Daly Focus Blog
A door-to-door salesman from a local cable company stopped by Dave and Ashley Willis’ house and gave them his best pitch. At first, his offer sounded amazing. He promised his company would take good care of Dave and Ashley by giving them the best package at the best price.
The deal went south when Dave asked the salesman, “So how long is this package and price valid for?”
“Twelve months,” the salesman said.
“What happens after that?” Dave asked.
My friend and new Focus on the Family colleague, Dr. Meg Meeker, is a highly acclaimed pediatrician who has spent the past 30 years treating children, helping parents, and writing, teaching and speaking on numerous issues that impact the family. One of the best things I appreciate about Dr. Meg is that she’s practical and regularly addresses the issues parents and children are facing.
Today, I pose a question to her that I think every parent has asked or pondered:
Is the affirmation you give your kids hurting or helping them?
This essay originally ran in The Christian Post.
This past Tuesday was the one-hundredth anniversary of the birth of legendary ABC Radio newsman Paul Harvey. Known for his homespun and perceptive commentaries, Mr. Harvey used to say that “In times like these, it’s important to remember there have always been times like these.” He was right.
Wednesday’s anonymously authored New York Times Op-Ed featuring a supposed “senior-member” of the Trump administration decrying internal dysfunction set off an avalanche of criticism, and rightly so.
Racism is a problem in America.
That much is obvious. What isn’t so obvious is what to do about it. Nothing society has dreamed up has eradicated it. In fact, one could argue that certain movements seeking positive change have deepened the cultural divide rather than bridged it.
Inadvertently or intentionally, the underlying cultural message has often been “choose your side.” Stand against the black community or stand for the black community. Stand against the white community or stand for the white community.
How does one possibly sum up a life as full and as fruitful as businessman and philanthropist Richard DeVos, the Amway co-founder and friend and supporter of many evangelical Christian efforts and organizations, including Focus on the Family, who died yesterday at the age of 92?
“The Lord was good to me and I gotta go out and try and tell how good God is,” Mr. DeVos recently reflected. “I’d like to be remembered by enjoying the time we were given here by loving what the good Lord gave us, and we did the best we could with it.”
I was honored to spend a very small fraction of Richard DeVos’ time with him, shortly after I had become president of the ministry.
When you ask couples which household issues influence the success of a marriage, things like kids and finances usually rise to the top. But did you know that chores rank third on that list?!
How can something as simple as housework fuel conflict in a marriage? Rather easily it turns out. As we all know, life gets busy. Not long after the “I do’s,” couples tend to get focused on (or maybe I should say, “distracted by”) the household tasks they care about, while forgetting the burdens their spouse is carrying.
The Bible begins with marriage and ends with marriage.
That ought to tell us something about the importance God places on it. He’s infused it with profound meaning, both as a cultural institution and as one of the most significant relationships we can experience. It’s the bedrock of God’s design for families.
So where does that leave singles?
Throughout the Bible we’re reminded that God created us for community. No one is meant to be alone.
Have you been watching or reading anything related to the Judge Brett Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation hearings?
Sadly, yesterday’s proceedings devolved into chicanery and chaos. In fact, it got so bad that Judge Kavanaugh’s daughters had to be escorted out of the room.
I had the opportunity to react to this spectacle for FOX News. Click here to read my comments – and please let me know what you think.
One of the most heartbreaking letters I’ve read was from a grown woman who wrote to Focus and recounted the divorce of her parents when she was a little girl. Her dad told her, “Your mom and I aren’t capable of being together, so I’m leaving. But I’ll always be there for you. I’ll see you on weekends. I’ll see you on your birthday.”
She never saw her dad again.
That father made a lot of promises, and never kept one.
“What do you do?”
That’s one of the first things people ask when they’re getting to know you. Or it’s one of the first things we offer to others to describe ourselves. We define who we are by what we do.
But the “dark side” to a lifestyle ruled by opportunity, hard work, and prosperity is that we get caught in a performance trap. We believe our value and worth as people is measured solely by what we achieve, what we acquire, or what we produce.
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.
