Daly Focus Blog
Election Day is in eight days. Are you ready to vote? I hope so.
Voting someone into power who represents your values is a rare freedom in human history. And that freedom comes with significant responsibility: be clear what your values are and understand how they could be impacted on Election Day.
Keep in mind the following values that every American ought to vote to protect:
We want a society that believes every single human life has value and deserves respect and dignity.
How do you connect with God?
Is your faith inspired by beautiful art? Worship music? Serving others? Confronting evil in society? Some people love cathedrals or worshiping outside. Others prefer the comfort of their home church.
Although most of us have been taught one approach to spiritual growth – daily “quiet time,” Bible study, prayer, and weekly church attendance – we all have different personalities, likes and dislikes, and spiritual giftings, each of which bring a unique perspective to our understanding of the person of Jesus and the salvation He brings to the world.
My wife Jean and I have been married since 1986. One of the most important lessons about marriage I’ve learned in that time has been this: We’re different from one another, and that’s okay. But we’ve also learned that those differences have to be navigated carefully.
You and your spouse probably see the world through different eyes, too. You fall asleep to noise, but your spouse needs quiet. You’re a night owl, but your spouse enjoys mornings.
How big is your marriage’s “joy gap”?
Dr. Marcus Warner and Chris Coursey, authors of the book The 4 Habits of Joy-Filled Marriages, describe a “joy gap” as the length of time between moments of joy. If you apply that unit of measurement to your marriage, how long has it been? Days? Weeks? Months?
Your joy gap can be especially lengthy if you’re waiting for your circumstances to change on their own, for your spouse to make you joyful, or for God to zap you with joy.
God has vision. He sees not just who people are, but what they can become.
People looked at David and saw a shepherd boy; God saw a king. Peter denied the Lord three times, but Jesus called him a “rock” and used him to build His church.
Effective parenting also requires vision. Every child struggles to find his or her identity. Engaged parents look beyond where their child is right now and catch a vision for who he or she can become.
Dr. Bill Lile is known as the “Pro Life Doc.” He is an active OB/GYN in private practice and a national speaker who unveils both the horrors of abortion and the magnificence of preborn human life.
He is joining me on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly for an important and sobering conversation about the atrocity of abortion and why Christians should continue to stand strong for life.
Proverbs 31:8 says, “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute.”The battle for life is as intense as ever because pro-abortion activists spin narratives that pro-life supporters protect preborn babies at the expense of women and girls.
Psychologist John Gottman says he can predict with 94% certainty whether a marriage will be successful.
Armed with over 20 years of research, Dr. Gottman observes a number of factors that predict the health and well-being of a marriage. He found:
Happy couples show affection toward one another.
They practice healthy conflict resolution.
They are respectful of each other’s needs and desires.
They show interest in what their spouse says – even when they share offhand comments about a sunset or a small moment from their day.
You can’t change your spouse. So what do you do if your marriage is in a desperate place?
Many couples believe there are just two choices:
Stay and be miserable for the rest of your life.
Get out while you can and hope to find happiness somewhere down the line.
Dr. Gary Chapman says there’s a third option: With God’s help and with godly counsel from others, positively influence your marriage by creating possibilities for your spouse to change his or her behavior.
We recorded the latest edition of Focus on the Family with Jim Daly 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.
Theresa had a stroke 18 years ago. She lost control over her hands. Which means for all these years she’s struggled to do simple things in life, like styling her own hair. That’s why when she goes to the beauty salon, she leaves with a smile. She feels beautiful.
The trouble is, as soon as she washes her hair it falls flat, and she can’t get it to look the way her stylist does. Which means, until her next hair appointment comes around, Theresa doesn’t smile as much.
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.
