A Note from Barbara: When my son Samuel shared this six-part series with our team, there was some vying for which website would run it first, Ever Thine Home or The Raineys. As you can see, Ever Thine Home won our little team debate! I am so happy to share Samuel’s first marriage tool with…

Establishing your home as an embassy of the King of Kings is probably much less complicated than you think.  One of the easiest ways to use your home for influence is to invite people over for a meal. One of my favorite stories is about Rosaria Champagne, who at one time was an English professor…

Have you ever visited an American Embassy while traveling in a foreign country? You can’t miss it: Old Glory flaps proudly in the overseas air. As you walk through the doors, George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, and other national hero paintings welcome you “home.” It’s familiar, and it’s also safe. Once on your embassy’s soil, you…

In the current climate of our country I feel my stability—my sense of peace, my rootedness—is buffeted continually by news about political and social unrest, threats to national security, shocking crime, and even reports of extreme weather. A few weeks ago a devastating tornado swept through Little Rock, destroying areas I’ve driven through for over…

Early in our marriage, Dennis and I discovered we had very different views on the value of work. Then we had children … and the conversation widened to include questions like, “How do we balance play time and teaching time? How much can we expect of our toddlers, our preschoolers?” Do you know what values…

As a new Christian, and a few years later as a new wife, I eagerly prayed for everything. God graciously allowed me to see answers in those early years of faith because He knew I needed to see some evidence. Little children need much encouragement. Without fully realizing it, I developed a formula. In all…