Daly Focus Blog
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.
Rob Parsons is the founder and chairman of Care for the Family in the United Kingdom, a sister organization to Focus on the Family. In his study are two armchairs, one to the right of the fireplace and one to the left. One night, Rob imagined each of his grandchildren, not as the little ones they were, but as grown men and women in their 20s or 30s. They each sat in one of the armchairs after somebody had broken their heart or stepped all over their dreams.
On Good Friday, April 9, 2004, tragedy struck the Bainter family. Brett was mowing the lawn on his riding mower, while his three-year-old son, Jake, played in the driveway.
At one point, Brett backed up, not realizing that Jake had run up behind him. A baby-sitter who was supervising Jake tried to stop the impending accident, but it was too late. Brett ran over Jake, and the young boy would end up losing his right leg.
For a stronger marriage, ask yourself, “What’s my EQ?”
While your IQ is a measure of your intelligence, your EQ is a measure of your “emotional intelligence.”
That term was coined in 1995 by Daniel Goleman, who first applied the concept to businessmen and women. As he defined it, emotional intelligence is the degree to which you are able to make healthy relational choices based on your understanding of your emotions and those around you. The concept eventually spilled outside of the business world into other arenas.
Over the last few decades, our culture has seen a tremendous increase in the number of women leaders.
From the beginning, God instructed men and women to function as equal, interdependent partners. We can be fruitful only when we work together. Our differences are complementary, not conflicting.
Women’s leadership styles are often more transformative, participative, and inclusive than those of their male counterparts. Author Deborah Pegues shares the special innate qualities God has gifted women leaders:
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Developing Your Leadership Skills as a Woman,” Deborah Pegues is with us to examine the special innate qualities God has given women and how those characteristics can be honed to make you an effective leader and woman of influence.
Infidelity is a mirage.
It promises fulfillment. It delivers heartache and tragedy. Not only is the rush of excitement short-lived, but it is quickly replaced by long-lasting and devastating consequences.
When an affair is exposed, the betrayal is often so deep that couples rush to divorce. But ending your marriage in the wake of infidelity isn’t the simple solution people assume. It often replaces one set of problems with another.
Reconciliation can create long-term resolution. Research shows us that couples who are willing to work through betrayal and pain with godly forgiveness can eventually rebuild their relationship.
Unanswered – or poorly answered questions, never go away.
Nevertheless, it’s very good news that the United States Supreme Court announced earlier today that they’ve agreed to review Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
At issue is a Mississippi law that bans abortion after 15 weeks.
The nine justices should use this case to re-evaluate Roe and Casey and best case, overturn them both. At the very least, the court should allow the states more leeway in prohibiting abortion pre-viability, including for things like gender, race or disability.
History tells us not to pin our hopes on the court in cases like this.
“What were you thinking?”
If you’re a parent of teenagers, you’ve probably asked that question a few times. I know I have. More than once, Jean and I have looked at each other and asked about one of our boys: “What is going on in that brain of his?”
According to Dr. Jeramy and Jerusha Clark, our guests on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Understanding Your Teen’s Behavior,” there’s an avalanche of change happening inside a teenager’s body.
Author Gary Thomas thought he had a pretty good marriage. Then God reminded him of the pledge he’d made to his wife at their wedding, a pledge you probably made as well if you used traditional vows.
It’s this: “I promise to love and to cherish you until death do us part.” Gary now admits that the moment he said those words at the altar was the last time he considered the word “cherish” in terms of his marriage.
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.
