FamilyLife

Earlier this year, I came across this listener's story from FamilyLife... 

Nearly 10 years ago, I heard a series of programs on "FamilyLife Today" about marital affairs--before and after.  At that time, my neighbors were going through a difficult time in their own marriage.  In fact, the husband had already moved out and they had filed for a divorce.  I ordered this tape series and put them in a bag with a letter to my neighbors explaining how much I cared for their family.  The husband listened to the tapes then called his wife and had her listen too ...

This past weekend I saw the movie The Blind Side, which depicts the real-life story of one practically-homeless teenager and the family that takes him in.  It's a great film in every way and one I expected to enjoy.  But what I didn't expect was how much it would convict me.

While the movie only touched briefly on the teenager's homelessness, it had me thinking about the number of children (and adults) that will be living on the streets, or in a shelter, this Christmas season.  I may not have an abundance of resources, but I knew ...

I absolutely love fall! 

For me, it's always been one of the most beautiful and peaceful seasons of the year!  And now I live in a region full of maple and sycamore trees, where leaves are changing color daily.  I'm grateful! 

Of course, until those leaves turn brown and fall on my front lawn--in abundance, I might add!  In fact, I caught myself complaining about that very thing this past weekend when I saw how much leaves had actually dropped.  Okay, where did my grateful heart go?

Fortunately this month, "FamilyLife Today" turns our focus off ourselves and ...

"The adoption of orphans is one of the greatest opportunities today for fulfilling the Great Commission" says Dennis Rainey, President of FamilyLife.

And that's why the ministry launched Hope for Orphans in 2003.  Since then, FamilyLife joined together with Christian organizations like Focus on the Family, Show Hope, and other orphan care ministries in order to equip individuals and churches to meet the needs of "the least of these."   

Now, FamilyLife is excited to share that on November 8, 2009, the first ever Orphan Sunday is taking place in churches, small groups, college campuses, and other places across the ...

That was Dennis Rainey's tweet back in May when prepping for the 2-day broadcast airing this month on "FamilyLife Today."  

What prompted the question is an observation Dennis has been making about the increasing number of stay-at-home dads.  He believes "there is a shift going on in the culture ... a rejection in many places of what is normative in Scripture."  

To give some context to this subject, here's some statistics the Washington Post reported just two years ago: 

". . .an estimated 159,000 stay-at-home dads, or 2.7 percent of the country's stay-at-home parents (almost triple the percentage ...