Daly Focus Blog
Author Aaron Sharp says every new dad is like Peter Parker, the mild-mannered character in the Marvel comic series who becomes Spider-Man. A pivotal moment in Peter’s story comes when he’s bitten by a radioactive spider, and his life changes forever. Only, he doesn’t immediately realize it.
For men, life changes in mysterious ways the first time his wife says, “We’re having a baby.” They have no idea the changes coming down the pike – which leaves many guys feeling unprepared to become a dad.
As you’ll hear on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, Paul and Melody Westbrook’s marriage suffered in ways familiar to many couples. He was a driven man who found his worth and identity in his work. He felt comfortable in a room full of people, but not alone with his wife. Time with Melody had to have a purpose, a reason to be together other than simply enjoying her presence.
Melody persevered but, as the years rolled on, Melody felt more and more ignored and unimportant, and her resentment ate away at her love for Paul.
Success isn’t always a measurement of personal achievement. It’s often determined by the influence we have on others.
The tallest mountain in the world, Mt. Everest, is named after Sir George Everest, a geographer from the 1800’s, but not because Sir George was the first to summit the mountain. That was Sir Edmund Hillary in 1953. As a matter of fact, Sir George Everest never even saw the mountain.
The man who hiked the Himalayas to officially calculate the mountain’s record-breaking height was Andrew Waugh.
Do you want your kids to be happy with their marriages, with their families, and with their careers? Of course, you do.
I want the same for my boys. But I also know that happiness can be fleeting. Life can be unpredictable and circumstances could turn their world upside-down in a heartbeat.
Which is why I hope and pray for them to find joy. Joy will see them through trials and difficulties with faith and a determination to keep their confidence in Jesus – to trust that He remains with them in and through it all.
When the movie Straight Outta Compton debuted at the top of the box almost a decade ago, our media discernment ministry, Plugged In, gave the film a half “plug” (out of five) for family friendliness in its review.
It’s no wonder. Life in Compton, California is anything but family-friendly. I should know – I lived in Compton for part of my childhood. When I was only 8 years old, I was in my bedroom when a murder took place just 10 feet from the window.
I came home from work about a year after my wife Jean and I got married and found her in the bathroom crying. I was worried she was having second thoughts about our relationship, but when I asked her what was wrong, she said, “I flushed my wedding ring down the toilet.” Back then, she kept her jewelry in a basket behind the toilet, and she’d hit the flusher and the basket at the same time.
When Trey and Lea Morgan started dating, they’d grab fast food, a blanket and talk for hours. Then, after they each went home, they’d call each other and talk some more. Now, years into their marriage, they wonder what they could have possibly talked about for so long.
Although their quantity of conversation has changed, they’ve always maintained quality. They understand that strong marriages are no accident; they’re cultivated.
Trey and Lea Morgan have been involved in marriage ministry and coaching for over 30 years and are co-hosts of the Stronger Marriage with Trey and Lea Morgan podcast.
According to Dr. Meg Meeker, boys today grow up in a world that is often at odds with their natural instincts to be curious and to explore. They’re taught to be cooperative and passive, to stay safe and avoid risks. What’s more, parents don’t always recognize how dangerous social media, popular entertainment, and marathon gaming can be for boys. Overconsumption can deaden their sensibilities and disconnect them from human interaction.
Dr. Meeker bases her expertise in years of clinical experience as a pediatrician, relevant scientific data, common sense, and her Christian faith.
God’s light often shines the brightest when circumstances are at their darkest and most bleak.
Which makes today’s world an opportunity for Christians to be salt and light by recommitting to studying God’s Word and allowing the Holy Spirit to work through us into the lives of others – our families, our neighborhoods, our churches, and our communities. We are ambassadors for Christ, called to be prepared to “give a reason for the hope that is in us” (1 Peter 3:15).
Rich Griffith is a single Dad of three teenage sons, all of whom he adopted. He soon realized that despite ministering to teenagers for many years, he didn’t know how to disciple his children as a parent. Neither do a lot of parents.
And that is why Rich likes to help parents teach their children how to engage their world by discerning which voices in their lives are helpful and harmful. The wisdom for determining whether or not a voice is worth listening to is discovered through what he calls the “Three Ts”:
Time.
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.
