Daly Focus Blog
On Monday, Focus on the Family published a social media post that, to put it bluntly, we got wrong. Most disappointingly, we got it wrong because we confusingly expressed the scriptural truth we have held sacrosanct since the ministry’s founding nearly 50 years ago.
In publishing excerpts from a 2012 “Q & A” feature on homosexuality, we caused many readers to come away with a troubling impression of where we stand on the issue. Worse, we confused them on what the Bible says about the issue.
Popular author and relationship expert Dr. Gary Chapman describes conscience as a five-gallon bucket strapped to our backs. Every time we do wrong against someone, we add a measure of liquid. After a few mistakes, our burden becomes heavier. After a few more, heavier still. Eventually, our conscience becomes so full, so heavy to bear, that the contents splash out in unhelpful ways, on us and everyone around us.
In Acts 24:16, the apostle Paul says of himself: “So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.” The phrase “take pains” can also be translated as “strive,” “train,” or “exercise.” In other words, Paul says, “I discipline myself.” To do what?
I have the privilege of being Dad to two boys. Men now, actually. They successfully made it through their teen years, but Jean and I were on our knees for them the whole way. We got a few things right as parents. Maybe the most important was praying for our sons.
Prayer is the “language” that connects us to values that transcend physical boundaries. Even atheists absentmindedly slip into utterances of prayer during moments of crisis.
Do you like to buy gifts for your children? I sure do for my two boys. I enjoy seeing the look on their face when they get an unexpected present about as much as they enjoy opening it. But here’s the tricky part. We parents can overdo gift giving. From bikes to smartphones to cars, some of us give our kids everything. We all love to see our children happy, of course, but a little struggle can be good for them.
Tyrone Flowers knows firsthand the challenges that at-risk children face in our culture today.
His father was murdered when Tyrone was ten years old. After his mother made it clear that she didn’t want to be a mother, he lived with his grandmother and her 12 children. While she worked multiple jobs, Tyrone was raised by teenagers who were 10 to 15 years older than him, exposing him to drugs, sex and alcohol at an early age.
“President Trump’s latest executive order preserving the integrity of women’s sports is a victory for common sense.
“Generations labored for years to provide our daughters with a platform to compete, only to have their work undone by radical and dangerous activists whose efforts endangered the safety of female athletes. No more. This executive action rights a moral and ethical wrong.
“Mothers and fathers can now look forward to watching their girls square off against other girls, not imposters or the sexually confused.
David Jones is living proof that you should never underestimate a father’s love.
For months, David looked forward to walking his daughter down the aisle. But then Hurricane Helene came along, causing catastrophic damage, knocking out power for millions, and shutting down hundreds of roads, including the ones David needed to get to his daughter’s wedding.
Under normal conditions, his drive from South Carolina to Tennessee takes two hours. After the hurricane, he spent seven hours in traffic that ended at a road block almost 20 miles from his destination.
With over 600 facilities located around the country, Planned Parenthood remains the outwardly visible symbol of abortion in America.
Over the years, they’ve tried desperately to soften their image, playing up other supposed services they provide and downplaying the killing of children, which has always accounted for the lion’s share of their activities and revenue. Their buildings are often nondescript, belying the evil they perpetuate inside of them.
Here in Colorado Springs, there’s one clinic in a grocery store development.
The recent Los Angeles wildfires have been an unspeakable tragedy. More than 20 people have died. Thousands have lost their homes. Damage is well into the billions of dollars.
Several years ago, wildfires in Colorado swept through an area not far from my own home. My family and I were forced to evacuate. These frightening events are startling reminders that emergencies can strike any of us at any time. We’re never promised an easy life without worry.
When people ask me why they should go to church, I remind them of this: Human beings exist in two worlds – the physical and the spiritual. The physical world includes everything we can touch, see, smell, and hear. The spiritual world includes things that are no less real even though they can’t be directly observed.
Human life is biological, but it transcends biology. Although the spiritual realm can’t be physically seen or touched, it can be experienced – like when we feel there must be more to life than living and dying.
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.
