Daly Focus Blog
Dr. Gary Chapman wrote the book on love. Literally. He’s the author of the best-selling classic The Five Love Languages. But even Dr. Chapman had to learn how to love his wife well. Early on in their marriage, he and his wife Karolyn struggled to navigate their differences. They had such a tough time that at one point they both wondered if they had married the wrong person.
My wife Jean and I experienced something similar.
The stress of daily life takes a toll on even the happiest couples – which is why marriage and family counselor Dr. Randy Schroeder says seeking marital happiness is unrealistic. A better approach is to pursue consistent marital satisfaction. How? Good habits.
Dr. Schroeder offers four “daily essentials” for creating good habits in your marriage:
“Goodbye, I love you.” Whoever leaves the house first should initiate this.
“Goodnight, I love you.” Whoever goes to bed first should initiate this.
A common question we get here at Focus on the Family is from parents who ask how to raise children who embrace the Christian faith. Many moms and dads feel unqualified to lead their children along their journey of faith.
The challenges are real. Many teens and preteens consume hours of digital media every day, which unwittingly shapes their view of God, the world, and themselves according to the values of people they don’t even know.
“Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?” (Luke 14:34).
The dominoes of truth and morality are falling at an alarming speed in our culture. Every day there seems to be another attack upon Christian values and religious freedom. We shouldn’t be surprised. For one thing, Jesus warned us that it would be this way (Matt. 10:22). Also, history tells us that as a culture slides into moral decline, its people turn against the principles upon which that culture is built.
President Donald Trump’s decision to federalize the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, D.C. comes in the wake of the capital city’s horrific spike in crime.
Despite claims to the contrary, the 68 square miles on the Potomac River bordering Maryland and Virginia hasn’t been a safe place to be for a long time. Anyone who has been there recently can attest to the area’s problems. When it comes to what he sees outside the White House windows and when driving by in his motorcade, President Trump didn’t mince his words.
“[Washington, D.C.] has been overtaken by violent gangs and bloodthirsty criminals, roving mobs of wild youth, drugged-out maniacs and homeless people, and we’re not going to let it happen anymore,” declared Mr.
Have you ever:
Regretted something you said to your child in the heat of a conflict?
Or wished you’d spoken in a different tone?
Or repeated for the hundredth time this month, “Why don’t you listen to me?” or “When will you ever learn?”
We parents are busy, stressed, and pulled in a lot of directions and don’t always handle circumstances in just the right way.
According to authors Amber Lia and Wendy Speake, these stumbles occur because we’re not intentional about how we respond in a crisis.
It’s often easier to tell your spouse, “I love you,” than to show them through your actions.
I can tell you that’s true not only from personal experience but from the sheer number of questions we get here at Focus on the Family from married couples about navigating busy schedules, financial issues, and communication and conflict. Each question represents a small everyday moment that somehow turned into a disruption to the couple’s marital unity.
Authors Matt and Lisa Jacobson are with me on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly to encourage husbands and wives to serve and love each other well.
Every day Focus on the Family hears from good people who have faced difficult, even tragic, life circumstances, people who feel haunted by disturbing memories and who endure life with a sense of agony and desperation.
According to statistics, more people today are exposed to traumatic circumstances than past generations:
Over two-thirds of people experience a traumatic event by the age of 16 years old.
More than 70% of people report experiencing at least one traumatic event in their lifetime.
Life is busy. For everybody. We spend so much time away from our homes that we never meet our neighbors. We pull into our garages and close the door behind us. That’s too bad because life is better when it’s lived in community.
A lovely example of that went viral on social media. It featured 87-year-old Doug Turner, a widower, who rang his neighbor Michelle’s doorbell one winter morning. She had only lived in the neighborhood for a few months, but she recognized Mr.
My wife, Jean, is the living embodiment of Proverbs 16:24, which says, “Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.” Every time I call her on the phone, she answers with a delightful tone that lets me know she’s glad to hear from me. She reminds me that I’m loved and encourages me when I’m having a stressful day. Her positivity blesses me.
It’s not easy to speak words of blessing if we weren’t taught how growing up.
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.
