Inside Out - Family Life News

The essential message of Christmas—deeper than the sparkle and lights— is the very hope that can sustain us in a broken and often painful world. The Christmas trees went to the curb—or into their boxes–weeks ago. So is there any reason to think about Christmas now?  Ben Mandrell, president and CEO of Lifeway Christian Resources, … Read More Read More

From the loss of school connections during the pandemic to the death of a grandparent, sometimes well-meaning adults misstep as they try to help grieving children.    “I think we can get a little clouded around making ourselves feel more comfortable rather than kind of accompanying the child where they are,” says Lacy Finn Borgo. … Read More Read More

Are you dreading the big family Christmas get-together because of the potential for conflict? “Our love for Christ makes a great difference,” Dr. Chet Weld says, “so we remember the Scripture that says: ‘love triumphs over judgment,’ and we want to be filled with the love of Christ and love everyone unconditionally as Jesus does.” … Read More Read More

Your life is probably not too busy to fit in prayer, Bible reading, or another of the disciplines that draw us closer to God.    “We all the time think: ‘Oh well, at the end of the day I just didn’t have time to read my Bible today,’ or, ‘I just didn’t have time to … Read More Read More

People with cancer are already in a club nobody wants to be a member of. Add holidays to the mix and it gets even more complicated.   “As far as the holiday season, because of the emotion, and the community and the family gatherings, it’s a tough time to be dealing with a cancer diagnosis. … Read More Read More

Jesus calls us to humility, and that’s what’s needed to mend divisions in our churches and communities.   “There’s a really kind of twisted pressure in Christianity in this day and age to sort of make a name for yourself. And that can blatantly happen as we’re seeing people professionalize their brand, like try to build … Read More Read More

Learning to negotiate anger is key if we’re going to have good relationships.       Dr. Josh Straub and his wife Christy Straub want to help children learn that early. The Straubs are family and leadership coaches who head up the organization Famous at Home, and their newest book for children is What Do I Do … Read More Read More

Around the country, Christians are exiting the Church or adapting the faith to accommodate their preferences. Dennis Allen believes the way to grow resilient, mature disciples is to return to the way Jesus did it.   “Until leaders, leaders in Christ, until we start changing the culture, to realize what relationship means, and true biblical … Read More Read More

Each year more than 10 million people worldwide are newly diagnosed with dementia. And that means more and more adult children are faced with decisions about their parents’ care. “It is very hard to watch a competent loved one lose his or her ability to bathe and dress, to make a grocery list or fix … Read More Read More

Both Church and country are deeply divided. Author Hannah Anderson believes developing the biblical discipline of discernment can help us sort through all the messages so that we can determine what is good and then pursue it.   “We are being flooded with information and the conversations are often so polarized, so tribal, that we … Read More Read More

The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade promises to save lives. But women continue to face the circumstances that motivated them to choose abortion in the past.   “In every state we will have women who–married and unmarried–face an unwanted pregnancy, face fear, anxiety, and real challenges for bringing that baby into the … Read More Read More

What are churches to do about the alarming percentage of pastors thinking of leaving ministry? One option is to grant weary pastors a sabbatical–or preempt the weariness with intentional time away. Relieving pastors of church responsibilities for a short time can give them time to refocus, recharge, and tap into their relationship with Jesus.   … Read More Read More

The war in Ukraine continues to rage.  “I know that the war has gone down the list of headlines in North America,” Don Parsons told me right before leaving the US to head back to Poland. “But the war is just as intense as it was. There is heavy fighting. There are people who are … Read More Read More

Looking for silver linings in the pandemic? Photographer and author Dorothy Littell Greco believes we can mine helpful marriage lessons from the disruptions of the past two years.   “COVID made it impossible to ignore or dismiss the fact that we are all limited people and that we don’t have much control over the world, … Read More Read More

The pandemic has taken a toll on the Church.  “Churches initially lost 50 percent of their congregations,” says pastor, author, and podcaster Dr. Desmond Barrett. “Since that time, 75 percent of it has come back, but there is a quarter of the population that has not come back to the church.”  Barrett serves as the … Read More Read More

New research finds that 42 percent are thinking about leaving full-time ministry, according to Joe Jensen, Vice President of Church Engagement for The Barna Group. The percentage of pastors thinking of stepping down from the pulpit had already risen from 29 to 38 percent in the course of 2021. Jensen says doesn’t believe that in … Read More Read More

More people have begun researching their family history during the pandemic–and family research was already the second-most popular hobby in the US.   “I think the people who are starting to search, who are doing Ancestry DNA tests, are looking for connection,” says speaker and author Michelle Van Loon, whose newest book is Translating Your … Read More Read More

We spend our teen years figuring out where we belong. Pandemic isolation and an uptick in social media use has made this more difficult for today’s teenagers, according to Anna Meade Harris. Harris is the editor-in-chief of the Rooted Ministry blog, and author of a February 2022 Gospel Coalition article “Breaking Social Media’s Grip on … Read More Read More

We spend weeks getting ready for Christmas, but have we built a tradition around getting our families ready to celebrate the Resurrection?  “Christmas kind of steals the spotlight,” says Birmingham, Alabama pastor, father of four, and pediatric physician Scott James. “But Christmas points to Easter. Without Easter, Christmas loses its glimmer.”  James has written the … Read More Read More

Christians have the best reasons to hope, but we don’t always feel hopeful.   “People find the pandemic a mystery,” says author Jack Countryman. “It’s a scary time. We see that thousands of people are dying and you wonder whether or not you’re going to be next.”   Countryman is the author of 35 books, … Read More Read More

No question, our teachers are heroes. During two years of pandemic disruption they’ve cycled through teaching remotely, teaching in person, and teaching both ways simultaneously.   “Over the last two years, one of the biggest changes has been how often we have an update that changes things,” says Ann Collins, who serves as the principal … Read More Read More

The Inside Out podcast is checking in with parents of young children to learn what they’re facing as they raise children in extraordinary times.    “It’s really been like a blur of survival mode for nearly two years,” says Addison, NY-area Janet Mourhess. She and her husband are the parents of four children, ranging in … Read More Read More

Part of the fallout of the COVID pandemic is that more Americans are battling depression. But before we try to help a friend in the middle of the struggle, there are some things we need to know.  “I think some of the common misunderstandings are that everyone experiences depression the same way or looks the … Read More Read More

The headlines have been filled with Christian leaders who’ve abused power. In this Inside Out podcast, counselor, pastor, chaplain, and author Michael MacKenzie talks about developing a Christian culture that discourages church leadership from misusing their position and influence.     “We as a culture are enamored–have been enamored–with power, with charisma, and not in … Read M...

Even as we’re tightening our belts and scrambling for gifts this Christmas, author, editor, and speaker Kristen Wetherell joins me to talk about creative ways to be generous this season.   “I think one of the ways that we can give in a creative and kind of unconventional manner that’s still deeply, deeply biblical is … Read More Read More