Daly Focus Blog
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.
Here’s a discouraging fact: You’re probably not as healthy as you think you are.
According to a long line of psychological studies, we tend to see ourselves as better than we are. Social scientists call this the Better-Than-Average Effect. We’re compelled to put our best face forward and suppress our inadequacies. We look like we have it together on the outside even when we don’t have it together on the inside.
The last year and a half has shown how important it is to take care of ourselves emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.
Author Gary Thomas thought he had a good marriage. Then God reminded him of the pledge he made to his wife at their wedding: “I promise to love and to cherish you until death do us part.”
Thirty-six years later, Gary realized that he hadn’t thought of the word “cherish” in terms of his marriage since he spoke those words. Determined to change course, Gary set out to understand what it really meant to cherish his wife.
Focus on the Family serves the culture according to five foundational pillars.
The first pillar is evangelism and discipleship. “We believe the ultimate purpose of life is to know and glorify God and to attain eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord, beginning within our own families and then reaching out to a suffering humanity that needs to embrace His love and sacrifice.”
Although every Christian would agree with that truth, many shy away from evangelism.
Guy and Amber Lia were convinced that their marriage was a mistake soon after the mountaintop experience of their wedding. Neither had the communication skills to work through their differences. They reacted to each other instead of responding. Their relationship spiraled, and they considered throwing in the towel.
Every dating couple imagines marriage as a string of mountaintop experiences. Life will never be perfect, but we can’t fathom romance fading. We can’t foresee our conversations not stretching into the wee hours of the night.
Jesus’ mother was Mary.
The prophet Samuel’s mother was Hannah.
King David’s mother?
The Bible doesn’t tell us, but she must have had tremendous insight into how boys become men because she didn’t rescue her son from risk. David was a teenager when he conquered Goliath relying on strength and trust in the Lord he developed in the field. First Samuel 17:34-36 says:
“But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep sheep for his father.
On our Best of 2021 list of Focus on the Family Broadcasts is “Embracing Your Role as a Spouse,” with our guest Kevin Thompson. On the program, he describes the three roles of a spouse:
As friends, spouses play and laugh together.As partners, spouses handle conflict and communicate well.As lovers, spouses put sizzle into their relationship.
Kevin is the lead pastor at Community Bible Church in western Arkansas and regularly counsels couples. He’s also a conference speaker with popular talks about the topics of marriage and parenting.
We are in the Advent Season, and the word “anticipation” seems like an appropriate word to describe how I feel about the approach of Christmas. Saints of old, by faith, anticipated the coming of Christ on that first Christmas. Simeon, for example, rested on the promise God had made to him that he would not see death until he had gazed into the eyes of his savior (Luke 2:25-32).
As a child, my parents required that my older brother and I feed and water our horses before starting our celebration of Christmas.
Author Jodie Berndt has heard from hundreds, if not thousands, of parents through the years who struggle with praying for their children, as she did:
They feel inadequate.They believe prayer to be a natural part of the parenting process, but rarely feel like their prayers “pack a punch.”Jodie even worried that her proud or anxious prayers might elbow God out of the picture.
The more familiar Jodie became with the Bible, the more Scripture reshaped her perspective and her desires – and the more her prayers lined up with God’s will
The book of James says that “The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working” (James 5:16).
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.
