Inside Out - Family Life News

Do you expect an uncomfortable family gathering this Christmas? “I think that the Enemy and the World are in overdrive right now, seeking to divide people. Dividing families, dividing communities, dividing nations,” says Pastor Rob Rienow, co-founder of Visionary Family Ministries and author of the 2020 book Healing Family Relationships. “It’s political, it’s COVID, it’s … Read More Read Mor...

In the US, Evangelical Christians are the most resistant to the pandemic vaccines, with a number applying to be exempt for religious reasons. As Americans, we have the right. But as followers of Jesus, is it the right thing to do? “It really depends on the individual and the moral witness that they’re called to … Read More Read More

Thanksgiving and Christmas—just ahead on the calendar—are happy times for many of us, but difficult times for those who grieve empty arms or an unwelcome diagnosis, or the death of a parent, a spouse, a child, a dream, or a job. “One of the most important things to do when you are navigating a loss–and … Read More Read More

High-profile Christians are “deconstructing” their faith. So are some of our family and friends. What are they doing, how might we love them through the process, and is there hope that after this deconstruction that they’ll reconstruct a faith that glorifies God?   “I think, to be honest with you, some deconstruction is absolutely necessary … Read More Read More

By the most recent count, 35 million Americans are caring for their parents. As baby boomers continue to age, more adult children will join their ranks.  Author Linda Winn used to be one of those caregivers. Here on Inside Out she talks about negotiating both the changing parent-child dynamic and the elder care system, and … Read More Read More

We’re not surprised that God’s Church and the surrounding culture are not in synch—but there was a time when the relationship felt friendlier. So what kind of challenge is this for Christians spreading the great news of Jesus?   “We think, as Christians, that the more ‘Christian-y’ we can make the culture, the more Christianity—as … Read More Read More

COVID-19 has changed the Church.   “There’s no question that the Church is different,” says Dr. Glenn Daman, my guest on this Inside Out podcast. “Our country’s different. The world post-COVID is going to be different.”     Fewer people are returning to church after the 2020 shutdowns. And there’s tension as people express their … Read More Read More

The first weeks of the pandemic were a rollercoaster for everyone, but maybe especially for people in the hard-hit restaurant business.      “The emotional high to low—the rapidness of it all—was just, was almost overwhelming,” says Peter Demos, President of his family’s Demos’ and PDK Southern Kitchen restaurants.    But what Demos already knew … Read More Read More

What might it take to welcome special-needs families into your church?    As churches re-think ministry to their communities after the pandemic, Sandra Peoples hopes they’ll take steps to welcome families with members who have special needs.      “The COVID season opened people’s eyes to isolation and what special-needs families and adults with disabilities … Read More Read More

Does Anything Really Threaten the Faith? Does anything we face really threaten the Gospel? The answer is no, according to today’s Inside Out guest, Dr. John Mark Yeats. The Gospel is stronger than we give it credit for. Jesus told us that He would build His Church and not even the gates of Hell will … Read More Read More

College graduates are looking for jobs in a market that was difficult for their older siblings, and a world still recovering from the pandemic.   In this Family Life Inside Out podcast we focus on the steps young adults can take to move toward the job of their dreams. Author, broadcaster, and podcaster Lisa Anderson … Read More Read More

These are the weeks when graduates are challenged to light the spark that will change the world. But what if you heard similar words at your own graduation but don’t see that you’ve made a difference? “There’s a ‘change the world’ vocabulary and language, as I think it’s normally used, that can actually create aspirations … Read More Read More

Our lives have been upended for more than a year. Change can frighten adults. You may know first-hand the impact on children.     “For children, and for adults, when our normal routine is disrupted, our first instinct, often, is anxiety. Things aren’t the way they normally are,” says Cedarville University professor, artist, and author … Read More Read More

Conflicts over the pandemic and politics have left us with divided families and friendships. But it doesn’t need to stay that way, according to Rob Rienow, book author and co-founder of Visionary Family Ministries. His 2020 book on reconciliation is titled Healing Family Relationships. “God loves your family. He put your family together,” Rienow reminds … Read More Read More

Pandemic’s Silver Linings–  We’ve had a rough go of it—the pandemic changed everything. Each of our experiences have been different, but together we could certainly make a long list of what we grieve losing. But we’re also resilient folk, and when we look to find silver linings, we often do. Join Megan Hill and Dorothy … Read More Read More

Reparations: the idea lives in American history and in today’s headlines. Inside Out guest Dan Crain believes the ideas of reparations has a biblical foundation. We see it in the restoration proclaimed in the Bible and embodied by Jesus Christ. Below are some of the resources on racial reconciliation that Dan mentions in the podcast. … Read More Read More

Maylissa Luby, a survivor of sex trafficking, is the founder of the non-profit May’s Heart. In this podcast she talks about the increase in sex trafficking during the pandemic and how she hopes the Church will work to prevent trafficking and help heal its victims.   “People that are already vulnerable are more oppressed during … Read More Read More

Maybe you noticed right away, or maybe it’s taken awhile to see it, but the pandemic is changing our friendships. And today on the Family Life Inside Out podcast I talk about just that with Alex Banks, Associate Pastor for the Lockport Alliance Church in Lockport, NY. Banks has all kinds of touch points with … Read More Read More

We know young adults who struggle to make ends meet. How can parents—even of young kids—teach their children to be generous and responsible with money? Binghamton author Marcie Phelps joins me for this 12-minute conversation based on Generous Kids, her book to help parents teach children to handle money well. “God does require us to … Read More Read More

The Alzheimer’s Association’s Dr. Anafidelia R. Tavares suggests ways we can prevent physical distancing from leading to feelings of social isolation for those we love in nursing homes living with dementia.  

Author and blogger Michelle Van Loon talks about making the most of this unusual Christmas. Van Loon’s books include Becoming Sage and Moments and Days.

December promises to be stressful on marriages. Changing the way we celebrate the holidays, on-going pressures from coronavirus, and the continuing tensions around the election are likely to add to the pressures many feel in the weeks approaching Christmas.   Dorothy Littell Greco talks about ways couples can address the stress. Her newest book on … Read More Read More

Our Words Matter– The tone of social media can be toxic, but Christians don’t have to add to the incivility or abandon the internet altogether, says Daniel Darling. Instead we can use our words for good. Darling’s new book is A Way with Words: Using Our Online Conversations for Good.

Julie Gillies reminds us that that God is not anxious about the state of the world, even when we are. Gillies is the author of the new book Prayers to Calm Your Anxious Heart.  

As odd as it sounds, if you feel lonely you have company, says author and LifeWay Kids Director Jana Magruder. When lonely people push themselves to reach out, they help others feel connected and diminish their own isolation.