Messages in bottles have been the stuff of folklore for centuries. Dying, desperate sailors have hurled them. Curious children have launched them. Nicholas Sparks wrote a novel based on them, but don’t read it—or watch the movie—unless you already have a prescription for antidepressants. The story I find most interesting about such bottles,...... >Read More

Tags: commitment, communication, family issues, family values, healthy marriage, improving your marriage, intimacy

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Today, the number of credit cards in Canada had grown to almost 65 million while the value of annual purchases made with credit cards increased more than ten times. The hard truth: More credit cards mean more credit card debt per person. Many Canadians are swamped by their monthly credit card obligations. Credit card debt is painful because often...... >Read More

Tags: bankruptcy, budget, credit, credit card debt, debt, FaithLife Financial, Family, family issues, FamilyLife, finances

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    Serious debt problems arise when the amount you owe is out of balance with your income and household expenses (such as mortgage payments and utilities). The primary aim of managing your debt is to restore the balance either by increasing your income – difficult to achieve in an economic downturn – or setting and following...... >Read More

Tags: business, credit cards, debt, debt management, FaithLife Financial, Family, family issues, FamilyLife, finances, financial, financial solutions, LIFE, Money, priorities

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There was a video on CNN yesterday that stopped me in my tracks. It wasn’t footage from Thailand, or election coverage.  It is a video of a little 5 year old girl  sitting in front of an image of 5 cartoon children. The children are all wearing the same dress and the same expression, only the color of their skin... >Read More

Tags: beauty, better parenting, character development, Family, family issues, family values, in the news, parenting, parenting essentials, racism, Self, social issues, World

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My daughter cut herself for the first time when she was 12 years old. Today, 11 years later, she is still struggling to overcome this problem. At the time I knew absolutely nothing about "self-harm" and it scared me to death. I was shocked and bewildered that she would do such a thing. It’s important to understand cutting -... >Read More

Tags: anxiety, attitude problems, better parenting, challenges & conflict, Culture, cutting, Dena Yohe, family issues, FamilyLife Favs, fear, grief, hardship & suffering, harm, health, LIFE, parenting, parenting essentials, peer pressure, Self, self-harm, self-mutilation, slashing, slicing, suicide, teenagers, teens, World

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There is often truth to some to the things we joke about.  I have heard lots of jokes about in-laws and how awful they can be, but I never thought I would be the one to experience anything like that! When I first got married I didn’t know much about my husband’s family. I knew a little, but my concern was... >Read More

Tags: boundaries, cope, Culture, Family, family issues, healthy marriage, in laws, marriage, newlywed, parents, relationships, sex and love, World

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When my son was diagnosed with autism, I was surprised at the depths of grief that threatened to overwhelm me. Even though I still had my son, I felt as if I had lost him in some ways. The burden of mourning and moving into a new normal was not a load I was able to carry on my... >Read More

Tags: autism, challenges & conflicts, diagnosis, disabilities, Family, family issues, grief, health, Health Issues, help, LIFE, special needs child, therapy, treatment, wellness

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