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FamilyLife Today® is a weekday podcast featuring fun, engaging conversations that help families grow together with Jesus while pursuing the relationships that matter most.
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Middle schoolers who grunt. Teens glued to screens. You love your kid—but do they feel liked? On Family Life Today, Kathy Koch sits down with Dave Wilson and Ann Wilson to expose performance-driven parenting and show a better way. If you’re tired of comparing, correcting, and panicking about faith, tech, or rebellion—this conversation meets you in the mess and points you toward your child’s heart. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Kathy Koch and her book "Start with the Heart" at celebratekids.com Set sail on the Love Like You Mean It Marriage Cruise! Now through 3/31/26, use promo code CruiseMadness27 and enjoy exclusive savings on your stateroom. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
On what should have been his son’s wedding day, Tim & Challies stood at a graveside and read the wedding speech he never got to give. Months earlier, 20-year-old Nick had collapsed and died without warning. If God is good, why is the future we imagine buried? When the life we plan is gone and peace feels like a promise meant for someone else, is faith strong enough for the life we'd never choose? Show Notes and Resources Order your copy of "Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God" in our shop Visit Tim's blog at challies.com Follow Tim on facebook: @challies Set sail on the Love Like You Mean It Marriage Cruise! Now through 3/31/26, use promo code CruiseMadness27 and enjoy exclusive savings on your stateroom. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
On a peaceful fall day, Tim & Aileen Challies' son, a seminary student engaged to be married, suddenly collapsed during a pickup game on campus. He would never come home. In this candid conversation, Tim & Aileen share what followed: shock, isolation, a marriage grieving in different languages, and the search for God in the silence. When the unthinkable happens, you may find yourself asking, “Why does God let bad things happen?”—and wonder if your faith is strong enough to hold you. Or maybe, you'll discover it’s holding you. Show Notes and Resources Order your copy of "Seasons of Sorrow: The Pain of Loss and the Comfort of God" in our shop Visit Tim's blog at challies.com Follow Tim on facebook: @challies Set sail on the Love Like You Mean It Marriage Cruise! Now through 3/31/26, use promo code CruiseMadness27 and enjoy exclusive savings on your stateroom. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Loss lingers in blended families—resurfacing during weddings, graduations, birthdays—stirring developmental grief no one sees. Couples grieve unevenly, risking distance; church often silences sorrow instead of shepherding it. If you're overwhelmed by grief, exhausted by "move on" pressure, and craving space for honest pain, listen in. Ron and Nan Deal unpack why lament is biblical, not weakness, offering a faithful path through unresolved sorrow that keeps you connected to God and each other. Show Notes and Resources Get your copy of Mindful Marriage in our shop Sign up for Blended and Blessed at blendedandblessed.com Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
You’ve heard “What does this verse mean to you?” and felt uneasy, or watched Scripture twisted in ways that hurt. Busy life buries Bible study; guilt piles up over adult kids who’ve walked away. If you’re intimidated by “correct” interpretation or weary of shallow approaches, this episode delivers clarity. YouTube "Bible Nerd" Faith Womack equips everyday believers to read contextually, reframe misused verses, and anchor identity and family in God’s unchanging Word—not performance or outcomes. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Faith and where to get your copy of No More Boring Bible Study at biblenerdministries.com Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now! Follow Faith on Instagram @biblenerdministries Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
You've feel like a failure for not studying enough--or you've even been hurt by twisted Scripture. In family chaos, the Bible gathers dust while guilt builds. If you're hungry for truth without the baggage, tune in. Faith Womack, YouTube's Bible Nerd, shares her rough, raw origins—from spiritual abuse and miscarriage to building a ministry—and reframes Bible engagement as joyful, everyday discipleship. No more boring; just God's Word as the anchor you need. Show Notes and Resources Learn more about Faith and where to get your copy of No More Boring Bible Study at biblenerdministries.com Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now! Follow Faith on Instagram @biblenerdministries Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
1Fear. Worry. Pain: They can feel all-consuming. Author and speaker Amberley Neese believes that in the questions Jesus asks in the Gospels, there are answers big enough for all three--and a highway to stronger faith. Show Notes and Resources Untangling Faith: Reclaiming Hope in the Questions Jesus Asked Participant Workbookby Amberly Neese. Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now! Learn more about Amberly Neese on her website amberlyneese.com Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
What if your doubts made your faith stronger? Author, speaker, and humorist Amberly Neese explores Jesus questions--ones He Himself asked--as a way to reclaim your trust all over again. Show Notes and Resources Untangling Faith: Reclaiming Hope in the Questions Jesus Asked Participant Workbookby Amberly Neese. Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now! Learn more about Amberly Neese on her website amberlyneese.com Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Follow us on all social platforms: Facebook | Instagram | YouTube Find resources from our podcast at shop.familylife.com. Download FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
If only they knew. You’ve been burned by church—gossip, hypocrisy, wounds that make isolation feel way safer than community. Meanwhile, parenting teens feels impossible: anxiety, porn, loneliness, and digital overload threaten to derail their faith. Turns out self-sufficiency sounds empowering but crumbles under real pressure. If you’re tempted to quit on people or give up on the long game, Shelby Abbott, author of Why We’re Feeling Lonely and What We Can Do About It, calls you back. He explains why going it alone doesn't work...and how messy relationships just might be worth it. Show Notes and Resources Purchase Why We’re Feeling Lonely and What We Can Do About It by Shelby Abbott at your favorite bookstore. Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Watch video versions of your podcast on YouTube Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
If they really knew me, would they still love me? That fear of vulnerability fuels loneliness, curated online masks, people-pleasing, and walls that block deep friendships, marital closeness, or authenticity in ministry. And suffering eventually deepens that fear instead of healing it. If you're weary of performing, tired of fake friendships, and craving courage for real connection, listen in. Shelby Abbott, author of Why We’re Feeling Lonely and What We Can Do About It, exposes the roots of our universal dread--and points the way to freedom from approval-seeking and isolation. See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Got packed days, full feeds--but still that nagging emptiness? The loneliness we hide is real, fueled by tech that mimics friendship but starves the soul. It's not just you. Authenticity feels rare and intentional relationships hard to build. Shelby Abbott, author of Why We’re Feeling Lonely and What We Can Do About It, cuts through the noise with lived experience and faith-rooted truth. If you've been wondering, "Why am I so lonely?", he'll help you stop living at surface-level—and start pursuing what truly satisfies. Your practical hope for deeper belonging starts here. Show Notes and Resources Purchase Why We’re Feeling Lonely and What We Can Do About It by Shelby Abbott at your favorite bookstore. Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Watch video versions of your podcast on YouTube Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Need time management just for moms? Crystal Paine of The Time-Saving Mom explains an easy-to-implement four-step system to organize and simplify your life. Show Notes and Resources The Time Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most by Crystal Paine Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Watch video versions of your podcast on YouTube Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Too much to do, not enough time to do it? You don’t just have to hustle harder. You can simplify and (yes) enjoy your life. Crystal Paine—mom of six, bestselling author of The Money-Saving Mom, and entrepreneur—delivers real-world, no-nonsense time management advice for moms from her latest book, The Time-Saving Mom. Her ideas will keep you sane and enjoying the things you love most. Show Notes and Resources The Time Saving Mom: How to Juggle a Lot, Enjoy Your Life, and Accomplish What Matters Most by Crystal Paine Begin the Easter story early with Resurrection Eggs. Start your family tradition now Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Watch video versions of your podcast on YouTube Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Your marriage is fraying under trauma's weight: Grief looks different for each of you, perhaps as one withdraws, the other controls, and resentment builds. You misread coping as rejection. But understanding trauma responses changes everything. Sarah and Matt Hammitt of Sanctus Real share raw lessons from their critically ill child's fight. These two know faithfulness isn't a feeling; it's the hard step that redeems connection when hope feels thin. They'll help you stay connected and redeem the wounds. Show Notes and Resources Lead Me: Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith by Matt Hammitt Marriage After Dark: the podcast where a real couple answers the questions you’re too embarrassed to ask. Get it at FamilyLife.com/MarriageAfterDark Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Know what it's like when anger keeps flying, but nothing changes—because the real hurt stays hidden? Sarah and Matt Hammitt (Sanctus Real) share the raw turning point of their own story, from conflict and defensiveness to expressing mutual need. Discover the unexpected secret that replaces weapons, opens ears, and invites real healing and presence in marriage. Show Notes and Resources Lead Me: Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith by Matt Hammitt Marriage After Dark: the podcast where a real couple answers the questions you’re too embarrassed to ask. Get it at FamilyLife.com/MarriageAfterDark Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Feel like your spouse is physically present but emotionally checked out—especially after long days, travel, or career demands? Matt and Sarah Hammitt (Sanctus Real) get brutally honest about emotional absence and the tension that builds when one partner carries the load alone. Matt and Sarah offer practical ideas to help true love survive conflict, defensiveness, and absence--for a love that goes the distance. Show Notes and Resources Lead Me: Finding Courage to Fight for Your Marriage, Children, and Faith by Matt Hammitt Marriage After Dark: the podcast where a real couple answers the questions you’re too embarrassed to ask. Get it at FamilyLife.com/MarriageAfterDark Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Tired of Jedi mind tricks, cold shoulders, and "we need to talk" anxiety ruining your marriage? Every couple brings unhealthy patterns into conflict—avoidance, passive-aggression, mismatched timing—but unresolved issues build resentment fast. Pastor-therapist duo Dave and Ashley Willis know how to help you fight better. They deliver real stories, biblical wisdom, and practical tools for your next blowup. Show Notes and Resources Get your Gratikube— a simple family tool to prompt gratitude and conversation Discover resources from Dave Willis in our shop Marriage After Dark: the podcast where a real couple answers the questions you’re too embarrassed to ask. Get it at FamilyLife.com/MarriageAfterDark Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife's app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Are there ways you’re shooting your own marriage in the foot? Author Ted Lowe knows 5 bad habits that could stealthily undercut all the closeness you crave--and 5 ways to stop them. Show Notes and Resources Get "Us in Mind: How Changing Your Thoughts Can Change Your Marriage" by Ted Lowe wherever books are sold. FamilyLife.com/marriagehelp — free marriage resources Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Dreading the car ride home after your child's rough game? Research shows those tense, critical moments drive 70% of kids to quit sports by age 13—and they remember the emotional peak and ending more than the score. Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski, authors of Away Game: A Christian Parent's Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, show how to turn youth sports pressure and disappointment into gospel grace by choosing connection over correction, preparing words of unconditional pride, and rebuilding trust when you miss it. Show Notes and Resources Helpful tools and encouragement for parents available at FamilyLife.com/parentinghelp "Away Game" by Ed Uszynski and Brian Smith — a thoughtful look at youth sports, identity, and what really matters for families is available at your favorite bookstore. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
Feel like youth sports have discipled your heart more than church has? Fear, control, and post-game critiques turn you into the "older brother" judging performance instead of the welcoming father extending grace. Brian Smith and Ed Uszynski, authors of Away Game: A Christian Parent's Guide to Navigating Youth Sports, call parents to self-examination, the radical discipline of silence, and redefining wins by fruit of the Spirit—not stats. Reclaim sports as true discipleship ground. Show Notes and Resources Helpful tools and encouragement for parents available at FamilyLife.com/parentinghelp "Away Game" by Ed Uszynski and Brian Smith — a thoughtful look at youth sports, identity, and what really matters for families is available at your favorite bookstore. Thanks to the Christian Standard Bible for sponsoring this episode. Learn more at CSBible.com. Find resources from this podcast at shop.familylife.com. See resources from our past podcasts. Find more content and resources on the FamilyLife app! Help others find FamilyLife. Leave a review on Apple Podcast or Spotify. Check out all the FamilyLife's podcasts on the FamilyLife Podcast Network See cru.org/us/en/about/privacy FamilyLife’s Privacy Policy
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this was awesome! thank you for your raw honesty and information. it truly is helpful!
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I'm reading Dr Sheri's book, I highly recommend it
I don't even know how so late in June this podcast, airdate early May, showed up in my list to play but it's exactly what I need to hear ♥️ I'm comforted by God's timing, may He be glorified! please rejoice & praise Him for His sovereignty
I've experienced this personally both as s son and as a husband. Divorce is a devastating result of not taking care of our inner self and our marriage.
One of my favorite episodes of the year. Also, Adopted For Life is a fantastic book. I can't recommend it enough!