Daly Focus Blog
“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33, ESV).
If you’re single, have you ever applied that verse to your dating relationships and search for a godly spouse?
Many Christian singles seek the same things in a mate as non-Christian singles. They focus on whether or not they’re attracted to one another, share common interests, enjoy each other’s company, or even if they share sexual chemistry.
Remember when you were first married? You and your spouse talked, had fun every weekend, and always seemed to have time for one another.
Then you became parents.
Now it seems every moment is busy with sports practice, dentist appointments, and school programs. Once a couple has children, it can be tough to fit each other in. Their marriage routinely gets pushed down the priority list.
It seems justifiable in the moment because parenting does require a lot from parents.
Ladies, how would you describe yourself? Would you use the word “beautiful”?
If you answer “no,” you’re not alone. In fact, according to author Elisa Morgan, the vast majority of women around the world, including Christians, don’t feel beautiful.
They see beauty in others – friends, relatives, celebrities, models on magazine covers – but they don’t see it in themselves. That’s partly because women see their outer flaws – “This is too big,” “that is too small” – but it’s also because a woman’s “ugly list,” as Elisa calls it, goes deeper, to the soul.
It’s a story that’s intertwining two contentious issues of our day: abortion and immigration.
I’m talking, of course, of the case out of Texas involving a pregnant 17-year-old girl being held in a federal detention center since crossing the border illegally in September. This unaccompanied minor, “Jane Doe,” is 15 weeks pregnant and is trying to get an abortion.
Her case ended up in the court system, with the government arguing in court that it does not have a duty to “facilitate” an abortion.
“How did it go?”
It’s a question we’ve been asked many times since Oct. 5 – the day close to 500,000 students across the nation in all 50 states celebrated the fourth annual Bring Your Bible to School Day. Well, I’m proud to give you an update.
But first, let’s remember back to what was happening at the beginning of the month. Many people in the U.S. were worried were worried about family members in Mexico after the country’s two big earthquakes and in Puerto Rico after the catastrophic Hurricane Maria.
It’s not easy for a single mother to raise a son. It’s even more difficult when that son has autism.
Emily Colson can attest to that. Her husband walked out when their son Max was just 18-months-old, saying he couldn’t handle the stress.
And there was a lot of stress. Max’s autism was so severe that, for a time, Emily couldn’t leave home with him – not to the grocery store, not to friends’ houses, not to church.
Anyone who looked at Michael Kent a few years ago would have been forgiven for thinking he was beyond hope.
He was in jail, and his body bore various tattoos that gave witness to his Neo-Nazi beliefs, including a large swastika on his chest. He was also part of a violent skinhead group.
There’s no way that guy’s ever going to change, right?
Well, not so fast.
Turns out the Michael Kent of today is very different – and it’s all thanks to his friendship with an African-American woman, Tiffany Whittier.
Chocolate was a symbol of how bad Sandy and Tom’s marriage had become.
They were in a drive-thru ordering food, and Sandy asked for a chocolate shake. Tom said “no” and forced her to reorder. Vanilla, he believed, was the better choice. He was convinced chocolate would make her face break out and cause her to gain weight.
Tom didn’t realize it at the time, but the problem wasn’t chocolate, it was control. To get the marriage he was after, Tom thought he had to rule with an iron fist.
The 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation is fast approaching. On Reformation Day, we remember how Martin Luther, a German monk, nailed his 95 Theses on the door of a Wittenberg church on Oct. 31, 1517.
But while Martin Luther is closely associated with his opposition to selling indulgences – monetary payments to receive forgiveness for sin – fewer people today know he was also instrumental in helping change the way Christians look at marriage.
Before the Reformation took place, celibate service to God was often seen as the highest calling.
The percentages are hard to know for sure, but research indicates that 50 percent or more of all women feel lonely.
Dr. Joneal Kirby points to several reasons why those numbers are so high. For one, social media has caused an increase in superficial relationships. Some women have dozens of friends on Facebook, but very few with whom they can talk face-to-face. They don’t meet for coffee with anyone, and they have no one with whom they can get beneath the surface, share their hearts, and “do life.”
Women are also busier than ever.
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.
