Series Details
Family—the source of our highest joys and our deepest disappointments. From getting along with parents to raising children, family causes some of the greatest frustrations and irritations . . . and warmest moments of happiness and love.
What are you to do with an institution that brings such sorrow and joy? You invest in it. In this unique series, Chuck Swindoll delivers five powerful messages that will challenge you to invest heavily in your family’s stock. If you do, the dividends will last a lifetime and just might be eternal.
Family life is the source of our highest joys and, at times, our deepest disappointments. In this five-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll explores the essential values that anchor a home in a shifting culture. Moving from a reflective look at the past to a strategic plan for the future, these messages challenge families to untie the “knots” of conflict and invest in relationships that yield eternal dividends.
1. Looking Back on Things That Matter
- Overview: A reflective, informal message where Chuck looks back on the foundational values that have anchored his own life and family. It encourages listeners to identify and preserve the core principles that define a healthy home.
- Key Fact: Reflection is not about living in the past, but about learning from it to ensure the “legacy” we leave is one of spiritual substance.
- Scripture: Psalm 127:1 – “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it.”
2. Untying the Knots in Your Family’s Air Hose
- Overview: Addresses the “strangling” effect of unresolved conflict and poor communication within the home. Chuck provides practical steps for identifying the “knots” and restoring the flow of grace and love.
- Key Fact: Unresolved anger and bitterness act like a kink in an air hose—they slowly suffocate the life out of a relationship.
- Scripture: Ephesians 4:26 – “Do not let the sun go down on your anger.”
3. Surviving Those Challenging Years
- Overview: Offers encouragement and strategy for the seasons of parenting that feel most overwhelming—specifically the teenage and young adult years.
- Key Fact: Persistence and prayer are the two most powerful tools a parent has during a child’s “wilderness” season.
- Scripture: Proverbs 22:6 – “Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.”
4. Getting Past the Guilt of Your Past
- Overview: Many parents and spouses are paralyzed by the “if onlys” of their history. This message explores how to accept God’s grace and move forward with freedom and a clear conscience.
- Key Fact: God’s grace is bigger than your parenting failures; forgiveness is the only way to break the cycle of regret.
- Scripture: Philippians 3:13 – “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead.”
5. Looking Ahead to Things That Last
- Overview: The series concludes with a forward-looking perspective, urging families to prioritize eternal investments—like character and faith—over the temporary gains of a secular world.
- Key Fact: The greatest “inheritance” a family can leave is not financial, but spiritual.
- Scripture: Matthew 6:20 – “But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys.”
Common Questions: Family Matters
1. How do I start “untying the knots” if my family hasn’t spoken for years? As Pastor Chuck explains in “Untying the Knots,” it begins with one person willing to humble themselves and apologize. You can’t control their response, but you can “un-kink” your end of the hose by offering forgiveness and seeking peace.
2. What can I do if I feel like I’ve already “failed” as a parent? The message “Getting Past the Guilt of Your Past” is specifically for you. Chuck teaches that living in a state of constant regret actually hinders your ability to love your family today. Once you confess your failure to God, you must accept His forgiveness and start “investing” in the present.
3. Why is parenting so much harder today than in previous generations? While the culture has changed, the core human needs have not. The series emphasizes that even in a digital, fast-paced world, the “things that matter”—unconditional love, firm boundaries, and shared time—remain the same.
4. How do we keep our “spiritual air hose” clear? A clear air hose requires constant maintenance through honest communication and the “ventilation” of grace. It means not allowing issues to fester and choosing to believe the best about one another.
5. What does an “eternal investment” in a child look like? According to the final message, it looks like modeling a sincere walk with God. You invest in “things that last” by teaching your children how to handle failure, how to pray, and how to value people more than possessions.
