Daly Focus Blog
Thanksgiving is still more than a week out, but Christmas music is already playing in some local stores. It’s too early, some say, but I love it. For me, the music of Christmas conveys the message of Christmas.
Christmas is about hope – something we’re all searching for.
C.S. Lewis turned Christmas into a powerful metaphor in his classic novel, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. A little girl named Lucy stumbles into the wintry land of Narnia through a magic wardrobe.
A study by Josh McDowell revealed:
Seventy-nine percent of men in the evangelical church use pornography at least once a month.
Fifty-five percent of marriages are negatively impacted by pornography.
That’s astonishing data considering that pornography:
Breeds disconnection rather than intimacy.
Deepens secrecy.
Creates distrust.
Destroys marriages.
Many women are suffering because their husband uses pornography. They feel isolated, ashamed, hopeless, and helpless. They’ve tried everything they can think of to fight for their marriage – like being more sexual with him; being more patient, forgiving, or gracious; or creating a more loving environment – all to no avail.
When parents ask me for advice, I encourage them to pray. Sometimes prayer is all you have.
I’m sure you’ve had moments where you felt helpless to protect your child in the midst of circumstances that were beyond your control. Every parent has paced a hospital floor, lost sleep in worry, or kept vigil at a living room window until a child returned safely home. We’ve all bandaged enough scraped knees to know that we can’t protect our children from everything no matter how vigilant we are.
According to data from the Guttmacher Institute, established in 1968 as a subsidiary of Planned Parenthood, one in four women in the United States have an abortion. Evangelical Protestants have abortions at approximately half that rate, which is a better percentage overall but still uncomfortably high.
Author Camille Cates has experienced both sides of the abortion issue. When she entered high school, she gave in to pressure to be sexually active and became pregnant. Though raised in a Christian home, her parents suggested that she have an abortion.
There is only one reason respected author and marriage expert Dr. Gary Chapman vacuums his house: Love. No, he doesn’t love vacuuming; he loves his wife, Karolyn. Her love language is acts of service, so Dr. Chapman spends a lot of time doing things that he hates but that make her happy – like vacuuming the floor.
Dr. Chapman says he shares that story with his audiences, not so they’ll applaud him for being such a great guy, but so they’ll learn an important lesson about love.
If you’ve not taken a personality test, read a book on the subject, or explore Focus on the Family’s website for information about personality differences. I also encourage you to tune in to the latest edition of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. I’m featuring a recording of learning styles expert Cynthia Tobias, who spoke on this subject at a chapel service at our Colorado Springs campus.
As you’ll hear, Cynthia explains how God has uniquely wired each of us as individuals to communicate, work with others, and see the world through the filter of our personality type.
The secret to success isn’t avoiding mistakes, it’s making the most of the path you’re on.
Kade Lovell can tell you all about that. He entered a foot race when he was nine years old and won it in remarkable fashion. Not a race on the playground against schoolmates, mind you. No, this was a 10K against adults.
Officially, Kade was registered to run the 5K. But a few kilometers in a volunteer instructed him to turn left when he should have turned right.
Many married couples believe they struggle because they’re so different from each other. But handled well, differences can draw you together instead of drive you apart.
Like you and your spouse, my wife and I are opposites. She’s a night owl, while I’m a morning person. I wake up bubbly and excited to conquer the day, but she doesn’t. By evening, we switch roles. She’s lively and ready to talk, and I just want to crawl into bed and go to sleep.
It’s wise to think about your relationships in terms of boundaries. Kathy and Tom didn’t, and it got their marriage off to a rocky start.
Kathy, an introvert, blamed Tom, an extrovert, for smothering her. He placed such an emphasis on spending time together that Kathy often felt like she had no personal space or time for herself. Tom, in turn, interpreted Kathy’s desire for space as a lack of love for him, leaving him feeling hurt and disconnected.
Success rarely happens overnight. Most goals can only be reached by keeping the big picture in mind and staying the course until you achieve them.
In 1897, a construction worker named Pearle Wait came up with the idea of mixing fruit flavoring with powdered gelatin. His wife nicknamed the jelly-like substance “Jell-O.” At the time, Pearle made extra money selling homemade medical remedies like cough syrup door to door. He switched to Jell-O. For months, he tried to sell his new product all over town, but he had trouble generating interest.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
