Minibook Categories

In an increasingly sexualized world, it's difficult to know how to teach your children about their sexuality in a godly way. On the one hand, you don't want to give the impression that sex is bad or make them feel ashamed of their bodies. But on the...

Pastors and church personnel often struggle to apply intentional and appropriate doses of both biblical grace and stringent accountability to victims and perpetrators of child sexual abuse. Churches can regularly be prone to turn the tables on survivors...

Loving an addict is incredibly painful. Not only do you have to watch them make the same mistakes over and over again, but along the way they often lie to you, hurt you, and betray you. And yet, against all odds, you still love them and hope and pray...

How is your church ministering to children in your congregation who have experienced sexual abuse? Jesus told us that whoever received a child in his name received him (Matt. 18:5). Is this the guiding principle that informs how your congregation cares...

Your child's diagnosis with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may have left you feeling sad, confused, or perhaps even relieved to finally understand why he or she behaves differently from other children. Whatever your initial response to the diagnosis,...

The turmoil women experience after having an abortion is sometimes called "post-abortion syndrome." But you don't need a technical term to describe what you are feeling. The guilt, regret, depression, and grief are the honest struggles of a woman who's...

How do you blend two separate families into one household? Family traditions, values, interests, and parenting styles are often so far apart that simple questions like, "Who takes out the trash?" or "Where shall we go for Christmas?" can quickly become...

People handle the hard things in life in all different ways. What do you do when you get upset? Cry? Blow-up? Get depressed? Or perhaps, no one notices when you're upset because you find a quiet place and cut yourself. You're looking for relief, but is...

Are you ministering to someone whose trauma of sexual abuse has shattered their trust in God? Do you see them wrestling with the dichotomy between what they are told about God and the bitter facts of their wounds? If the abuse happened when they were a...

You feel emotionally isolated and sexually disengaged from your spouse. Could it be that the fantasy world of pornography has intruded upon your real-life marriage? Nicholas Black of Harvest USA, a ministry for people struggling with sexual issues,...

"I know porn is wrong for a married person, but I'm single. What can it hurt?" The accessibility of pornography through the Internet means that more singles are asking themselves if porn use really matters. But Nicholas Black of Harvest USA, a ministry...

Making friends is one of the most basic aspects of life, so why does it often feel so difficult? You reach out to others, but they don't reach back. You think you've found a friend, but then they let you down or move away. How do you forge genuine...

What if your human parents were violent, deceptive, cold, or even just occasionally disappointing? Can their failures keep you from understanding God's love and having a growing relationship with your heavenly Father? Some say that you can't know God's...

Shame is the experience of feeling unacceptable, less than others, or different. Children often experience the sting of this particular sense of failing to measure up. Whether this heavy feeling comes from internal or external pressures, children need...

When our children experience a traumatic event, we can feel powerless to help. We fear getting it wrong or reminding them of the hurt. Or we miss important cues that signal a child is in distress, leading us to address problematic behaviors with...

Retirement can seem like the light at the end of a very long tunnel of hard work. But for many of us, the reality doesn't quite match up to our hopes. We struggle with a loss of purpose, and the activities and interests we couldn't wait to have more...

It's frustrating to be under imperfect authority. And sometimes it's more than frustrating—we suffer when someone's authority is unfair, capricious, or just plain wrong. But does that let us off the hook? Do we have to listen only to those we...

Four little words that will rock any parent's world: "I think I'm gay." If your child said this, you are probably experiencing a combination of shock, denial, anger, confusion, and uncertainty. Despite your shock you still want to respond well. What...

It starts out as small moments of forgetfulness that can be chalked up to simply getting older. But as time passes and symptoms accumulate, you are forced to face the fact that your loved one has Alzheimer's disease. Now you're wondering how the course...

How do we protect the children in our Christian community from sexual offenders? We are becoming more and more aware of the prevalence of child abuse, both in society at large and in the church. We want to protect children in our community from abuse,...