The Shapes of Christian Families (Jan. - Feb., 2004)
When Church Becomes Our Family
Tedd Kidd
08/20/2005 - There comes a time when we each must realize who our true family is...hear and see this audio/video clip of Tedd Kidd on how his church became his family.


Book Review: Bringing Up Boys
Stephen J. Walls Mathis
08/20/2005 - At times political and social activist James Dobson may border on glorifying an American past where fathers worked, mothers stayed home and everyone knew their place. But the strengths of Dobson's Bringing Up Boys - its firm warnings against dangerous cultural assumptions and helpful suggestions for mothers and fathers - outweigh the book's limitations.


Excerpt: Longing For a Homeland
Lynn Anderson
08/20/2005 - Read this excerpt, "The Old Homeplace," from Lynn Anderson's new book, Longing for a Homeland, due March 2004 from Howard Publishing Company. Call 888.216.9944 for ordering information.


The In's and Out's of Life with In-Laws
Lee Wilson
08/20/2005 - Some married couples have trouble managing conflict with the parents of their spouses. Family Dynamic's Lee Wilson shares practical advice for thriving in relationships with in-laws and protecting your own marriage from conflicts with in-laws.


Why Did God Give Us The Gift of Sex?
Joe Beam
08/20/2005 - For human beings, sex isn't just to make babies. It is to join two humans in the most intimate union possible. In this weekend's offering on "Shapes of Christian Families," NEW WINESKINS brings you Joe Beam, who says sexual love freely shared in marriage is the most beautiful way God gave us to say, "I love you."


Movie Review: The Return of the King
Dr. Leon Roby Blue
08/20/2005 - Before I review The Return of the King movie, a confession: I am a lover of J.R.R. Tolkien and Middle-earth. I was first introduced to The Lord of the Rings (LOTR) by my Latin teacher when I was a sophomore in high school. I've since read it at least a dozen times. I read it to my children when they were young; I read it at times when I needed a lift and in times when I needed to renew old friendships. I know Middle-earth. I know Gandalf and I've walked with Frodo.


More Than Conquerors!
Sheri Swaim
08/20/2005 - When I was about eight or nine years old, a family member who my parents frequently trusted to care for me, repeatedly abused me sexually. The abuse didn’t kill me, but for a long time, it killed part of me ...


Table Scraps
Lora Chandler
08/20/2005 - The little bits of wisdom learned at the table have come to be known as our “table scraps.” Instead of throwing them out, we have learned to use them, weaving them into the fabric of our family and sharing them with others.


Book Review: Helping Troubled Families
Ed Billingsley
08/20/2005 - The church is often the last place those with addictions and family dysfunction turn for help, and it should not be this way, says Dr. Charles M. Sell in his book Help for Troubled Families reviewed by Ed Billingsley ...


Noah, Where's Your Ark?
Mike Jeffress
08/20/2005 - Whether you are a Washington Redskins fan or not, you can respect the story Mike Jeffress tells about what returning coach Joe Gibbs did twelve years ago to save his family ...


Tabernacle: A Theological Metaphor for the Family
Ryan Noel Fraser
08/20/2005 - Are the days of the “traditional family,” comprised of Mom, Dad and the kids past? Is the so-called “traditional family” really traditional after all? Is this to be the only yardstick by which all families ought to be measured? And how will families survive today’s threat to the structural integrity of a traditional family? Ryan Fraser addresses these questions and helps us develop a new metaphor for family today...from an ancient source...


Lost & Found: Pain and Grace of Remarriage
Chris Gonzalez
08/20/2005 - All remarriages are born of loss, whether by divorce or death of a spouse. Darryl’s was no exception. He had lost his spouse, his plans for the future, his dreams, his confidence, his hope, and for a time, his faith...Today, Family Therapist Chris Gonzalez narrates a story of the pain of divorce and the grace of remarriage.


Fax of Life: Work-Family Spillover
Rubel Shelly
08/20/2005 - Researchers call it "work-family spillover." My wife and I call it "kick-the-dog syndrome." It is the problem some of us have with letting stress at work poison the most important relationships in our lives.


New Shapes of Christian Homes
Greg Taylor
08/20/2005 - In college I took a course on Christian Home. Everyone did. The shape of family was simply described. One man, one woman, and a quiver full of children. This was God’s intended shape of the family, the Christian Home book said.
Surely Scripture upholds such a model as a blessing to all. Yet in my Christian Home class, we weren’t adequately prepared for the shapes we would encounter, some gruesome and some beautiful and also approved and blessed by God. One class was not meant to—nor can it—prepare us for the shapes our families will take.


Book Review: Smart Step Families
Daniel Morehead
12/19/2003 - The Smart Step-Family, by Ron Deal (Bethany House Press, 2002). 271 pages. - Books on healthy step families have been few, perhaps because Christians have been afraid of implications of saying anything related to divorce or something other than the "traditional" Christian familiy would work against a biblical view of what our families should be. This bold new book goes beyond that thinking, and we believe it should be read and discussed.