Daly Focus Blog
A homosexual activist once asked me, “When are Christians going to leave behind their medieval beliefs about sexuality and come into the 21st century?”
He was referring to the Bible, of course – which confronts all of us with some pretty powerful ideas that are not always easily digestible.
So, I responded, “Christians are followers of the Bible, not editors. We’re compelled to follow God’s Word because it’s His truth, and we believe Jesus when He says the truth sets us free” (John 8:32).
One of the best things we’ve ever come up with here at Focus on the Family has been Adventures in Odyssey, our radio drama for children ages 8-12.
When it first began, a lot of people were skeptical the venture would be successful in the age of television, movies, and other visual entertainment. But our Adventures in Odyssey team members are some of the most talented people in the business. As a result of their creativity, this little radio program that could has been capturing the hearts of young and old alike for almost 30 years.
Merry Christmas from our home at Focus on the Family to yours!
As the COVID-19 global pandemic rolls on, Americans are faced with the prospect of spending a much quieter Christmas than usual.
Sadly, many will be celebrating it completely alone, isolated out of concern of infection or blocked from seeing loved ones unable to make the trip.
Forty years ago, halfway through my sophomore year at Cal State San Bernardino, I found myself in a difficult and similar situation. There was no pandemic or call for social distancing, but for me there may just as well have been.
Did you get married to work a job? To do laundry? To pay bills?
Of course not. Yet, most couples wind up with marriages in exactly that kind of “ho-hum” condition. Sooner or later, the euphoria of the wedding ceremony fades away and life settles into a daily grind of often-mundane activity. Careers are chased, children are born, and ever-larger homes are purchased. Or newer and newer cars sit outside of garages filled to the roof with stuff we’ll never use.
Researchers say that, on average, a person makes 35,000 decisions a day.
Creamer in our coffee or black?
Get out of bed now or later?
Scratch our head with our left hand or our right?
Answer our phone or not?
There’s one decision that we often don’t think of as a choice – loving our spouse. We talk about love as if it’s an outside force. We say, “It was love at first sight.” Or we “fall in love.” Love is a feeling that we chalk up to chance or chemistry rather than making a conscious decision to act toward our spouse in loving ways.
“I’m pregnant.”
Would you know what to do if your teenage daughter made that announcement? It’s not a pleasant situation to think about. But it’s the moment of truth for you as a parent. How you react sets the tone of your relationship with your child moving forward.
When you first hear the news, you’ll feel like the floor has dropped out from beneath your family. It’s a scary, uncertain time for you and for your daughter.
Whether you lead a business, a church, or a family, the wisest approach is to pattern your leadership after people who know how to lead well. And who demonstrated leadership better than Jesus Christ himself?
Willie Robertson of A&E’s Duck Dynasty is with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Leading Others by Following Jesus,” sharing an inspiring message about how to emulate the leadership principles that Jesus modeled while He was on Earth.
Follow the money.
It’s been a bad week for Pornhub, an online website that reportedly records 3.5 billion visits per month – and those of us who have been fighting pornography’s scourge are relieved to finally see some progress in the battle to expose the industry’s wickedness.
First, The New York Times released a rightfully scathing rebuke of the horrific site, highlighting its pervasive distribution of pure evil ranging from “rape videos” to underage exhibitionists.
Columnist Nicholas Kristoff’s graphic expose has reverberated in social media since its publication last Friday.
For you and me to experience wholeness, five desires of our hearts must be met:
Security – who can I trust?Identity – who am I?Belonging – who wants me?Purpose – why am I alive?Competence – what do I do well?
Each of those are listed in their correct order, by the way. If you feel safe and secure, you’ll feel empowered to discover your identity – your deepest passions and strengths. Out of those, you’ll discover your purpose and develop competence.
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.
