Daly Focus Blog
The death last month of Dr. Tim Keller has left a void for many of us who appreciated this good man’s historic ministry.
As it turned out, I had the privilege of being one of the last people to interview Tim, just outside his apartment on Roosevelt Island in New York City. We talked about his book on forgiveness: Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?
As I’ve recently written, forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces in the world.
In the weeks following the reversal of Roe last June, pro-life activists and organizations endured more than 135 separate attacks and assaults – including one pro-life champion who was shot by a man in Michigan.
83-year-old Joan Jacobson was canvassing an Odessa Township neighborhood last September, encouraging Sharon and Richard Harvey to vote against a pro-abortion amendment that would eventually pass in November.
According to press reports, an argument ensued between Joan and Sharon, escalating to the point that Richard Harvey wound up shooting the elderly pro-life volunteer in the shoulder.
Richard Harvey claims the shot was accidental and that he inadvertently pulled the trigger while trying to protect his wife … from Joan’s clipboard.
Well, that case came to a head this week.
New York magazine once described Tim Keller’s founding of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City as “close to a theological suicide mission” for having the audacity “to create a strictly conservative Christian church in the heart of Sodom.”
Only Tim Keller wasn’t eager for the assignment. In fact, he turned down the invitation and attempted to recruit two other pastors for the church plant, which was born out of a wildly successful dinner ministry hosted by Nancy DeMoss, widow of Art DeMoss, a mail-order insurance mogul.
Dr. Tim Keller’s death today marks the close of a remarkable personal ministry of a good man who lived faithfully, tirelessly, and creatively for the Lord.
His last words to his beloved wife Kathy should inspire and convict every Christian believer. According to his son Michael, as he lay dying, Tim said, “There is no downside for me leaving, not in the slightest.” He then kissed Kathy’s forehead, laid back down – and went to Glory.
Throughout his career, legendary artist Norman Rockwell’s depiction of American culture was dismissed by critics as overly simplistic sentimental snapshots of an America that never existed.
I think Rockwell’s critics missed the point. He was casting a vision for what America could be. His illustrations were popular because his paintings captured the spirit of America, which has always meant reaching for life’s greatest ideals, even when they exceed our grasp.
I’m not surprised that Rockwell was criticized for promoting strong marriages, innocence in childhood, or the value of deep faith.
In a horrifically tragic and ghoulish turn, a Canadian Parliamentary committee has recommended that its nation’s lawmakers legalize euthanasia for sick children whose deaths are “reasonably foreseeable” or who may be suffering with a disability or those who are in the country’s child welfare system.
Even worse – they think the children should be able to make the decision even without parental consent.
Canadian law already allows terminally ill and chronically ill adults to receive medical assistance to kill themselves, but expanding the legal coverage to include children is but one more heartbreaking development in the movement.
In order to stand at a wedding altar and say, “I do,” with confidence, individuals must first understand who “I” is. Genuine intimacy in marriage can only occur between two people who are sufficiently in touch with who God created them to be as individuals that they can give to the marriage as much as they receive.
A thriving marriages doesn’t erase individuality. It celebrates it and puts it to work in service of the relationship, molding two whole individuals into one, while keeping their individual flames burning bright.
Friday’s release of footage from Tyre Nichols’s fatal traffic stop in Memphis earlier this month has justifiably sickened, saddened and horrified the nation. Images of Mr. Nichols being repeatedly kicked and beaten with batons is gruesome and unconscionable.
Five police officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. This week, two additional officers with a connection to the incident were taken off duty.
It’s difficult to watch the body cam footage, and painful to read about the details surrounding the incident.
Every day society offers a skewed idea about what’s valuable. And far too often, we buy into the hype. Parents work longer and harder in a never-ending quest for bigger houses, newer cars, and the latest technology. Eventually, the stuff we own overshadows what really matters. And what really matters dwindles away.
We need ambition. But, even more, we need our ambition to be governed by larger priorities: namely our marriage and our family.
Over 150 years ago, an unnamed soldier wrote a poem that put life into focus.
As we head into the final week of the NFL’s regular season, America is heartened by the encouraging news concerning the recovery of the Buffalo Bills’ Damar Hamlin. Still listed in critical condition and in the intensive care unit at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center, doctors have said the star safety is “neurologically intact” and showing “remarkable improvement.”
Hamlin’s shocking collapse on Monday Night Football, along with an unprecedented outpouring of love, support and even public prayer for the 24-year-old, has riveted the country.
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.
