Articles - Visionary Family Ministries

Articles

Thanksgiving is Needed Right Now

Thanksgiving is Needed Right Now

Thanksgiving is needed in our world and in our families right now. Not because life is easy, because it is not. Chaos, sickness, and the fear of death swirl around us. We can and should give thanks because God is on His throne. We can say, from Psalm 100, “Know that the Lord is God.

Healing Through Listening

Healing Through Listening

The ear that listens to life-giving reproof will dwell among the wise. — Proverbs 15:31 Listen to your father who gave you life, and do not despise your mother when she is old. — Proverbs 23:22 I...

God’s Grand Vision for Your Family

God’s Grand Vision for Your Family

Are there nights when you whisper a desperate prayer, “God, why did you give me kids?” Don’t feel guilty. If we don’t know why we’re doing something, how can we do it successfully?

Planting Seeds of Bitterness

Planting Seeds of Bitterness

In Hebrews 12:14–15, God tells us, “Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no ‘root...

Healing Through Repentance

Healing Through Repentance

Family conflicts start very early in life and are rarely one-sided. Unfortunately, It’s not always easy to recognize or focus on our part in the conflict.

3 Phases of Forgiveness

3 Phases of Forgiveness

Forgiveness and reconciliation is a three-phase process, and I will summarize it here. I don’t want you to be overwhelmed. What can be written in just a few pages may take years for the Lord to...

Pray for Your Own Heart

Pray for Your Own Heart

When I am in the middle of a blowout conflict with one of my sons, I am squarely focused on his disobedience, his bad attitude, his irresponsibility. Obviously, the entire reason why we are in this...

How Many Times Do I Need to Forgive?

How Many Times Do I Need to Forgive?

When a family member does something that hurts our feelings a couple of times, it may not feel like a big deal to forgive them. What if they do it ten times? Fifty times? Now it is a different...

The Crucible of Family Relationships

The Crucible of Family Relationships

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry...

Every Family Is Hurting

Every Family Is Hurting

Every family experiences conflict, hurt, and brokenness. There are two big reasons for this reality. First, each of us struggles with sin and character problems. Therefore, when multiple people with...

Your Family & the Glory of God

Your Family & the Glory of God

Perhaps you have heard the phrase, "only for the glory of God." This is a theme that runs through the entire Bible, that all of creation exists for His glory. If this is true, then God created your...

Impressing a Child’s Heart

Impressing a Child’s Heart

Think about the things your parents taught you growing. Corny sayings? Some jokes? A few snippets of wisdom? But what deeply impressed your heart? What will impact your kids’ hearts?

The Power of God’s Word

The Power of God’s Word

God’s word is powerful and Satan knows it. He is always employing strategies to keep those who have faith in Christ from growing. Learn what some of those strategies are and one critical strategy of your own to keep him from succeeding.

Pluralism & Relativism 

Pluralism & Relativism 

Today’s young people are saturated with pluralism, which has become unfortunately intertwined with relativism. The philosophy of relativism suggests that all statements of fact depend upon one’s perspective. In other words, all statements of truth depend upon your point of view, and are relative in comparison to the point of view of others. If we tell someone that we believe Christianity is true, we frequently hear the response, “I’m glad that you’ve found something that works for you. Christianity is true for you, and my beliefs are true for me.”

The Power of Servant Leadership

The Power of Servant Leadership

In our culture and communities, we talk a lot about leadership. How can you be a leader among your friends? How can you be a leader at school? How can you be a leader in the world? However, although leadership is a valuable attribute, I believe that we have lost one of the most important aspects of leadership. Like anything in life, we can look to the Bible to find what it means to be a true leader.

Give Me Your Heart

Give Me Your Heart

Solomon writes to his son in Proverbs 23 saying, “My son, give me your heart.” For many teenagers this sounds strange. What does it mean to “give our heart” to our parents?