Daly Focus Blog
Every day Focus on the Family hears from good people who have faced difficult, even tragic, life circumstances, people who feel haunted by disturbing memories and who endure life with a sense of agony and desperation.
According to statistics, more people today are exposed to traumatic circumstances than past generations:
Over two-thirds of people experience a traumatic event by the age of 16 years old.
More than 70% of people report experiencing at least one traumatic event in their lifetime.
When Kim Meeder was a child, she considered her father something of a superhero. He didn’t wear a cape, fly, or leap tall buildings, but there wasn’t much else she felt he couldn’t do. As for her mother, she was the most beautiful and loving woman in the world, and Kim wanted to grow up to be just like her.
But when Kim was nine years old, she lost both her mom and dad in a horrific tragedy that shattered her heart.
I love summer. When my boys were younger, that meant camping with my family. We loved getting outdoors and parking our fifth wheel in some remote location where the sounds of nature aren’t drowned out by cars and busyness.
When there was a lake nearby, the first thing my boys would do is grab rocks to throw into the water. The bigger the better. For them, it was all about the splash. Me? I was intrigued by the ripples.
Technology is making life more and more convenient, but it’s also making the pace of life faster and faster. I don’t believe it’s God’s plan for us to be running full speed all the time. We need rest. Even Jesus took time to rest. He withdrew to quiet places (Matthew 14:13) and communed with His Father.
We should do the same. But how? How do we slow down and enjoy God, our families, and our daily lives more.
Howard and Danielle Taylor’s relationship is evidence that a biblical understanding of the purpose for marriage is the best foundation for weathering the rough seasons of life.
Danielle didn’t grow up in the church and Howard was raised without a dad. Both adopted unhealthy cycles of relationship they’d learned from their parents. The result was not harmony and intimacy, but arguments, stress and conflict.
Over time, they learned new patterns of relating and communicating with each other, all rooted in a biblical understanding of marriage.
Mom and dad, what are you doing to help your children develop maturity? It’s a question worth answering because children don’t develop maturity on their own. They have to be taught.
To that end, my wife and I enrolled our boys, Trent and Troy, in something called Cotillion. It’s all about teaching manners and preparing kids to interact with others as mature young men and women. The boys were apprehensive, but I assured them, “Don’t worry, guys.
Last month, Colorado’s governor signed legislation that could be heading toward your state soon. The bill funnels government dollars toward elective abortions through Medicaid. The fiscal note attached to the bill claims that such actions will save money for the state because it’s “cheaper to abort children than pay for that baby to be born.”
That kind of callous attitude toward life ignores the value of the baby and fails to recognize the damage abortion does to women – physically, emotionally and spiritually.
It’s been over 50 years since my mom died. All I have are a handful of photographs. I don’t have audio recordings or home movies of her, unfortunately, so I don’t remember the sound of her voice anymore. But I do recall many of the things mom said to me – things that positively influenced my direction through life and shaped the man I’ve become. I’d like to share a few of them with you.
First she’d tell me, “It’ll be okay.” Life wasn’t easy for my mom, but somehow she always saw the glass as half-full.
How do you help a loved one who is “deconstructing”?
Authors Alisa Childers and Tim Barnett, who have researched the deconstruction movement and engaged in conversations with friends and family about it, describe deconstruction as “a postmodern process of rethinking your faith without regarding Scripture as a standard.”
The Bible itself encourages us to evaluate our understanding of truth (Acts 17:11). However, Alisa and Tim argue that “faith deconstruction” is quite different. In the mind of deconstructionists, Christianity is toxic and abusive in claiming the authority of Scripture.
When Easter comes around every year, many people think of chocolate, decorative eggs and rabbits carrying baskets. As Christians, we know there’s a lot more to the story. Jesus’ triumphal parade. His last supper with His disciples. His brutal death on the cross. His bodily resurrection.
The events surrounding the Easter story can evoke a complicated mix of emotions – sadness and joy, anger and gratitude, fear and trust, mature themes that can be challenging for adults to process.
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.
