Daly Focus Blog
You’ve probably noticed that you and your spouse don’t always see eye-to-eye. Maybe one of you talks too much – or not enough. Or one of you feels hot while the other is shivering cold. Or maybe one of you is a saver and the other is a spender.
If you’re not careful, those differences – especially that last one – can drive you apart. Petty disagreements about money can easily turn into full-grown battles that bleed a relationship dry.
Headlines from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) heralding the claim there were over 10,000 fewer abortions in 2019 as compared to 2018 suggests abortion is on the retreat.
Unfortunately, such a report is misleading – and for several reasons.
First, media often fail to distinguish between abortions reported versus performed. California along with a few other states and the District of Columbia haven’t reported any abortions for years. So, in reality, we have no way of knowing specific numbers in those areas – but what we do know is that abortion clinics in those areas remain very busy.
In addition – and this is the most significant shift in years – chemical abortions (the killing of pre-born children by taking a drug called mifepristone) are rising rapidly.
There’s an old saying that if the only tool you have is a hammer, everything will look like a nail after a while.
That’s why in the toolbox in your garage you’ll find hammers, screwdrivers, and different sized wrenches – tools with very particular uses for specific problems around the house.
With that in mind, let me ask you: What kind of tools are in your parenting toolbox?
There isn’t one tool to rule them all.
Christmastime brings family together, and that’s a good thing.
As an old year closes and a new one opens, December celebrations hopefully leave us with rich and positive memories. Yet sometimes all the family togetherness also leaves us with disappointment or a new burden to bear.
Maybe you are reveling in some positive holiday afterglow. That’s good – soak it up. Family is one of the greatest joys because good relationships can reflect a foretaste of the Divine. At the same time, we aren’t in Heaven and therefore relational strain, “growth opportunities” and downright abusive situations must be faced.
What “season” is it for your marriage? Is it summer because things are warm and sizzling with your spouse? Or is it winter because things feel a little chilly?
I remember how it felt when Jean and I fell in love. Like many couples in a new relationship, we enjoyed being together every chance we could and daydreamed about seeing each other when we couldn’t. It was easy to think, “We’ll always feel this way!”
But relationships are like the weather; they change.
One day, well into her adult years, Florence Littauer’s dad invited her into a tiny back room of the little store he’d operated for decades, reached into a hiding place behind an upright piano against a back wall, and retrieved an old cigar box.
Inside were a handful of articles he had published in the local paper. Until then, Florence had no idea her father was a writer. He’d never discovered his true potential because no one had ever encouraged him.
As Christians, we orient our lives according to the Bible. We believe that God exists (Romans 1:20) and that He commands a host of angels who do His will (Luke 2:13-14) and who worship Him without ceasing (Revelation 4:8).
Yet, when it comes to spiritual warfare, we’re double-minded. We believe that the devil and his angels exist (Matthew 25:41), but we rarely acknowledge their influence in our daily affairs.
Christmas traditions vary by family and organization, but I wanted to share a new one from the Focus campus here in Colorado Springs.
For the first time ever, we planted and lit a 30 foot evergreen tree here at the front of our property. We also dedicated and lit a beautiful new creche beside it.
Just a week after the lighting, a massive windstorm of 100 mph gusts blew through the town, toppling ten other trees on our property.
The Focus Christmas tree survived!
Why do kids behave poorly?
According to Dr. Kevin Leman, all misbehavior is a quest for attention. If your children can’t get attention from you in positive ways, they’ll get it in negative ways.
There are four goals of misbehavior:
Attention – “I only count when others notice me and serve me.”Power – “I only count when others do what I want them to do when I want them to do it.”Revenge – “I only count when I hurt others like I’ve been hurt.”Display of inadequacy – “I’m no good.
Our culture is so toxic that an increasing number of young girls are suffering from a growing list of troubles – from low self-esteem and anxiety to depression and eating disorders.
What’s the answer? It isn’t so much a “what” as it is a “who.”
Mothers.
Mom, you are instrumental in helping your daughter navigate a world that is often against her. An effective way to do that is to be a good listener. Your daughter is much more likely to share her heart with you than with Dad.
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.
