Restoring Your Family’s Foundation

Just as a building requires a strong foundation to withstand the assault of time, a family must be firmly anchored in God’s Word to endure the pressures of the world. In this seven-part series, Pastor Chuck Swindoll provides essential biblical strategies for reinforcing the home, strengthening marriages, and raising confident children and grandchildren.

Message 1: Encouragement for Mothers and Others

• Overview: Exploring the timeless wisdom of Proverbs 31, this message offers a realistic look at godly womanhood. Rather than presenting an impossible standard of perfection, it focuses on the character traits that provide a lasting influence on a family.
• Key Fact: Godly womanhood is not about perfection, but about a heart directed toward wisdom, diligence, and the fear of the Lord.
• Scripture: Proverbs 31:10–31 – “A woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised.”

Message 2: Healthy Marriages Start Here

• Overview: This message gets to the root of marital health, emphasizing that a strong union begins with two individuals committed to God’s design for partnership, communication, and mutual respect.
• Key Fact: A healthy marriage is built on the foundation of selfless love and a shared commitment to biblical principles.
• Scripture: Ephesians 5:21–33 – “Be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.”

Message 3: Do You Really Know Your Child?

• Overview: Parenting is not a “one size fits all” endeavor. Pastor Chuck discusses the importance of observing and understanding the unique personality and temperament God has given to each individual child.
• Key Fact: Effective parenting requires studying your child to discover their unique strengths, weaknesses, and natural inclinations.
• Scripture: Psalm 139:13–16 – “For You formed my inward parts; You wove me in my mother’s womb.”

Message 4: Your Child Has the Bents!

• Overview: Expanding on the idea of a child’s unique makeup, this message explains the concept of “training up a child according to his way.” It focuses on identifying and directing a child’s natural “bents” toward God.
• Key Fact: Training a child involves cooperating with the way God has already “wired” them rather than forcing them into a predetermined mold.
• 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.”

Message 5: Delighting in Your Kids and Grandkids

• Overview: Beyond discipline and instruction, a thriving family requires joy. This message encourages parents and grandparents to find genuine delight in their descendants, fostering an environment of grace and warmth.
• Key Fact: A child’s sense of security is deeply connected to the visible delight and approval they receive from the elders in their family.
• Scripture: Psalm 127:3–5 – “Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward.”

Message 6: A Father Everyone Admires

• Overview: Pastor Chuck outlines the characteristics of a father who leads with integrity, compassion, and strength. This message serves as both an exhortation and a roadmap for men seeking to leave a godly legacy.
• Key Fact: Admirable fatherhood is characterized by a balance of firm leadership and tender-heartedness.
• Scripture: 1 Thessalonians 2:10–12 – “Just as you know how we were exhorting and encouraging and imploring each one of you as a father would his own children.”

Message 7: Getting Past Yesterday’s Failures

• Overview: No family is perfect, and every parent has regrets. This concluding message provides hope and biblical steps for moving past past mistakes and finding God’s grace for the future of the family.
• Key Fact: God’s grace is greater than any family’s history of failure; it is never too late to begin rebuilding on the right foundation.
• Scripture: Philippians 3:13–14 – “Forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal.”