Family Life News - Special Features

100 billion gallons of rain fell on July 4th in Kerr County, Texas, causing the Guadalupe River to rise dozens of feet in an hour. The county recieved more rain in one night than it does in a year. More than 100 are dead and hundreds have been rescued. 

Family Life's Sarah Harnisch went on a tour of miracles with a trio of Texans. Dianna McCracken survived the wall of water heading directly for her. Samantha Johnson, her daughter, has been aiding in relief efforts. Grief and Trauma Counselor Nancy Sheridan explains how to have faith in the darkness. 

Cash and valuable prizes have changed college sports ministry

Mike Blanc, director of pro and elite sports ministries for FCA

A Family Life Special News Feature

Now that the brackets are set for the NCAA women's and men's basketball tournaments, we explore a new era for college sports. 

Court rulings now say that "amateur" players across all college sports can earn payments for use of their "name, image, and likeness".  While these athletes can earn hundreds of thousands of dollars -- and for a few prime stars, one or more millions -- a leader in the national Fellowship of Christian Athletes says there is a downside for many of these young students.

Mike Blanc, a former Pittsburgh Steeler and now FCA's director for pro and elite sports, says the "NIL" era has opened new and important opportunities for Christian ministry. He tells us that the big payoffs result in big pressure. Someone who is given so much money to play his or her sport also carries the expectation that they must perform at a level that is worth that investment. That, Blanc says, flies in the face of the individual's value as measured through the Lord's grace.

A "Lover's Quarrel" with Evangelicals

Family Life News talks with Warren Smith of MinistryWatch.com

Christian journalist Warren Smith has a "lover's quarrel" with the evangelical church.
He says many congregations and denominations are inwardly-focused on their problems, and fail to live up to a biblical mandate to be "salt and light" into their surrounding culture:

Smith writes a response to others who point to how, for some people, the Christian faith has been "deconstructed" during the current era. His call is for individual Christians, congregations, denominations and faith networks to reclaim the identity which Jesus Christ gave to it. He encourages a reflection on how people of faith measure success. He is concerned that many pockets of the church "measure the wrong things", saying that the size of membership and budgets and programs has replaced the measurement of faithfulness, community, love, long-suffering, joy and other Fruit of the Spirit.

This can be an important conversation for you and your household, and might be a discussion starter for leadership groups in your church.

Faith on the Field, the Court, the Diamond

Prominent athletes are sharing their Christian priorities in interviews, on social media, and in the public images

We heard it in the post-game interviews from the winning coach and quarterback at this year's Super Bowl. Those very public statements of faith circled the globe in the biggest media event of the year.

Are these public stances of Christians who are sports stars in a new era? And, how to the "big league" athletes being unashamed of their faith influencing the athletes elsewhere in pro leagues, colleges and local high schools?

Family Life offers a special interview with a former Pittsburgh Steeler who talks about evangelism from national and local athletes -- and the rest of us. Mike Blanc played collegiate and professional football, with Auburn, the Chargers, and the Steelers. After his playing days, Blanc became the chaplain for University of Miami's athletics. 

He now directs outreach with pro and elite athletes as a national leader in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

This is our first of two interview with the FCA's Mike Blanc.

In our followup conversation, he talks about the new opportunities for ministry among top college athletes, in the new "NIL" era -- when students can make money (often lots of it) by licensing their Name, Image, and Likeness.

 Making Choices about College ---

in light of Higher Education's higher price tag

a Family Life News Interview

Costs to attend a college or university has skyrocketed. And most of those tuition and room and board costs are being paid with borrowed money.

The total student debt in America in the past two decades has mushroomed more that 600 percent. 

In an interview for the Family Life Noon Report, Bob Price asked New York-based higher education financial advisor Paul Celuch about:

• what the economics of college choices are like these days
• how a student loan should be thought of the same way homeowners understand their mortgage
• what students and their families (either preparing to start school or already at a university) should consider to avoid money mistakes and keep education financially feasible

A Biblical Worldview On President Trump’s Immigration Enforcement Efforts

A Family Life News Special Feature

What does the Bible have to say about the current debate raging in this country over mass deportations, border security and illegal immigrants?

A local pastor with international ministry experience says Holy Scripture is not silent on this issue. Family Life Noon Report anchor Bob Price interviewed Pastor Dave Bretch for our February 17 midday broadcast.

The Middle East awaits a Saturday hostage deadline

A special Newsmaker Interview from Family Life News - 2/13/25

A Saturday (February 15) deadline looms, as American President Donald Trump promises consequences if Hamas fails to expedite the release of hostages held in Gaza for more than 16 months. Various reports have indicated that a weeks-long cease fire between Israel and Hamas is at risk.

Family Life News got first-person reaction from Israel Wednesday night. Aryeh Myers is a coordinator for Magen David Adom, the national Emergency Services system for the nation of Israel. 

In this interview with Family Life's Greg Gillispie, Myers talks about public sentiment among Israelis, as some hostages are now home, some are still unaccounted for, and the potential for new attacks swirls around them.

You also will hear about first-responders' actions which saved many lives among the carnage of October 7, 2023, and how the Emergency Services have mobilized tens of thousands of volunteers to be ready, if new attacks happen, this weekend or anytime.

Refugee Agencies Scramble to Fill the Gap

A special edition of the Inside Out podcast with Martha Manikas-Foster 

Government funding for refugee resettlement in the US has stopped for at least 90 days. This leaves America’s often faith-based resettlement agencies like World Relief scrambling to make up for the money the government contributes as a partner in the resettlement process.

Why would refugee agencies have expenses during President Donald Trump’s 90-day pause in resettlement? The federal government and resettlement agencies work together over 90 days to acclimate new arrivals, and many refugees were still in that window when the funds were frozen. During those three months the agencies find housing and job opportunities for the new arrivals, and connect them with medical, educational, and community resources.

The agencies are on their own to support this work during the funding freeze.

Today on this Inside Out podcast my guest is author and speaker Matthew Soerens. He talks about what makes a refugee different from some other immigrants (our government vets them before they set foot on American soil), and Jesus’ call on His Church to minister to the vulnerable (“whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me’ Matthew 25:40).

Soerens is the Vice President of Advocacy & Policy for the Christian humanitarian organization World Relief, an arm of the National Association of Evangelicals and one of the nation’s refugee resettlement agencies. Soerens is also National Coordinator for the Evangelical Immigration Table. He is co-author of the books “Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis,” “Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate,” and “Inalienable: How Marginalized Kingdom Voices Can Help Save the American Church.”

National Marriage Week - February 7-14, 2025

A Special Feature from Family Life News

Friday marks the start of "National Marriage Week", an annual eight-day emphasis to celebrate and strengthen wives and husbands in America.

Marriage podcaster Arlene Pellican says whether a marriage is going well or is struggling, each couple can seek ways to enhance their relationship. The 2025 theme for Marriage Week is "Pursuing a Lasting Love".

In this Family Life interview, Pellicane outlines four decisions each person can make to enhance their marriage.

The author of Making Marriage Easier says couples can do better when they make decisions about their commitment, even in those times where their feelings or emotions are less than satisfying. Even couples that are struggling at the current time can do specific actions which make their marriage "1 percent better this week". 

Family Life Special Feature: Tiger Parenting & Educational Success - 2/03/25

Perhaps you've heard of "helicopter parenting" or "snowplow parents". Among some cultures, Tiger Parents are a current trend.

Finding “Oneness” in Marriage

An upcoming retreat for couples

A Family Life News "Special Feature"

“Weekend to Remember” Marriage coaches Tony and Venita Mitchell talk about an upcoming marriage retreat in Buffalo.

No marriage is static. Each day, each choice — you’re either moving closer together, toward oneness … or drifting farther apart. At the intersection of a faith-based marriage conference and romantic retreat from everyday life, Weekend to Remember helps couples do just that — choose oneness. Whether you’re sending up an SOS for marital rescue or looking to foster an already flourishing connection, Weekend to Remember is your best next step toward being, and staying, one.

The 2025 calendar for the "Weekend to Remember" conferences include dozens of events across the country, including: 

Traditionalists are winning the culture wars.

So says a leading Christian communications and entertainment executive.

Matthew Faraci points to changes not only in politics and social dialogue, but also how corporate America has pivoted back toward the middle.