Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk

If you’re a grandparent, your primary focus should not be what you leave in your grandchildren’s bank accounts, but rather, what you have deposited in their hearts. On today’s edition of Family Talk, Dr. Tim Clinton sits down with Mark Gregston to talk about his new book, Grandparenting Teens: Leaving a Legacy of Hope. Mark explains that grandparents can and should be one of the greatest resources for providing stability and Christian discipleship in a teenager's life.

How does a marriage shift from being child-focused to partner-focused, and how does communication change when the children leave home? In what ways can you keep fun and friendship in your relationship? On today’s classic edition of Family Talk, Dr. Dobson and guests, Dave and Claudia Arp, continue their discussion about the challenges couples face after their kids have flown the coop.

When the last child leaves home, a new phase of marriage begins. But many couples struggle to adjust to this different and often sad time in their lives together. In a classic broadcast today on Family Talk, Dr. Dobson interviews Dave and Claudia Arp, and discusses eight challenges couples face in the "empty-nesters" stage.

In the midst of his parents’ separation, sports became an outlet for Zach Ertz, who was eventually drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles as a tight end in 2013. On today’s edition of Family Talk, Dr. Tim Clinton sits down with Zach to discuss his journey to the Eagles. Following a last-minute play during a game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Zach became a foe to some fans. From an earthly perspective, that was one of the worst weeks of Zach’s life, but from an eternal perspective, it was the best thing that ever happened, as it led him to spiritual revival and brotherhood.

Jason Romano always had a passion for sports, an interest he shared with his father and grandfather. He turned that passion into a dream career at ESPN, producing SportsCenter and Monday Night Football. But sadly, Jason couldn’t always share his "love of the game" with his father, whose alcoholism was a constant source of anguish and shame for the entire family. On today’s edition of Family Talk, the author of Live to Forgive says the four steps toward forgiveness are to feel the pain, evaluate the trauma, transform the wound, and forgive the abuser. In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus commands us to forgive. If we don’t, we hurt ourselves more than our offender.

Kids who are overweight, unattractive, not athletic, or perhaps different in some way are often the target of merciless bullying by their peers at school. Bullying can take on many different forms. Sometimes it’s rejection or verbal jabs, while other times it can become physical, leading to black eyes and bloody noses. No matter what type, bullying results in pain and trauma for the recipient. On today’s classic edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson has a candid and emotional discussion with several children who have faced bullying. He reminds them that God thinks each one is of equal worth because He created them in His image.

We live in an age of increasingly pervasive artificial intelligence, including Virtual Reality and the porn industry’s many disturbing applications. When paired with a materialistic worldview, artificial intelligence can leave us more isolated and lonely. On today’s edition of Family Talk, Jason Thacker, author of The Age of AI, addresses the Christian moral responsibility and accountability to our Creator. We’re called to love God and our neighbors as we love ourselves, and we’re created for physical community, not digital.

When you consider artificial intelligence, you may think about self-driving cars, voice automated responses from your smart speaker, Facebook bots sending you ads based upon your search queries, or virtual reality experiences provided by an Oculus VR headset. On today’s edition of Family Talk, Jason Thacker, a scholar in philosophy, ethics, and public theology, discusses with Dr. Tim Clinton his new book, The Age of AI. Thacker counsels Christians against the extremes of unbridled excitement or fear in this new high-tech frontier. The biblical worldview is clear: as humans, God created us in His own image. Artificial intelligence is simply a tool and will never match the value of a human being.

Have you found it challenging to balance the demands of marriage and family, while still having devotional time with the Lord? On today’s edition of Family Talk, Dr. James and Shirley Dobson discuss their best-selling book, Night Light for Parents, an easy devotional for parents to read every night. Each passage has a high-impact short story, and offers questions that will prompt great conversation, and conclude with a brief prayer. Today, listen to one of America’s favorite couples share personal stories of their own family life, and how a commitment to God and to each other can bolster your marriage too.

On today’s edition of Family Talk, Ginger Hubbard, author of I Can't Believe You Just Said That!, continues her conversation with Dr. Tim Clinton. Ginger offers a 3-step plan for parenting and discipline. First, ask your child heart-probing questions to identify his or her "old self." Second, discourage that behavior. And third, urge him or her to honor God by "putting on" the right behavior. Consider Ephesians 4:22-24, "Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."

As Christian parents, we want our kids to behave and be obedient. But we shouldn't want them to act that way solely out of fear of punishment. Today on Family Talk, Ginger Hubbard, author of I Can’t Believe You Just Said That!, explains that our children’s actions and behavior stem from the ongoing transformation of their hearts, as they begin their individual relationship with Jesus. As parents, we can use God’s Word to teach our children which behaviors and actions are sinful, and which ones are pleasing to the Lord.

The differences between Heaven and Hell are stark. On today’s Family Talk, Anne Graham Lotz explains that Hell is described as a fire, a place of intense thirst and torment. By contrast, Heaven has the river of life, a place where our thirst will be quenched. In the darkness of Hell, people will endure pain and be forever separated from their Creator. In the light of Heaven, we will worship Jesus in comfort, forever united with our Savior. Don’t keep the Good News to yourself! Invite others to accept Christ’s invitation to dwell in Heaven as their eternal home.

The Apostle Paul wrote, "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no human mind has conceived the things God has prepared for those who love Him." On today's edition of Family Talk, evangelist Anne Graham Lotz reminds us that Heaven is a prepared destiny that Jesus will fill with wonderful colors, food, and music. In addition, Heaven is a perfect destiny—devoid of sin, suffering, and sickness! Jesus will personally wipe away every tear from our eyes.

Did you know that only three percent of Christians feel comfortable sharing their faith, according to pollster George Barna? On today’s edition of Family Talk, Dr. James Dobson sits down with Scott Baller of Saturate USA to discuss a God-sized vision to reach all 120 million U.S. households with the gospel by 2027. Through Scott’s ministry, you or your congregation can request "saturation packs," which contain information on your local church, along with a DVD on who Jesus is, and even gospel tracts to encourage thousands of households in your zip code.

In 1993, missionaries Dave and Barb Anderson were flying to Alaska after evangelizing in a remote region in the Russian far east, when their small aircraft suddenly lost power and crashed into the Bering Sea. Despite hitting the water at 90 miles per hour, the plane remained intact, allowing everyone on board to escape. Within 45 seconds, it sank, leaving the survivors in 36-degree cold water with 5-foot-high swells. On today’s edition of Family Talk, the couple recounts the dramatic story of surviving their plane crash. Providentially, the team was spotted and helicopters were sent. Like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, Jesus rescued them.