Daly Focus Blog
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.
Focus on the Family serves the culture according to five foundational pillars. The first pillar is evangelism and discipleship.
Many Christians shy away from evangelism these days. Sharing one’s faith seems more difficult than ever. We don’t want to take an aggressive, “in your face” approach, so we swing the pendulum the other way and become silent, “undercover Christians.”
Is there a middle ground?
Greg Koukl is our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Finding Peace in Your Everyday Life.” He is an apologist and the founder and president of Stand to Reason ministries.
Tonya was 13 when she became pregnant and aborted her baby.
She endeavored to move on with her life as if nothing had happened. Yet, in the weeks that followed, something still seemed to be happening inside of her. She soon discovered that she had been pregnant with twins, and one of the babies had survived the procedure. A few weeks later, Tonya gave birth to the child and put her up for adoption.
Twenty-one years later that child – now a grown adult named Claire – called the adoption agency from where she had been adopted.
“It’s just like an American to think you invented the family.”
That’s what Dr. Lilian Wahomey, a psychologist in Kenya, jokingly said to me over lunch one day. I met with her almost 25 years ago to explore ways Focus on the Family could come alongside families in Africa.
I asked, “Do you think a focus on marriage and parenting is be relevant in this part of the world?”
With a friendly smile, she reminded me that the core needs of marriages and families transcend language, culture, nationality, and socio-economic status.
Byron “Tanner” Cross is the type of physical education instructor you want teaching your children.
At 38 years of age, the Leesburg Elementary School PE teacher in Loudon County, Virginia, is committed, energetic, enthusiastic and deeply principled – a man who refuses to bow to “woke” politics and propaganda.
So, perhaps it’s no surprise that Mr. Cross found himself wrapped up in controversy last month after objecting to his school district’s new transgender policy.
In short, he refused to call boys “girls” and girls “boys.”
And for that, he was suspended and threatened with losing his job altogether.
According to the CDC, 40 percent of Americans struggle with some kind of addiction:
DrugsAlcoholPornographyWorkaholismGamblingShoppingEating disordersTech addictionOpioids
And the list could go on.
Addiction will devastate your health, your finances, and your relationships.
Each of us has unresolved pain or unhealthy coping mechanisms of some kind. It’s part of who we are as human beings who live in a sinful world. The Bible says we’ve all sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23).
“For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother, be united to his wife and the two shall become one flesh.”
That verse, Genesis 2:24, is usually referred to in the context of marriage. But Pastor Ted Cunningham pointed out to me that it actually begins as an observation about parenting.
The verse declares that a man will leave his father and mother. It assumes that our children will leave home as adults, not as children who must then set out on a journey to become grownups on their own.
One busy weekday morning, author Kay Wyma was backing out of her driveway when a big truck barreled down the road and forced her to the shoulder.
Frustrated and annoyed, she took a deep breath and realized that she had a choice: she could choose to wallow in her anger and frustration, or she could choose to be thankful that no one, including herself, had been injured.
Instead of condemning the truck driver, Kay felt compassion for him, wondering what kind of bad day he was having that would cause him to drive so recklessly.
It seems obvious, but in this day and age, it bears repeating: A father is not just a parent. He is a male parent who contributes things to his child’s life and development that are unique as a father. A mother can never replace a father in a child’s life – and vice versa.
It’s one of the great lies of today’s culture that moms and dads are interchangeable. In fact, the social science confirms what most every generation knew instinctively since time began.
We’re commemorating Memorial Day on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Quitting Isn’t an Option: My Life as a Navy Seal.” We’re airing the testimony of Chad Williams, who was transformed from a college dropout to one of America’s most elite military operatives – a Navy SEAL.
Chad’s story illustrates the grueling process of becoming a SEAL, the dedication of our military men and women, and honors American heroes who have died for our freedoms, including his beloved SEAL training coach, Scott Helvenston, who died tragically after redeploying to Iraq.
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.
