Daly Focus Blog
Have you ever felt lonely?
Have you ever felt abandoned?
Have you ever felt like it wouldn’t matter to anyone if you lived or died?
That’s how well-known author and speaker Josh McDowell felt when he was just 11 years old. His father, the “town drunk,” was abusive to his wife and created such havoc for the family that Josh became suicidal. He felt God had abandoned him – if God existed at all, that is.
Technology is wiring our children’s brains to believe five fundamental lies:
I’m the center of the universe.
I deserve to be happy all the time.
I must have choices.
I’m my own authority.
I don’t need other people.
What’s technology’s part? Eighty percent of a child’s ability to interact with the world around him develops after the child is born. Until about age 25, neurons in a child’s brain are connected through repetition, through the things the child does frequently.
Ding, ding, ding! Put your gloves on for round 1!
It’s healthy to disagree. Why? Because nobody is 100% correct 100% of the time. Disagreement improves ideas, charts a new course or corrects an old one, and allows people to see their faults and to grow from them. The trick is to engage in conflict in productive ways.
That’s particularly true for married couples.
With us on our radio program to offer practical guidance for strengthening your marriage through disagreeing are Ron and Deb DeArmond, authors of the book Don’t Go to Bed Angry: Stay Up and Fight.
Imagine hiking 500 miles across mountains, valleys, and seemingly endless prairie all while pushing your best friend in a wheelchair and rediscovering God – and yourself – along the way.
That may sound like a compelling movie plot, but it’s a true story for Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray.
Justin has a progressive neuromuscular disease called multifocal acquired motor axonapathy. It’s a genetic predisposition similar to ALS that was triggered by a car accident Justin survived when he was 16 years old.
Week ending May 29th:
The Graduate Survival Guide (by Anthony ONeal & Rachel Cruze)
Through the Eyes of a Lion (by Levi Lusko)
The Birth Order Book (by Dr. Kevin Leman)
A Family Shaped by Grace (by Gary Morland)
Our Newlywed Kitchen (by Laura Schupp)
ESV Economy Bible
Raising Kingdom Kids (by Tony Evans)
Swipe Right (by Levi Lusko)
Kingdom Marriage (by Tony Evans)
Grace Based Discipline (by Karis Kimmel Murray)
Faith, Hope, Love, and Deployment (by Heather Gray)
The Antelope in the Living Room (by Melanie Shankle)
A Lifelong Love (by Gary Thomas)
Ready to Wed: 12 Ways to Start a Marriage You’ll Love (by Dr.
Children are unique, but they also fall into some fairly predictable categories.
One child is a reliable, conscientious, perfectionistic, opinionated, list-maker who likes things done well. Another child is more rough and tumble, but loyal and hangs tough through thick and thin. Yet another child is outgoing, relational, charming, and can persuade others to listen to their opinions – a good negotiator.
On our broadcast today, Dr. Kevin Leman says you can almost predict according to birth order which child will fit those descriptions.
Freedom comes at a high cost.
Today we want to pause and reflect with gratitude on all the brave servicemen and women who have died defending freedom. We honor those who have fallen and offer a humble and heartfelt “thank you” to every family who has lost a husband or a wife, a mom or a dad, a son or a daughter, or even a friend or a neighbor.
Thank you for your loved one’s sacrifice … and for yours.
Week ending May 22, 2018
Swipe Right ( by Levi Lusko)
Through the Eyes of a Lion (by Levi Lusko)
Our Newlywed Kitchen (by Laura Schupp)
The Perfect Dad (by Rob Stennett)
Grace Based Discipline (by Karis Kimmel Murray)
Raising Kingdom Kids (by Tony Evans)
The Antelope in the Living Room (by Melanie Shankle)
A Lifelong Love (by Gary Thomas)
Kingdom Marriage (by Tony Evans)
The Marriage Builder (by Larry Crabb)
Love and Respect in the Family (by Emerson Eggerichs)
The Focus on the Family Guide to Talking with Your Kids about Sex (by J.
Gary Morland believes families are like a river – good and bad choices alike flow downstream across generations. Gary’s family of origin was an unhappy one. There was a lot of arguing and disharmony. His dad was an alcoholic. So was his grandfather, who left the family as a result of his addiction. Gary learned to accept dysfunction as normal and unchangeable. The influence of his past sent him on a 15-year journey down what he calls the “Rocky Rapids of Addiction.”
When Gary turned 21, his dad took him drinking, and for the next 15 years, three quarts of beer a day became his habit.
When Jean and I entered premarital counseling, we were goo-goo-eyed and knew that we were meant for each other. We enjoyed most of the same things and were alike in almost every way.
When we finished our last session a week later, that had all changed. We were both thinking, “Wow, we are nothing alike,” and we were wondering, “Are we going to be okay?”
At some point, every couple begins to recognize their differences. And something strange happens when they do: The whole idea of “two becoming one” gets turned into, “My spouse should become more like me.”
How do couples manage their differences effectively?
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.
