At what point does a child become personally responsible for his or her actions before God? This is not just an academic question; as I see it, your answer will affect how I choose to discipline my children. I know that we’re all born with an inherited sin nature, but I’m not sure what the …
Family Q&A
Is it possible to be consistently pro-life while still making an exception for abortion in cases when the life of the mother is at risk? What’s your perspective on this difficult ethical question?
Is it normal for me to be dealing with troubling emotions as the result of a past abortion? It happened years ago, but I still have a really hard time coping with my feelings.
Should I have an abortion if my baby is likely to be born with a serious – potentially fatal – medical condition?
Should I slow things down with my boyfriend just because he is a new Christian? I recently began dating a young man whom I like very much and who seems to be a person of strong character. He accepted Christ about five months ago, and had been attending church and Bible study before we met. …
What can a young couple do about parents who often stop in for a visit unexpectedly? My husband and I are newly married, and my in-laws have a habit of making unannounced visits. We’ve asked them to call first, but so far nothing has changed. Is there a way to let them know that we …
Should I pursue a serious relationship with someone of another denomination whose theological framework is radically different from my own? While serving on a short-term mission this summer, I met a young lady for whom I have developed deep feelings and great respect. We’ve been corresponding since we returned to the States, and our friendship …
Can you help me and my new spouse set some reasonable financial goals for our life together? We haven’t been married very long, and my husband is already talking about buying a house and setting up retirement funds. Meanwhile, I’m concerned about paying rent and buying groceries. Is he being realistic? Am I worrying unnecessarily? …
Is it important for a young couple to have a savings account? As a rule of thumb, how much money should we be saving out of our monthly earnings?
Is it normal for a woman to feel emotionally low and exhausted in the weeks after giving birth? The birth of our child was one of the highlights of our married life, but now my wife is frequently depressed. She doesn’t communicate with me and resists any romantic advances on my part. All of this …
Does Focus on the Family offer marriage retreats and conferences for couples?
How can my wife and I agree on how much money we should be donating to our church? She thinks tithing is just a “starting point” — that dedicated Christians should give more than ten percent. I have no problem with giving when we have enough to spare, but I don’t see any reason to …
Is it wrong for a married person to have a friend of the opposite sex? While my spouse was away on a week-long missions trip, I enlisted a male friend from work to come over and help me care for our eighteen-month-old daughter. In the process, we ended up watching movies together or working on …
Should my boyfriend and I live together to save money for our wedding? As we’ve discussed the matter, it has occurred to us that sharing an apartment before the wedding – just as a temporary measure – might be a practical step for us financially. The plan is for my boyfriend to have his own room while …
Do you have any suggestions for dealing with a spouse who becomes emotionally agitated and irrational whenever we experience even the slightest disagreement? We’ve got a good marriage, but she’s hypersensitive and feels threatened by conflict of any kind. This has created a situation in which differences are simply dropped and never really dealt with. …
How do we deal with a sibling who refuses to participate financially in caring for an elderly parent? My mom is in her late eighties and now needs assisted living care. She has limited income, and her assets are insufficient to cover the cost. My oldest sister and I are going to be tightening our …
How can I get my spouse to open up and talk with me? We’ve been married for almost two years, and I don’t understand him any better than I did before our honeymoon. Any advice or suggestions?
Would you recommend separation for married couples who feel that they’ve come to the end of their rope?
Should I let my husband to put sexually suggestive photos of me on his cell phone as a substitute for pornography?
How can my spouse and I work through our many unresolved conflicts? At this point we’re practically living separate lives, and the problem is only getting worse. Should we simply agree to disagree about our differences?