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Family Matters

5 Sermons on the Family

Looking Back on Things That Matter

Pastor Chuck Swindoll

The cultural ground upon which the “traditional” family stands has become soft and uncertain, especially since the countercultural quake of the 1960s. Regardless of the shifting sands of time and societal mores, God's original design for the family begins with establishing a stable foundation with the marriage of two individuals—male and female. Once the foundation of the marriage is firmly laid, six pillars should be built, which will give any family resilience to withstand the erosion caused by the influence of culture.

Untying the Knots in Your Family's Air Hose

Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Deuteronomy 6:1–14

“If I've told you once, I've told you a thousand times!” How many times did we hear that growing up? How often have we said that—or something like it—to our own children? It's funny, but no matter how bright we were as children or how intelligent we are as adults, it often takes a “thousand” reminders before the truth sinks in. That's one reason God placed us within families—to prepare us for the world, even if takes hearing the truth “a thousand times.” And few methods are better suited to unclogging our ears than an honest evaluation of ourselves and our families.

Surviving Those Challenging Years

Pastor Chuck Swindoll

It doesn't take long for parents of teenagers to trip over a difficult truth every parent of teens must learn to accept: teens believe that parents are about as smart as sea urchins. A direct correlation exists between the age of a child and his or her perception of a parent's intelligence. On average, children aged 0 to 12 believe their parents possess an IQ greater than Albert Einstein. Children aged 13 to 19 think their parents are semi-moronic. And as children aged 20 and upward get older, they gradually observe a remarkable increase in their parents' intelligence.

Getting Past the Guilt of Your Past

Pastor Chuck Swindoll • Isaiah 58:1–12

It's one of those little quirks in life: we can pick our friends, we can pick our spouses, but we can't pick our families! No one asked if we wanted our particular parents or grandparents or siblings or aunts or uncles or cousins, but they're all ours. Being thrown into such a mix inevitably leads to friction because none of them is just like us, and all of us are imperfect. Family relationships are bound to strain at times and in many cases fracture, leading to feelings of failure and guilt, but there is a way to repair and rebuild damaged relationships—whether or not we've chosen them.

Looking Ahead to Things That Last

Pastor Chuck Swindoll

Think hard about this question for just a moment: what in your life will endure the test of time; what will withstand the ups and downs of the future? Life is lived in the present, but there is a future coming, even if many live as if the future doesn't matter, as if the choices we make today will not echo into tomorrow. Each of us will leave a legacy after we've passed on to eternity. Memories of our life and our character, for good or for ill, will linger in the lives of our families and friends, making each choice, each word, each moment an essential one. So what legacy will we leave when today's future becomes tomorrow's present?