Daly Focus Blog
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.
Is your marriage stuck in the doldrums?
The word “doldrums” is a nautical term. It describes a region near the equator where trade winds from the north converge with trade winds from the south. They neutralize each other to the point that wind near the ocean surface completely dies out. That’s bad news for vessels that rely on wind to move forward. They’re “stuck in the doldrums” – hopelessly adrift until the breeze kicks up again.
If you’re a fan of the television show Seinfeld, you probably remember the episode about “Festivus” – the absurd, pseudo-holiday created by the loveable curmudgeon Frank Costanza.
According to Frank, the holiday is celebrated on December 23 to combat the commercialization of Christmas. He created the holiday when his holiday shopping resulted in a fistfight with another man who reached for the last doll on the shelf at the same time. It was while – as Frank put it – he “rained blows upon the man” that Frank came up with the idea for “a Festivus for the rest of us!”
There were two important components to “Festivus.” The first was called the “Airing of Grievances.” This tradition was about scolding family members for their disappointing failures.
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.
