Daly Focus Blog
With the exception of the loss of a child, nothing takes an emotional toll on a family quite like the devastation rendered by divorce.
In fact, since Focus on the Family’s inception in 1977, the preservation and promotion of marriage has been at the forefront of our ministry’s efforts. From our broadcasts to our books, programs, articles and numerous other forms of media, championing the marital union and preventing divorce has been one of our top priorities.
Writer and speaker Esther Fleece Allen struggled under a list of labels well into her 20s and 30s:
Orphaned.Abandoned.Forsaken.Unlovable.Unwanted.
At one point, she wondered if those labels would always form the basis of her identity.
Then she began to learn about the concept of new names in Scripture. The Bible reveals the enemy’s strategy to keep us stuck in the labels of our pasts – labels that others attach to us or that we attach to ourselves.
Since Christmas will probably look different for your family this year, why not start some new traditions?
We’re talking about ideas for approaching the holiday season with grace, fun, and a deeper focus on God and your family on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Embracing Grace, Fun, and Family This Holiday Season.” Listen on your local radio station, online, on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, or on our free phone app.
A crisis can tear a family apart.
Evan and Elisa Morgan learned how to forge a strong partnership by going through the fires of crisis – one of which involved their teenage daughter.
Evan was the CFO of Denver Seminary. Elisa was the president of Mothers of Preschoolers (MOPS). Their daughter was an honor roll student, a state-ranked swimmer, and an active member of her youth group. She even participated in a mission trip to serve HIV/AIDS orphans in Kenya.
We recorded our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Sharing God’s Light Through Art” in a different kind of studio. Instead of microphones and recording consoles, we were surrounded by more easels, paint brushes, and canvases in one place than I’ve ever seen.
The studio belongs to Morgan Weistling, who has been an artist since he was old enough to hold a crayon. He has studied under some of the most legendary illustrators and artists of the last century.
I once had lunch with author David Horowitz, a secular Jew who had written a book detailing cultural and political movements against Christianity. He asked me, “Jim, don’t you realize you’re in an alley fight, and the other side has switchblades?”
I nodded my understanding, then responded, “David, the problem is that the weapons of warfare our Lord has given us are joy, love, peace, patience, goodness, kindness, and faithfulness.”
That discourse raises an intriguing question for every Christian: How are believers to fight the good fight with the character of Christ when the other side doesn’t fight fair?
Have you ever felt alone and unloved?
Have you ever felt rejected by friends? Coworkers? A family member?
All of us have felt that way at some point. But what if that isolation lasted for years and you saw no way out?
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “A Man Called Norman,” we’re airing a timeless message about friendship, hope, and love, even in a hopelessly lonely situation.
If you’ve not heard it, or if you’re new to Focus on the Family, allow me to briefly introduce this program to you.
Consider this: according to The New York Times, 201 powerful men have been exposed for their mistreatment of women in recent years. Titans of the business world, of politics, and of the entertainment industry. Their behavior cost them their reputations and ended their careers. A few of the men wound up in jail. Or dead.
The question our culture must answer is, “Why did those 201 men believe that their power gave them the right to mistreat anybody?” How did these men become so bereft of a moral compass?
As the saying goes, “Birds of a feather flock together.” It means that we naturally feel most comfortable around people who look like us and think like us.
That tendency can cause us to miss out on relationships with people who hold different perspectives than us and on the opportunity to learn from them.
God is more diverse than we often imagine Him to be. He created human beings in His image, so every person is God’s image-bearer.
Anxiety is rampant in our culture. It’s rampant among Christians as well. Anxiety is a pandemic all its own. We’re stressed relationally, emotionally, financially, and many of us physically.
That’s no accident. Relational, emotional, physical, and financial health are the four legs of a chair that give our lives a sense of security and peace. They’re also the four areas of our lives that are subject to intense stress and anxiety.
During these times, we can find comfort in the words of Jesus: “In the world you will have tribulation.
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.
