Daly Focus Blog
What does a hero look like? In comic books, they wear a mask or a cape. In real life, they’re not so easy to spot.
Like William Crawford. For years, he worked as a janitor at the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. To the cadets, he was a shy, unassuming worker who quietly went about his cleaning duties around the squadron. But one day, a cadet who was studying World War II read an incredible story about a soldier who risked his life in battle to save dozens of fellow soldiers.
Years ago, I ran a short errand before an important meeting I had across town. As I hustled from the store to my car, I saw a young mother struggling to corral two toddlers while muscling a grocery cart across the parking lot. She looked tired and overwhelmed. I was just pulling out when I saw her reach her car and break into tears. Her tire was flat.
I wasn’t prepared for the situation. I was running late, and I wasn’t dressed to wrestle with a flat tire.
The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit a record on Monday, closing above 38,000 for the first time ever. Not to be outdone, the S&P 500 also set a new high. How long it lasts is a question and matter left to financial gurus, many of whom disagree.
Tracking the stock market’s performance provides us with an indication of where the economy is, and maybe even where it’s going. Numbers can’t tell us everything, but they can tell us a lot.
Money can be a touchy subject for husbands and wives because most, if not all, of the decisions a couple makes each day involve money.
Do you drink coffee at home or spend extra money at a coffee shop?
What kind of clothing do you buy?
What kind of car do you drive?
Should you pursue a different job?
Should you buy a new house?
Should you spend less or more on groceries?
Even your dreams for the future are impacted by your budget.
When the culture erupts into chaos and violence breaks out in the streets, anger is usually identified as the culprit. We’re told that people get so angry about the economy, about politics, or about injustice that they can’t help but act destructively.
Actually, destructive behavior isn’t the result of angry people, but of people who aren’t in control of their anger. We all get angry, and anger itself can be quite productive. Anger motivated our ancestors to rise up and fight a Revolution for freedom and to put an end to slavery.
Have you ever wished you could get away from it all?
Leaving behind the hustle and bustle of the city may sound like a refreshing, simpler way of life, but it’s actually a lot of work.
A few years ago, author Kathi Lipp and her husband, Roger, decided to move to a mountain home they’d bought. It was a tough challenge. Kathi was not “ourdoorsy” or resourceful and did not feel equipped to become a homesteader.
Some people believe scientific truth is the only truth, meaning we should only believe in tangible things that we can see and touch.
But truth is more sophisticated than that. Lots of things are true even though we can’t physically touch or observe them. Like our thoughts and ideas. Or what about truth that is so meaningful we need stories to communicate them? Stories in the Bible, for example, are true in a deeply profound way that apply to everyone everywhere in every generation.
Few things in life are as good as we think they are.
Believe it or not, there’s even a scientific term for that phenomenon. It’s called the Better-Than-Average Effect. In short, our tendency is to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.
We don’t sing as well as we think we do.
We don’t eat or exercise as healthy as we should.
We minimize our addictions.
We downplay our depression.
We believe that our marriages are healthier than they are.
Dementia is one of the most difficult medical issues that families face today. More than 6 million Americans are living with Alzheimer’s disease. Each year, 16 million people provide nearly 17 billion hours of unpaid care for family and friends with dementia.
If someone you love has received a troubling diagnosis, I’d like to offer some helpful advice for making the journey as smooth and meaningful as possible.
First, seek out sound medical advice. There is no cure for dementia, but medications and treatments can minimize its effects and slow down its progression.
How big is your marriage’s “joy gap”?
Dr. Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey, authors of the book The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages, describe a “joy gap” as the length of time between moments of joy. If you apply that unit of measurement to your marriage, how long has it been? Days? Weeks? Months?
Your joy gap can be especially lengthy if you’re waiting for your circumstances to change on their own, for your spouse to make you joyful, or for God to zap you with joy.
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.
