Daly Focus Blog
Tim and Kathy Bush say they didn’t understand what love was really all about when they first got married. Both sought happiness, not in each other, but in drinking, drugs, affairs, career accomplishments, and monetary success. Their focus was on other things and people instead of their marriage. Both cheated on each other multiple times.
But then Kathy and Tim got saved and committed to change their relationship to reflect God’s plan for them. They became intentional about how they lived.
Dino Petrone is a senior software engineer. He’s logical and analytical. His wife Ashley is creative. She’s a stay-at-home mom who runs a social media business called Arrows and Bow, which incorporates home design tips and her family’s spiritual journey.
Their differences drew them together, then pushed them apart, then drew them back together again.
When Dino and Ashley began dating, they spent every minute that they were together talking and laughing. They messaged each other constantly when they were apart.
One of the most important character traits we can model for our children is resilience — the ability to overcome adversity.
As the apostle Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, “We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.”
Paul is telling us that we can endure difficult circumstances and come out the other side with greater faith. Resilience is what transforms a challenge into an opportunity and a weakness into a strength.
It takes two healthy spouses to make a satisfying relationship — but just one unhealthy spouse to weaken it.
That can cause trouble for people who don’t self-evaluate, who assume everything’s going well unless their spouse tells them otherwise. A better approach is to take accountability for the good of our marriage by attending to how we act and speak to our spouse. Each of us has both flaws and virtues, and it is our personal responsibility to improve ourselves for the overall health of our marriage.
Author, speaker, and licensed marriage and family therapist Dr.
Perfect families don’t exist. But fortunately, the goal isn’t perfection. It’s a family that is healthy and strong. But how do we achieve that?
Dr. Gary Chapman teaches families to think like a banker. Bankers don’t learn to spot counterfeit bills. They become so familiar with the real thing that they can easily spot a counterfeit. Becoming a healthy family begins by understanding what a healthy family looks like.
To that end, I’m airing a recorded message by Dr.
Plenty of things cause anxiety. Political, social and financial unrest. Wars. Rumors of wars. Every new day offers something else to fear.
It’s a big reason anxiety has become the number one diagnosis in our country for mental health issues. One in five adults and one in four teenagers suffer from anxiety.
But how does anxiety manifest itself?
Headaches.
Sleep disturbances.
Our appetite seems off.
Panic attacks.
A bad feeling we can’t shake.
On Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, I’m airing a conversation that I had with the late Dr.
Do you reach out to strangers in the name of Jesus?
Many Christians don’t because they struggle with hospitality, which is all about learning to love others with God’s love and grace.
Author Annie McCune, an expert in hospitality, says, “Throughout the course of my life, I have had the privilege of loving many strangers through opening the door to my home and my heart. In return, I have been radically loved when I was a stranger in need of hospitality.”
On a trip to Israel led by Ray Vander Laan, Annnie’s group was on a trek through a remote location when they arrived at a desert community of tents and families.
I encourage couples to think of their marriage as a business. I know that sounds rather sterile, but it’s more romantic than you think.
Successful businesses don’t leave success to chance. They set goals and execute plans to move forward and create results. In the same way, you can be purposeful about moving your relationship in the right direction and building a strong marriage. Values like commitment, sacrifice, and unconditional love are practical ideas that can transform a marriage.
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.
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.
