthefamily com podcastsurvey [... more]

It wasn rsquo t quite dawn when my husband rose from bed and went into the kitchen I saw the light flip on and off and wondered at his action Then I recalled that the previous morning I rsquo d yelped at the sight of an ldquo intruder rdquo on our kitchen counter Translated an undesirable creature of the six-legged variety My husband knew my paranoia and immediately arrived to remove it This morning he rsquo d risen early to ensure our kitchen was bug-free so I could enter without concern What a guy My husband awoke with me on [... more]

In the towering dome of London rsquo s St Paul rsquo s Cathedral visitors can climb steps to access The Whispering Gallery There you can whisper and be heard by another person anywhere along the circular walkway even across the enormous abyss some thirty meters away Engineers explain this anomaly as a result of the spherical shape of the dome and the low intensity sound waves of a whisper How we long to be confident God hears our agonized whispers The Psalms are filled with testimonies that He hears us mdash our cries prayers and whispers David writes ldquo In [... more]

Elisa Morgan describes how we can model Jesus' Garden of Gethsemane prayer in our own lives by finding the proper balance between praying for our desires and submitting to God's will Get Elisa's book When We Pray Like Jesus for your donation of any amount https store focusonthefamily com singleitem checkout donation item don-daily-broadcast-product- - - Get More Episode Resources https www focusonthefamily com episodes broadcast praying-with-honest-abandon If you've listened to any of our podcasts please give us your feedback https focusonthefamily com podcastsurvey [... more]