Tag Archives: #familylife

Special Feature – Gender Issues and Nashville’s Tragic News – 03/30/23



A timely Special Feature from Family Life.

In this week when transgenderism has filled our headlines due to an individual who shot and killed six at a Christian elementary school in Nashville, Tennessee, we explore whether gender may have been an issue.

Garry Ingraham is founder of the Love and Truth Network. His ministry provides counseling and encouragement to individuals with heterosexual and same-sex sexual addictions, gender dysphoria, and similar issues. Ingraham is a native of New York State, who now serves in Glendale Arizona. In addition to reacting to the Nashville tragedy, he offers his perspective on wider cultural trends.

Ingraham and the Love and Truth Network says there is a higher position which Christians should have, rather than leaning to one side or the other of today’s transgender debates:

Most churches struggle to function well within the tension of two realities. Many tend to practice a permissive, affirming attitude toward sexual behavior; others take a harsh, legalistic approach that condemns people seen as undoubtably sinful.
But Jesus shows us a better way.

Their website offers resources for congregations and church leaders to foster a Biblical search for how to interact with others, away from hatred, suspicion and judgment.

 


Real Answers – “Feeling” appreciated at work – 03/29/23



“Why Encouragement Matters in the Workplace”

A new poll shows most workers feel “unappreciated” at work.  Licensed Christian counselor Christopher Anderson takes a closer look at why compliments are “encouraged” on the job in this week’s edition of “Real Answers”.

 

You can subscribe to “Real Answers” — or any of the other Family Life news podcasts — so that you can stay up to date, each time a new episode is posted.


Hometown Heroes – Craig Wheeland – Aim4Christ – 03/28/23



Craig Wheeland, founder of “Aim 4 Christ” Ministries in Pennsylvania tells his story on this week’s “Hometown Heroes”.

Wheeland’s outreach ranges from the streets of Philadelphia to the poorest regions of Pakistan. His work encourages children to learn to read, so they can read the Scriptures and talk about faith with their parents. Hear how he knows mission work has as much influence on the workers who “get out of the church building” and meet the people they serve (Matthew 25:44). That aspect of deepening connnections, to know the people is much more important than carrying out other tasks. Wheeland also talks about his international evangelistic work put him a momentarily life-threatening sitaution, but the Lord’s work continued to blossom.

Aim4Christ (“Actions In Mission For Christ”) is based in Watsontown, Pennsylvania.


Issues in Education – Bullying, Parents’ Bill of Rights – 03/27/23



On Family Life’s “Issues in Education” Dr. Ralph Kerr with the Teaching and Learning Institute does a deep dive into the issues you care about that impact our public schools.  Here’s what’s going on this week:

  • Parents’ “Bill of Rights” – is it needed at school
  • What should you to do – and not do – if your child is bullied at school?
  • “Buzzwords” at Public Schools: mindfulness, emotional and social learning, restorative practices

 


Kids Corner: Peace Promoters



Ivy and Sage found an old toy catalogue and took it to Mr. Jacobs garage to explore it. Join them as they talk about where we can find TRUE peace!

Bible Verses: Ecclesiastes 1, 1st Peter 5:7, Proverbs 3, Psalm 91:2, Philippians 4, Hebrews 12:14, Psalm 34:14, Matthew 10


Capital Connection – 03/24/23



In our weekly Friday Roundtable, our “Capital Connection” guests analyze cultural news and governmental issues of note in our two states.

This week, timely topics for Michael Gear (Pennsylvania Family Institute) and Jason McGuire (New Yorkers for Constitutional Freedoms) include:

  • Gun rights legislation
  • Fossil fuels — economics and/or the environment
  • Big growth in a “Northern Invasion”

 

 


Special Feature – CompassCare Attacked – Jim Harden – 03/23/23



One of the CompassCare facilities in western New York has been violently attacked — twice in nine months. The most recent incident was the spray painting of graffiti on a sign at their Buffalo clinic a week ago, on March 16. That location also was set ablaze by arsonists in June 2022. Surveillance video showed two individuals smashing windows and setting fires inside the building. Damage was estimated at $400,000. To date, no arrests have been made.   

CompassCare officials have claimed solving the arson case is a low priority for local police and the FBI. Both agencies deny that, and the FBI has offered a reward for public tips which assist in their investigation. CompassCare’s leaders also say that state officials have been one-sided in denouncing violence and threats, depending the positions held by those who are being threatened.

Jim Harden, the CEO of CompassCare, gives us a closer, first-person account of these two Buffalo attacks, as well as the surrounding and overarching issues of violence directed at pro-life centers across the nation


Inside Out – Confidence in Barren Seasons – 03/22/23



If your prayers seem unanswered, or you feel the wait for God to act has been long, author and speaker Dena Dyer encourages confidence that God uses the barren seasons for His purposes. Dyer is the author of the recent blog post “Confidence in Barren Seasons: What Elizabeth Can Teach Us.”

Have you prayed for healing, a new job, a spouse–or children–but you’re still waiting? If so, you join the people of the Bible, like Elizabeth and Zechariah, who lived through barren seasons. Their lives, says author Dena Dyer, show us that we can be confident that God uses these times for His purposes.

“A barren season is one in which our prayers don’t seem to be answered,”? Dyer says. “Maybe our dreams are deferred, or we’re just—impatiently—waiting on something that’s important to us.”

Dyer wrote a recent Christianity Today/Better Samaritan blog post titled “Confidence in Barren Seasons” and is the author of the book Wounded Women of the Bible. She says not only does the Bible introduce us to people who know the ache of waiting, even God knows that ache.  

“Isaiah 30:18 is one of my favorite verses. And it says, ‘So the Lord must wait for you to come to Him so He can show you His love and compassion. For He is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for His help.’” 

Barren seasons can tempt us to drift from God. But Dyer urges us to remain confident that God is using these seasons for His purposes. “Be honest with God,” she says. “He already knows how we feel. And He’s merciful and kind.  And I’ve learned over the years that He wants a relationship with us all day, every day, no matter  what our mental state, our spiritual state, our physical state.”

And even when we’re weary of waiting, or disappointed in God, He wants us to reach for Him. “Even in the midst of barrenness, even in the midst of our lack of faith, He’s not going to condemn us in the moment, but embrace us,” she says.

Read Dyer’s blog on this topic here.


Hometown Heroes – Nancy Hurst and Rebecca Ellis – 03/21/23



Rebecca Ellis and Nancy Hurst are founders of “Raise of Hope”, a new community center in Cattaraugus, NY.

On this week’s Hometown Heroes on Family Life, you will hear how the Lord placed a vision before our guests, which then blossomed into a community center for artists, a farm-to-table market, and a transitional residence for teens moving from foster care into the early stages of their adulthood.

The Raise of Hope community center also can host entrepreneurs, county services, church events, and a private professional counseling practice.