Does “willful sin” make someone lose their salvation?
Family Q&A
What’s the relationship between drugs, alcohol, and teen suicide? What should we do if we suspect that our child might be at risk for any of these behaviors?
How do I put a stop to the sexual relationship in which I’ve become involved with one of my siblings? It’s hard to explain how it came about. I have a feeling that it all began long before I was even aware of what was happening. Now that I’m fully conscious of it, I feel …
Do you have any assistance to offer to someone who seriously wants to stop drinking? Where do I find the professional help I need? I’m desperate to overcome my problem with alcohol, but hard experience has convinced me that I can’t beat this addiction on my own. Now my wife is threatening to take our …
How can I love and care for my elderly mother when we live on opposite sides of the country? My dad died several years ago, and my mom has been in decline ever since. Fortunately, two of my siblings still live within twenty minutes of her home, so I don’t worry about her needs being …
Is it normal to experience deep grief after the unexpected termination of a pregnancy? I recently lost my first child through miscarriage, and my husband and I are surprised at how devastating this experience has been for us. Is this typical?
What are your thoughts on the merits of medical marijuana? Do you think it should be legalized? My newspaper has run a series of stories recently about its supposed benefits. I really don’t know what to think. Can you help me sort this out?
How can I come alongside a compulsive gambler and encourage him to take steps to overcome his addiction? After observing my husband’s behavior, seeking out the opinions of pastors and friends, and researching the issue on my own, I’ve come to the conclusion that he has a serious problem in this area. I’d like to …
How can I overcome the sadness I feel since my husband died?
Why should I go to college? The way I see it, college isn’t shaping the next generation into productive adults and leaders, and it doesn’t help individual students achieve their personal goals. Why bury yourself in debt just because everyone else expects you to pursue “higher education”? Why waste several years of your life earning …
Could my struggle with bulimia and anorexia stem from a lack of understanding of my identity in Christ? A friend recently suggested this possibility, and I’m not sure what to think of it. I’ve been struggling with eating disorders ever since I was a teenager, but I never considered it a spiritual problem. Does my …
Is it a bad idea to become romantically involved with a fellow employee? I think I’m in love with a man who works in my office. I know it’s often considered unprofessional to date a co-worker, and I’m not entirely certain about his feelings for me. The last thing I want to do is place …
Are “pro-ana” websites helpful for those with anorexia and other eating disorders? I recently discovered that my teenage daughter, who has struggled with an eating disorder (anorexia), has been visiting one of these sites on a regular basis. When I questioned her about it, she said that it’s designed to provide girls in her situation …
Can you tell us what changes we should expect as our child goes through puberty and enters adolescence — and how we should deal with them? I realize that this is likely to be a challenging time in our son’s life. I’m also assuming that my spouse and I will have to bear a large …
How can I help my granddaughter who is struggling with her racial identity? She’s the child of an interracial marriage – her mother is white, her father black. Her parents have now divorced and her dad is no longer in the picture. On top of the many other problems that go along with being a …
Is it appropriate to pay our school-aged children for doing household tasks? When I was growing up I always received an allowance, but my spouse says that kids need to work without being paid because that’s part of being a family. What do you think?
In light of our tight financial situation, how should we handle all of the costly “extras” at our child’s school? Here’s the latest example: we received a note from my child’s kindergarten teacher informing us that the school would be producing yearbooks that cost $30.00. We declined to buy one, only to learn that our …
How do we stop our two teenage sons from fighting over a girl? What should we do? The sixteen-year-old, who has always been more outgoing than his brother, has struck up a “friendship” with a girl our seventeen-year-old has liked for over a year. This kind of thing has happened before, though it’s always been …
I’ve heard a lot about the post-partum blues, but is it normal to be feeling emotionally down before the baby arrives? I’m currently about three-quarters of the way through my pregnancy, and lately I’ve been very low and sad. Is there anything I can do about this?
How can I convince my adult son that matrimony is valuable and worthwhile when his own parents couldn’t make it work? My ex-spouse and I split up when my children were still small, and I thought it was all water under the bridge. Now I find that my son blames me and his dad for …