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Focus on the Family Broadcast

Dating Tips For Today’s Singles

Dating Tips For Today’s Singles

Jonathan Pokluda and Lisa Anderson, host of the Boundless Show, discuss the importance of single Christians pursuing dating in God’s way. This conversation will offer encouragement to parents of young adults who are hoping to see their son or daughter get married. The duo also offers amazing insights on how marriage isn’t about living “happily ever after,” but is rather an opportunity to become more like Jesus.
Original Air Date: February 2, 2022

Sponsor ID: The following program is sponsored by Focus on the Family and is supported by the prayers and financial gifts of wonderful friends like you.

Preview:

Woman #1: I think the perfect date is having just a really good conversation over coffee.

Man #1: Probably a fall festival. You have a lot of activities. There’s a lot of things you can do, but you’re still talking and it’s not like going to a movie.

Woman #2: Anything that is outdoors and reveals character and allows for good conversation and laughter.

Man #2: Going to a concert and singing along with the music together just sounds perfect.

Woman #3: Driving in a car, listening to good music, and then watching the stars.

End of Preview

John Fuller: Well whether you’re married or not, you probably have some idea of what a perfect date would be. And, uh, maybe you’ve had a few of those, or you’re looking forward to some perfect dates in the near future. Uh, well welcome to today’s episode of Focus on the Family. We’ll be exploring the world of dating today and we’ll examine some of the current challenges and offer some hope. Your host is Focus President and author Jim Daly, and I’m John Fuller.

Jim Daly: John, I have such great memories of when Jean and I began dating and I’m sure many of the parents listening right now can say the same thing. Uh, that excitement about getting to know someone you’re attracted to and those early feelings of love. And now we find ourselves watching it happen all over again with our young adults, uh, Trent and Troy, you know. So, it’s exciting, it’s an exciting time and, uh, you know, I get it, not everybody’s gonna get married but a majority of people probably will. I’ve also got some data here that I just saw the other day, uh, for ages 25 to 50. In 1970, only 9% of that group, uh, was not married, 25-50. And uh, then today it’s 35% are not married. And that represents about 39 million people. So there’s a, you know, there’s something going on where people aren’t, uh, desiring at the same rate to get married as, uh, as they once did. But today we’re gonna explore that. How to cultivate a healthy dating relationship, how to move toward marriage which, uh, is a good thing.

John: Yeah. And this is, this can be a troubling conversation and topic for parents who have raised their kids as Christians. We have expectations, we have standards, we’re thinking you can do better than the culture is offering. But, um, it’s a difficult conversation to have.

Jim: Well, and, you know, again we don’t wanna raise marriage up as an idol.

John: Mm-hmm.

Jim: And, uh, you know when I was young, I thought maybe I would go through life single.

John: You’ve mentioned that.

Jim: I was making that commitment to the Lord. Then I met Jean and said, Lord I’m sorry, don’t think I could do that. And that’s the way it should be. And, uh, I’m looking forward to our conversation today.

John: Yeah, and we recognize not all single adults are gonna be married. But the majority likely will, at some point, um, want to do what you did with Jean. We have two great guests who have really unpacked this topic. Uh, Lisa Anderson is back with us. She’s our colleague here at Focus and heads up Focus on the Family’s Boundless effort, which include a podcast, and a broadcast and a website and more for single adults to help them grow in their relationships and their relationship with God as well. We also have Jonathan J.P. Pokluda, we’ll call you J.P. I guess, uh, along the way here. He’s worked in young adult ministry for years. He’s the pastor of Harris Creek Baptist Church in Waco, Texas and has a book that, uh, we’ll be covering today. It’s called Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed.

Jim: Lisa and J.P. welcome.

J.P. Pokluda: Hey, thank you guys for having me on.

Lisa Anderson: Good to be here.

Jim: Yeah, it’s always fun. There’s so much energy in those, uh, single adults. I love it.

JP: For sure.

Jim: There’s all kinds of energy, right?

JP: Absolutely. Lisa, it’s fun to be back with you as well.

Lisa: Very good to be here.

Jim: All right, let’s get into it. Uh, in your, uh, book, J.P. with, and your work frankly with young adults, uh what are some of your observations about the dating culture? I’ve been married 35 years. How long you been married?

John: 37.

Jim: It has changed substantially. And it’s hard, you know, with my boys 21 and 19, it can be hard for me to tell me again what’s happening. I mean it’s like wow, it’s not the same thing.

JP: Yeah, let me just say this, if you’re listening and you’re single and you desire marriage, if you are in a relationship, or if you are the parents of someone that you desire marriage for or they’re dating, maybe you like their significant other. Maybe you don’t. I hope you’ll listen in and find something helpful here because it has changed. Uh, our, my children, there’s a really good chance they’re going to meet their spouse through an app. Uh, technology now plays a role in this. Whether we like it or not, it’s here to stay. It’s not going anywhere. And we’ve become more segmented and so people are looking to the church, uh, wanting the church to help them find a spouse and everybody’s kinda throwing their hands out. You know, people are getting married later. They’re getting married less and marriages aren’t lasting. And so that’s really why this book, Outdated was born, uh, so that we could give people a roadmap, uh, some help, create a biblical world view on this topic that shows up nowhere in the Bible. So nowhere in the scripture of Genesis to Revelation will you find the word dating because it didn’t exist. Dating’s only about 120 years old. And uh, most people don’t realize that. That as we do this thing that is completely commonplace now, that it is, it’s a new idea. And I’m not trying to kiss it goodbye if you will. But I am trying to say hey let’s work in some biblical ideas to help us here.

Jim: Well I know that’s serious what you just said but, boy in my experience meeting Jean, I’m glad I was born in the time I was.

JP: Yeah, yeah.

Jim: That 120 year. I mean that’s amazing.

JP: It is.

Jim: ‘Cause it was really fulfilling for us. And I, I think we did a good job. I mean, Jean and I, you know, we contained all those appetites and all those things and really, I felt like, honored the Lord through it. And, you know, it was a good thing. Lisa, let me give you a swing at what I asked J.P. in terms of what you hear back from Boundless readers and listeners about, you know, their thoughts on marriage and the dating culture. What do you hear?

Lisa: Yeah, I, I really think there is a lot of frustration Jim, because it’s, you know, if if you talk to our parents, our grandparents, it was this idea of like there was just a natural progression of dating. Like, you think of the average church. You went to youth group, then you went to the college group. And then the next thing was like the young marrieds group. So you just go married and your peers did too, and it was just kind of a thing you did. But now, it’s kinda like some people go to college, some people don’t. Then you can be in a small group, and it might be for people who are believers and ride Harley’s or, you know, whatever. There’s just so many things that are like segmented and it’s no longer assumptive as this is what I do because I’m now 23. Clearly, I’m just gonna be dating, looking for someone, getting married. And, for those that want to get married, they do get frustrated because finding someone who wants the same thing and is pursuing it in the same way is like a holy grail.

Jim: You know one of the things, as a parent now of kids in that dating age range, and this is probably a more toward the younger adult as I say this. You know, we have our experience as parents, right? That’s what we did. And I can just hear that conversation with the 21-year-old who’s not found that dating relationship yet or not found that someone. Boy, by 20, you know by 21 I already met your dad and, you know, this is already happening. What’s your problem?

JP: Yeah.

Jim: And I think we as parents have to be careful not to project our experience of, you know, 20, 30 years ago onto our kids, ’cause it is different. And you know, in many ways it’s unfair.

JP: Yeah, even as you pray for your children. And so, yeah, at an early age you’re praying, it’s like pray for their spouse. Well what if they don’t get married? And I think we forget that the scripture calls singleness a gift. Paul says that in First Corinthians chapter seven and he’s actually plagiarizing the words of Jesus in Matthew 19 where he says there are some who are celibate for the sake of the kingdom. Not everyone can accept this. But those who can, should. By the way, Paul single, Jesus also single. And, and we have this idea from, that comes from you know I think, Jerry McGuire back in the day, this you complete me, which really sends, uh, a signal to singles that you’re not whole. That you’re, you’re just a half a person. And, uh, you know Jesus certainly the most complete human being that has ever lived as God. Uh, you know he wasn’t incomplete, he wasn’t a half a person and so we’re not trying to find our soulmate or star-crossed lover or all of these ideas that actually come into our culture from Greek mythology and we don’t realize that. And so, absolutely, I know Lisa and I have talked a lot about that before.

Jim: Let me, let me move to some of the data that’s a little concerning, or I should say very concerning. Uh, some statistics and surveys are showing that, within the Christian community, so I’m not talking about the world, but the Christian community, um, research shows that 47% of young Evangelicals are saying they would live together before marriage, kinda try it out. 47% and I guess the right question is why are Christians compromising in this way and falling for it? I think the other data point is about half of those that live together end up not getting married.

JP: That’s right.

Jim: And that’s double trouble.

JP: It’s, uh, I think there, well there’s lots of statistics out there. One that I looked at was even much more than half. And the success rate of cohabitation, one that I’ll share, is about 2%. And so that’s crazy. Or, and and you can find statistics that venture off that a little bit. But think about if 100 people live together, a significant portion of them is not going to get married and then another significant portion of those that get married end in divorce. And so this whole try before you buy is not working. And it’s like there’s a God and he has this, uh, you know ideals and these desires for us and, and they actually work out for our good. And so I think as we begin to apply those, uh, we’ll find life. Not as a promise certainly hardships can happen in this fallen world. But as we pursue the things that he desires for us, He’s the one that invented marriage. You know, he, He invented relationships, He made them male and female. He, he knows how this works better than anyone else. And so, as we, uh, as we look to Him I think then we, we find the path.

JP: But yeah, the cohabitation, it’s a real issue.

Jim: Yeah.

JP: I think it’s just the, the way that we think. We’re, there’s a spirit of selfishness in the air. Uh, I don’t wanna commit. Why commit if I can just have a roommate and I can have the friends with benefits and I can get the, you know, “benefits of marriage without the commitment”? But it doesn’t go well.

Lisa: Well, and I think that’s where, you know, for women, Jim, it’s very easy for women to choose to settle on this front. Because for them, the assumption is, if I choose to live with this guy, it’s gonna drive him towards commitment. And what happens is exactly the opposite. They think that if they just bide their time, wait it out, build more connection with this guy that he’s gonna stay. But then what we find is, you know, all of a sudden, they’re sharing a rent or maybe in some cases, sharing a mortgage. Then they’re sharing a dog, and then eventually they might share a kid or two. And at that point, they might be in a really bad, toxic relationship but it’s so hard to extricate themselves from that that they just stay in it and just wait it out and end up in a really bad situation, sometimes for years. Um, because they just realize, well I paid my dues, I put my time in, I guess I’m just gonna leave it the status quo.

JP: Yeah, cohabitation will keep you in the wrong relationship too long and it will keep you from the right relationship. We see that more and more.

Jim: Wow, that’s well said. Yeah, that’s good. Lisa, let me also ask you, you have a, uh, comment from a Boundless listener that illustrates the pain and confusion that many Christian families are dealing with because of this cohabitation. Um, share that comment and then explain how you address this topic with your Boundless listeners.

Lisa: Yeah, I mean, I’ll kind of, uh, summarize it here. We had a listener write in who was talking about her brother who was dating someone and, uh, their mom was allowing brother and his girlfriend to sleep together when they visited. And she’s like, I think my mom is a Christian and I’m not comfortable with this, but I don’t wanna drive my brother away. But do I confront my mom? And so you can see where it gets muddy. And this is where also, when we’re wondering like what are, you know, how do we apply Christian principles to everyday life? And does she honor her mom in this? It’s her mom’s house. And so it really became a sticky situation to kind of work through.

Jim: That’s so interesting. I would think that would be a different scenario where the mom and dad were engaged and worried that, you know, you can stay here but you got to stay in different rooms and all that kind of thing. And it’s the child, the sibling saying hey I don’t think this is cool.

Lisa: Yeah.

Jim: That’s amazing.

Lisa: Well it’s, it’s almost a weird case of, like, you know young adult children parenting parents.

Jim: Role reversal.

Lisa: Yeah, role reversal in that. And we’re seeing that a lot.

John: Yeah, this is Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. I’m John Fuller and our guests today are J.P. Pokluda and, uh, Lisa Anderson. And we’re so glad to have them. We’ve got J.P.’s book as the foundation for our conversation today. It’s called Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed. And get in touch to get your copy. Our phone number is (800), the letter A, and the word FAMILY. And, uh, you can find us online at focusonthefamily.com/broadcast.

Jim: J.P. the challenges that many single adults face with dating today are part of your journey. I mean, this is your testimony and I’m sure it’s, you know, that old adage that, that you were, uh, passion is born out of your pain. You speak from that experience when you say don’t make the same mistakes that I made.

JP: That’s right.

Jim: Explain how you viewed dating before you were Christian? What age did you become a Christian?

JP: Yeah, it was an adventure. It was this, it was the manics of dating for me. And I’ll go back to something you said earlier where, where you talk about you and your wife dating and it really being a benefit to you. But we almost have to define that word now, because it means so many different things to different people.

Jim: Right. Right.

JP: For a lot of people, when they hear dating, they think oh it’s this emotional experience. And that’s what it was for Monica and I or even before I met Monica. The manic highs and the manic lows going on the adventure, kind of like the bachelor, the bachelorette if you will. Let’s go experience all the things together. And I called myself a Christian, I was raised in the church. But really, I wasn’t making any decision that was rooted in Christ or God’s word. And then I was at a club 20 years ago, and someone invited me to church. I sat in the back row, hung over, I smelt like smoke from the night before and ended up giving my life to Jesus. And I really had to realize that I wasn’t a Christian to become one. And when that happened, everything changed. I sat Monica, my girlfriend at the time, we sat down and just said what do you believe about God? And we had fought about faith, uh, up until now. But she said I believe that Jesus died for my sins and raised from the dead. I said I believe that too. Let’s build on that. And oh, by the way, I think we need to stop the physical stuff. It, it seems like that’s not God’s desire. And so we pulled the parking brake on that. That was really challenging as you can imagine. So then I was like we should probably get married. And so shortly thereafter, we got married. But I, I will say I’ve never met, I’ve done a lot of marriage counseling, a lot of pre-marriage counseling, I’ve never met someone with marriage problems.

John: Hmm.

JP: Uh, they’ve always been single people problems that they’ve brought into marriage.

John: Oh interesting.

JP: And the, and the marriage just throws a giant magnifying glass on it. And that was my story. So that there was, you know, pornography. I was a sex addict, uh, uh, certainly addicted to pornography. And so I needed to go through a season of healing before I brought someone into my problems and challenges. And so now, as I look back, you know there is a way to date, like you said, like you experienced Jim, that’s really God honoring. That is, is a method that I think a lot of times He blesses, uh, with a healthy marriage. Not an easy marriage but a healthy marriage. And so that is, you’re right, I mean my passion is born out of that pain.

Jim: Yeah, and let me, you know, I had difficulties in high school and early college. But you know, the Lord really spoke to my heart about the right way to go. And I remember after Jean and I’s first date, I shook her hand ’cause I just said to myself, I’m not going any further. And the irony of ironies is that what, that is one of the things that Jean’s attention.

John: It makes a great first impression. Here’s a handshake.

Jim: And it was very sincere. I didn’t do it for any other motivation. I just knew if I, if I do anything else, it’s gonna take us down the wrong path.

JP: That’s right.

Jim: And you know the, the thing about that, men, even if you’re 19, 20, 21, you got to be a man at that point and and demonstrate what this is going to grow into. And don’t fall into the trap. It’s hard, yeah, it’s difficult. We’ve been there.

JP: Yeah.

Jim: Uh, but you got to find the way to make your commitment to Christ first and then the relationship second.

JP: That’s right.

Jim: And, uh, that’s just, the way it is. Lisa, uh, there can be a lot of confusion about dating because men and women have, uh, different goals, maybe expectations. I think today we’re being told that maybe they’re not so different. Women are wanting physical intimacy as much as men. I mean, that’s what’s being said right? Um, explain why it’s important for single adults to be more intentional in their dating?

Lisa: Yeah, I think it’s very easy to get caught up in just the clutter of what you assume relationships are or what you want them to be. So you have many options of, you know, we we see people “hanging out”. We see people hooking up. We see people dating intentionally or what I would call biblical dating of really moving along a progression, a trajectory of, of what would be a great way to get to know someone. But no one has really, you know, I I jokingly say to Boundless listeners, it’d be awesome if we could open up the bible and look for first and second dating and just get all of our instructions out there. But the fact is that doesn’t exist. And so, uh, as a result, we have to script some principles of what it means to honor someone as a brother or sister in Christ. And until you are married to this person, that is all they are. And so, they’re, obviously like as you start dating or expressing interest in someone, you’re gonna do that. Hopefully be, you know, very explicit about that, like I’m interested in you. But the fact is, now with all the muddiness in our culture, we’re actually having to give that kind of instruction to young adults of, like, this is what it looks like to actually ask someone out. This is what it looks like to not just get caught up in what I call a friendlationship of using this person for connection, for affection, for attention. And so we really have to be a lot more, and you know young adults are here for it. I mean, they’re kinda like please help me navigate this space. Help me figure this out because I don’t know what I’m doing. And my, you know, my parents are either like telling me not to get in a relationship or they’re pushing me towards relationship. And so they just want some clarity.

Jim: Let me, let me ask you this. The, uh, kinda the group gathering. And I think Trent and Troy, at least my observation, I’m sure I don’t know everything, uh but the observation that I have is that they, they did lean into kinda the guys and the girls kinda going out together.

JP: Yeah.

Jim: In like, like pack of about eight to ten.

JP: Yeah.

Jim: And that felt comfortable as parents, to Jean and I. Again, I don’t know that all the behavior was, you know, perfect. But what about that concept for, particularly teenagers in a Christian home, the parents saying, you know, that scenario that seems right for 16, 17.

JP: That’s right.

Jim: Where you go out with a bunch of friends and-

JP: You’re learning to be comfortable around the opposite sex. I mean that’s, that’s what they’re learning right? And I, I would say this here, that I think dating the way the world does it is really the enemy of marriage.

Jim: Hmm.

JP: And so, if we reframe it as hanging out with other followers of Jesus, other Christians, and you start to observe people and you think, you know what? There’s something special about that, and you you begin to kinda feel your heart moving toward them. And, but you, and you know about them because you’ve hung out for a season, hey they really are following Jesus. So now let’s redefine dating as, in a way that I think is God honoring. It’s a path to a promise. It’s a path to a promise. So when I enter into a committed relationship with them, meaning we’re not dating other people, really all I’m trying to do is, is identify are they who I think they are? Are, would they make a good husband? Would they make a good wife? Would they make a good father? Would they be a good mother? Do they have these character qualities there? And I’m just trying to identify that honestly, as quickly and effectively as I can assuming that I’m at, at an age where I’m ready for marriage.

Jim: Yeah.

JP: Prior to that, like Lisa said, it’s brothers and sister relationships. We’re hanging out, we’re having fun.

Jim: Yeah.

JP: You know, guarding your heart which I know sound archaic because it is a couple thousand years old. Still very effective today.

Jim: Very good formula.

JP: That’s right.

Lisa: Well, where did we get this idea that we should just all be dating? Any age, any stage. I mean all it’s gonna do is set you up for a lot of heartache and or you know, a, uh, downward spiral of getting caught into a vortex of sexual activity or whatever. I mean I’m like, you know, I I have friends of mine, you know, with 13-year old’s that they’re like oh go get a boyfriend. Meet a boyfriend at school. And I’m like what are we talking about? I mean, and, and you know I’ve really believe that dating is for the purpose of finding a marriage partner. And you do that intentionally, you do it well, you do it in community and you’re gonna have a lot better chance of finding that person successfully.

Jim: Um, let me ask you J.P. You have an acrostic that I actually sent to my son today ’cause I thought it so good, this idea of cross and what each element C-R-O-S-S, means in the dating relationship.

JP: Yeah. Yeah, I think just as you consider who you’re looking for in, in that list. And I, I’m not against lists. Just make sure your list aligns with God’s list for you. Like you’re looking for what he would have you look at. Y-you want to find someone who is controlled. Uh, self-control is a fruit of the spirit. You want to find someone who is responsible. As they’re moving to the adult season of life, it’s hard. And there are bills and there are challenges, uh, that come with just being an adult. So you want to find someone who is responsible, someone is who is obedient, uh, they are submissive to authority. They are under the control of the holy spirit. They know God’s word. They live according to what it says. They’re serving. And if someone does not enjoy serving, they’re going to hate marriage. And then I would just say someone who is steady. Uh, it’s not the manic highs and the manic lows that the world would tell you dating is, that Monica and I experienced. Uh, it really is, there’s a steadiness. I-in a lot of ways, and no and this is not a popular opinion. But it in a lot of ways you want a boring marriage. And what I mean by a boring marriage is it wouldn’t make a good reality show. It’s not the stuff’s getting thrown against the wall and we’re yelling expletives at each other and, you know, and then we’re crying and then we’re making up. It’s steady. So controlled, responsible, obedient, serving, steady. That’s the acrostic of CROSS.

John: It’s really good.

Jim: I think that’s great. J.P. we’re right at the end here. Uh, I wanna close with your perspective about the fairy tale ending, uh, that many singles dream about that if they only get there, it’s all gonna be bliss. And really, you’re just strapping in for the next level of what God’s gonna teach you.

JP: Y-your greatest disappointments come from expectations.

Jim: Boy, that’s true.

JP: And I would say the, the most concentrated form of expectations or the highest platform from which we fall is entitlement. And so I think when you go into the world, you feel entitled to marriage, and you, you feel entitled to a fun marriage that’s easy. I’m telling you; it’s doesn’t exist. It’s not out there. You can have a lot of fun but it, it requires a lot of work and a lot of sacrifice. And so what we hear Disney telling us is this idea of happily ever after.  And the problem with that is, is it’s actually we don’t know. We don’t know what’s in store. We don’t know if it’s infertility. We don’t know, uh, what it’s gonna be like to, to bury a parent. The, the challenges and the weightiness of life really what we did in marriage is we found a partner to help us carry some of that. And at times, that partner is gonna be a part of what we carry, is, is gonna be a, uh, they’re going to be a part of the challenges in this life. And so what the scripture tells us is, is no one is married in heaven, uh, except for everyone is married in heaven. We’re married to Jesus. We are the bride of Christ, his church. And so marriage is this metaphor. It’s not just a metaphor but it is first a metaphor. So in Ephesians five, Paul is saying husbands, wives, Jesus, church. Husbands, wives, Jesus, church. Husbands, wives, Jesus, church, to show us something that marriage showcases the savior. And when we lay our lives down for one another, when husbands lay their lives down for wives as wives submit to that kind of leadership. And I know that seems like an, an old-fashioned idea but it starts out that, that passage starts out “husband and wives submit to one another out of reverence for Christ”. When we live like that, the world is saying man there is something different about them. I wanna get to know their God. And that’s the true happily ever after. That we can live in eternity with God because of what he’s done for us through his son Jesus Christ.

Jim: I’m like bursting out of my seat right here. You couldn’t say it any better J.P. I mean that is right on. And that’s what we fight for each and every day. Lisa, you get a shot at, uh, really, uh hitting on Boundless here. What are you trying to accomplish?

Lisa: Yeah, I mean, well I just wanted to say one thing to that, Jim. And that is, yeah, if as a single person, if marriage is the ultimate prize, then Paul and Jesus and I have the lamest lives ever. I mean we have, we’re, we’re not done. We’re not any, what what is there? And so that’s where I say, you know, we will all stand before the Lord as single individuals, you know. Ready to enter heaven and what’s that gonna look like? And so, for me, I’m encouraged that, you know, single people that get married, they’re gonna trade one set of joys and sorrows for another set of joys and sorrows. So it’s not like there’s first- and second-class citizens or that whole deal. So I am just excited that, at Boundless, we have the opportunity to be a community for folks who are hopeful for marriage, some who maybe wanna remain single. But ultimately are walking out their faith in a way hopefully in community and a way they are pursuing Christ and wanting to honor him now and whether or not they get married. And we just have the opportunity to root for them and provide them advice and resources along the way.

Jim: That’s great. And John will give details how to connect to Boundless in a moment. But, uh, Lisa, J.P. thank you so much for being with us.

JP: Thank you so much for having me on.

Lisa: Thanks, much.

Jim: It’s really, really good and I hope you’ll get a copy of, uh, J.P.’s book Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed. Um, I’m gonna snag a couple copies for my boys and make sure that they have it. And I’m gonna recommend that you get a copy. And if you can make, make a gift to focus on the family, be a part of the ministry. Um, we’ll send you a copy of the book as our way of saying thank you for being a partner.

Jim: And, uh, man, I think this is one of the most important things, important jobs we have as parents is to help our kids navigate, our young adult kids navigate this area.

JP: That’s right.

John: I’m so glad we had this conversation. And, as Jim said, get a copy of this book when you get in touch. Uh, donate as you can. Our number’s (800) the letter A and the word FAMILY. (800)232-6459 or stop by focusonthefamily.com/broadcast. And at our website we’re gonna link over to the Boundless show podcast and the website and please do a favor and let any single adults in your sphere know about this terrific outreach. And make plans to join us tomorrow for an insightful conversation with Dr. Gary Chapman about knowing your child’s love language.

Preview:

Dr. Gary Chapman: I’ve sometimes said, in every child there’s an emotional love tank. You know, and if a love tank is full, the child grows up emotionally healthy. If the love tank is empty, then the child feels like they don’t love me.

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Outdated: Find Love That Lasts When Dating Has Changed

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The Surprising Blessings of an Unplanned Pregnancy

If your family is dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, it can be a very difficult time, with lots of emotions and potential outcomes. In this Focus on the Family chapel message, a winsome mother-daughter team share how an unplanned pregnancy rocked their world, the confusion that resulted, and how the daughter found strength through biblical counseling at a local pregnancy resource center. Ultimately, the baby was adopted by an extended family member and is growing up delighted to have an ‘extra’ mom.

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Organizing the Chaos in Your Home

Kristi Clover, mother of 5, shares quick and simple tips to bring joy into your home by getting more organized. From clearing the clutter to choosing your top priorities, you’ll learn some techniques to make housework easy and fun for the whole family!

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A Legacy of Music and Trusting the Lord

Larnelle Harris shares stories about how God redeemed the dysfunctional past of his parents, the many African-American teachers who sacrificed their time and energy to give young men like himself a better future, and how his faithfulness to godly principles gave him greater opportunities and career success than anything else.

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Accepting Your Imperfect Life

Amy Carroll shares how her perfectionism led to her being discontent in her marriage for over a decade, how she learned to find value in who Christ is, not in what she does, and practical ways everyone can accept the messiness of marriage and of life.