Daly Focus Blog
As we approach Father’s Day this Sunday, a thought:
It’s been said that it’s easier for a father to have children than for children to have a real father.
Sadly, that’s becoming more and more common.
There’s no test or final exam to qualify for fatherhood, though it would seem like a good idea if somehow there could be.
But some years ago, I developed what I call “Dad’s Report Card” for our boys, Trent and Troy – to evaluate me!
Over the course of a calendar year, nature experiences seasons. From winter to spring to summer and fall, each season presents nature with both challenges and opportunities for growth.
And so it is with marriage.
When winter sets in, a couple’s relationship becomes cold. They don’t communicate well. They argue. They disconnect. But if they endure, winter will give way to spring.
Spring is an exciting time. The couple is forward-thinking, has great plans for the future, and anticipate a happy relationship together.
Author Amy Carroll remembers the moment God’s love broke through her struggle with perfectionism.
She was one of several speakers at a women’s conference. To help attendees visualize God’s love, another speaker asked the women to participate in a mock wedding, complete with a veil, a bouquet of flowers, and aisle to walk down. Her groom, waiting for her at the altar, was Jesus.
One of the last women to participate was a 90-year-old woman who was barely able to shuffle down the aisle.
Ominous signs of the pending Supreme Court decision on the Dobbs’ Mississippi abortion case are everywhere.
Earlier today, a man was arrested in Maryland near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. He was carrying a gun and proclaimed his desire/intent to kill the jurist.
I was in Washington, D.C., a few weeks ago, and increased police presence, along with eight-foot metal fencing around the High Court, make clear that officials are bracing for the potential of a violent reaction to the decision.
Have you ever considered raising your children as an act of worship to the Lord?
Author Gary Thomas calls that approach “sacred parenting.” It elevates parenting to something beyond raising children who do their homework, brush their teeth, and do their chores without being told.
Practical growth points like those are important, but they can also distract us from the bigger reasons God gave us children to raise, and from what He wants to accomplish in and through our families.
Howard and Danielle Taylor’s relationship is evidence that a biblical understanding of the purpose for marriage is the foundation for weathering the rough seasons of life … together.
Danielle grew up unchurched, and Howard was raised without a dad. Both adopted unhealthy cycles of relationship they’d learned from their parents. The result was not harmony and intimacy, but arguments, stress, and conflict.
Over time, they learned new patterns of relating and communicating with each other, all rooted in a biblical understanding of marriage.
If you’re a stepparent, you may have discovered that blending two families is harder than you thought it would be. You’ve tried “everything” to connect with your stepchildren, but nothing bears much fruit, and you’re discouraged.
We’re offering you hope on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Staying Connected with Your Child After Divorce.” We’ve invited Lauren Reitsma to be our guest. Lauren is Vice president of Strategy and Communications for The Center for Relationship Educationin Denver, CO.
We all like to be liked.
But that raises questions.
Doesn’t the Bible instruct us to serve others by putting their needs before our own?
If so, where is the line between being a pleasant person and being a “people pleaser”?
The boundaries can be murky.
In high school, my wife Jean once said yes to three different boys who asked her for a date on the same night.
Dr. Mike Bechtle, a writer, public speaker, and communications expert, had trouble telling his children no because he wanted them to like him.
Have you ever noticed how often Jesus’ ministry was centered around meals?
Among others, there was the wedding at Cana, a dinner with the reviled Zaccheus, and the beautiful symbolism of the Last Supper. Jesus was even criticized for eating with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 9:11).
As one scholar put it: “Jesus ate his way through the Gospels.”
For author Bri McKoy, Jesus’ ministry through meals became a model for creating community and sharing God’s love with people He brought into her life.
It’s easy to get numbed by numbers, especially when it comes to bad news. We hear so many, and all day long.
But it’s different when the numbers have names, isn’t it?
In their photographs, they’re smiling back at us – images caught from earlier days – cheerleading, basketball games, first communion, a party in the backyard. Kids being kids.
The heartbreak of their parents, loved ones and friends is unfathomable. Depthless. There are the teachers, Eva and Irma.
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.
