Topic > Marriage & Family
Unwavering Love
Yesterday I spoke with a couple whose son became severely ill when he was just five years old. With raw emotions, the husband and wife described how their child collapsed—and their subsequent mad dash to the hospital.
A Personal Story
A baby just hours old was left in a manger in a Christmas nativity outside a New York church. A young, desperate mother had wrapped him warmly and placed him where he would be discovered. If we are tempted to judge her, we can instead be thankful this baby will now have a chance in life.
This gets personal for me. As an adopted child myself, I have no idea about the circumstances surrounding my birth. But I have never felt abandoned. Of this much I am certain: I have two moms who wanted me to have a chance in life.…
When Christmas Isn’t the Happiest Time of the Year
With the joyful endings of cheesy, Hallmark movies, comes the subconscious expectation that somehow during Christmas, everyone will get along, then snowflakes will fall at precisely the right time and in a perfect quantity.
Christmas Lights
Each year for several weeks around Christmas, Singapore’s tourist belt, Orchard Road, is transformed into a wonderland of lights and colors. This light-up is designed to attract tourists to spend their money at the many stores along the street during this “golden month of business.” Shoppers come to enjoy the festivities, listen to choirs sing familiar Christmas carols, and watch performers entertain.
The first Christmas “light-up” ever was not created by electrical cables, glitter, and neon lights but by “the glory of the Lord [that] shone around” (Luke 2:9). No tourists saw it, just a few simple shepherds out in their…
God can use conflict to develop peace in our hearts
Sometimes, the circumstances we face in life are simply out of our control. So how can we maintain a sense of peace when things don’t go the way we planned? Today on Discover the Word, the group and author Patricia Raybon discuss the peace Patricia found when she stopped trying so hard to change her […]
Does respect mean embracing the other person’s view?
It’s a challenge to maintain a relationship with a loved one who chooses the wrong path. But today on Discover the Word, the group, and author Patricia Raybon discuss how to mend broken relationships in a family that’s been split in two by conflicting beliefs. It starts with respect. But does respect mean embracing the other […]
Having a heart that first asks, and then listens
What do you do when someone holds a radically different viewpoint than yours—and that “someone” is one of your children? Do you forcefully try to argue them out of it? Is that ever going to be effective? Well, today on Discover the Word, the group along with guest, author Patricia Raybon discuss the healing power […]
When a child goes completely against your beliefs
How would you cope if your children made a choice in their faith, lifestyle, or politics that totally went against your beliefs? Today on Discover the Word, author Patricia Raybon shares the challenges she faced when her daughter converted to Islam, leaving her shocked and perplexed, questioning her worthiness as a parent and as a […]
Love and Adoption
A good friend recently returned to her native country, Argentina, following several years of living abroad.
Editor’s Picks: Top 3 Articles | Choices
We are surrounded by a plethora of choices every single day. What to eat, what to wear, where to go, what to do, and how to do it.
Loved just the way I am
How much does your environment affect your identity? Ned was adopted by a loving Christian family, but as he grew up, the difference in their races became an uncomfortable issue to others. Greg and his mother were forced to flee from his abusive stepfather, but found refuge amongst the kindness of strangers. Discover how God’s […]
Where Love Flourishes
She glanced at him with a tender smile and began reading the carefully crafted words held in her trembling hands. The vows revealed a deep love for the young man standing before her. Toward the end of her lyrical, beautiful expressions, she said, “I promise to love you under all circumstances, the good times and the hard times—whatever it may be—for the rest of my days.”
When I Learned about My Husband’s Affair
On my birthday in 2005, I found out that my husband was having an affair. I can still remember the details vividly.
The Secret I Wish I Never Found Out
Every night, I would come home to see my parents hunched over their dinners, eyes glued to the television screening the latest Korean drama serial. It’s always the same storyline: two love birds entangled in a web of secrets waiting to be discovered.
The Time I Hurt My Husband Deeply
My husband and I had a huge argument some nights ago. It was about my pride and unwillingness to see my own faults. He was so hurt that he went straight to bed after his shower.
