On October 16, 2006, my oldest son was diagnosed with autism. That word — autism — spoken over my son and over my life on that day sent me into a year-long spiral of grief and confusion.

Religious groups that have babies, retain the faithful and attract converts have a better chance of surviving than those that do not. Of course, their tough doctrinal standards may also mean that a smaller percentage of the larger culture chooses to be part of the flock. The flock may be small, yet growing and vital. The issue is not how this flock fares in relationship to the whole culture, but in relationship to other segments of its larger faith flock.

In January I wrote about the "global war against baby girls": how the widespread use of sonogram technology---coupled with liberal abortion laws---has made it easier than ever for women to identify the sex of their child so that those without a Y chromosome can be killed before they're even born. Recently, there have been several news items related to female gendercide:

Would it surprise you if I suggested that one of the greatest risks to your marriage is loving your spouse too much? It's true – but with a twist.

Americans--especially young Americans--are rejecting abortion with increasing disgust, and not just for religious reasons. Why? First, the fetus has been humanized. Modern science has helped us to understand with intricate detail the amazing phenomenon that occurs at the moment of fertilization. Second, we have seen the way abortion is used in the world to undermine the rights of women.

I don't know why fasting works. I just know from the overwhelming amount of Scriptural evidence that it does work. It works to purify the soul of those who fast (when done in God's power for God's glory) and it works to accelerate and effectuate the answer to our prayers.

Even with all the chaos modeled in modern-day marriages all around us and the national divorce rate consistently hovering at 50 percent (with only 50 percent of those who remain married reporting that they are happy in their marriage), somehow the idea of marriage still gets idolized beyond reasonable expectations. Everyone believes their marriage will be different, looking to Hollywood dreams and fairy tale romances as their example.

The president Exodus International, the world's largest Christian ministry to homosexuals and their families, says it's time for the Church to look past the political bickering over same-sex marriage and homosexuality and simply show compassion. Exodus encourages people to turn away from homosexuality through the power of Christ and says it wants to transcend political debate to help the Church reach people with same-sex attraction.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg changed his status to “married” Saturday and received over one million “likes” from his followers. But the site he founded isn’t always so marriage-friendly. In fact, lawyers say the social network contributes to an increasing number of marriage breakups.

When I saw the cover of the May 21 issue of Time, my instant reaction was “Eeew. That's just not right.” An odd reaction, for someone who has gone on the record in support of so-called “extended” nursing.