Daly Focus Blog
Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?
It’s not if you hope to have a smooth December and enjoy a stress-free Christmas season. That can be tough to do if you’re not organized.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. A time for us to reflect on our Savior who came as a baby in a manger and soon took upon Himself the sins of the world.
Instead, we get caught up in all the “stuff” of Christmas: the lights, the decorations, the shopping.
Darryl and Tracy Strawberry are living proof that with God’s help, any couple can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable and build a happy marriage. Their life together has been a difficult but rewarding journey.
They met each other in recovery. At the time, neither one was living for the Lord, and they were both broken people.
Darryl was $3 million in debt. He had been a power hitting, eight-time Major League All-Star who earned four World Series championships in 17 seasons with teams like the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.
I was deeply saddened to hear the recent news regarding well-known
author and speaker Joshua Harris. First, Harris and his wife, Shannon, announced
they have chosen to divorce after 21 years of marriage. Harris made his
announcement in an Instagram
post.
A few days later, in another post, he declared that he’d undergone “a massive shift” regarding his faith in Jesus and that he no longer
considers himself a Christian.
Although Joshua suggests that these decisions were the result
of “significant changes” he’d undergone in recent years, he hasn’t specifically
described what has led to such dramatic shifts in his philosophy and worldview.
How do we, as believers, live for Christ in a world that constantly puts self first? Leslie Vernick addresses this highly relevant topic in her book, How to Find Selfless Joy in a Me-First World.
Our culture makes me the highest priority. From social media posts and selfies to the aisles of bookstores that are filled with self-help books – our individualistic, American culture calls us to be the best version of ourselves to the exclusion of God and others.
However, this hyper focus on self is one of Satan’s strategies to make us believe that we are the center of our own universe.
Forgiveness is never easy, but how do you forgive evil?
For Polly Sheppard and Reverend Anthony Thompson, that question is no mere hypothetical. Polly was a member of a weekly Bible study led by Anthony’s wife, Myra, at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina.
On the evening of June 17, 2015, 12 members of Myra’s group came together for study. A few minutes in, they welcomed a young white man who unexpectedly came into the church.
Yesterday’s Supreme Court decision that upheld Indiana’s fetal remains law – legislation that requires burial or cremation of a baby’s body following an abortion – was welcome news regarding a very uncomfortable topic, of course.
It’s hard to even fathom why anyone would oppose these types of standards, but Planned Parenthood’s wicked and evil opposition to anything that hints at the rights and respect due pre-born life shouldn’t shock us anymore.
At the same time, there was disappointing news within the same decision.
Racing wasn’t
just a day job for NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip. I can tell you from
experience, he was wired for it. I played golf with him once, and he nearly
took off in the golf cart without me. He wanted to beat the other members in
our group to the next tee. He was literally zigging and zagging all along the
cart path to keep them behind us … where they belonged, apparently. After
Darrell won the short chase, he looked at me and said, “Life is a race
to me.” Darrell is wired for racing.
The new biography on First Lady Barbara Bush is in the news, and it’s a timely moment to remember what Mrs. Bush considered her most important job: motherhood.
Today, Focus on the Family is excited to release a book by Linda Weber called The Eternal Mark of a Mom. In it, she defends the value of motherhood while urging women to embrace the value and power of their role.
In this excerpt, Linda speaks to how Barbara Bush felt about her greatest calling in life:
Over the years, I’ve received many letters from mothers who had gained a new perspective about the worth of being a mom, telling me of a fulfillment they hadn’t thought possible.
Are you a fan of the predictably poignant but proudly and admittedly syrupy and sappy Hallmark Christmas movies?
The Hallmark Hall of Fame franchise, which dates back to 1951, is the longest running prime time series in television history. Although the specials have evolved over the years, the concept of using feel-good entertainment to market a company’s products has to go down as one of the most brilliant moves in the history of retail sales promotion.
We’re grateful that President Trump is recognizing and celebrating Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
All individuals with Down syndrome have intrinsic value and worth as beings created in the image of God, and we’re excited that the White House has vowed to continue creating great opportunities so that men, women and children with Down syndrome can reach their full potential.
As an organization dedicated to the sanctity of life, we are also encouraged that the Administration has recognized that often preborn children with Down syndrome are never given a chance at life because of abortion.
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.
