Daly Focus Blog
You may call me crazy for saying this, but hang with me.
I think moms and dads should be mean.
Now, let me clarify right from the start that when I say “mean,” I’m absolutely not saying that parents should be abusive or hurtful in any way.
That said, I think a lot of parents are just too nice. They don’t expect anything from their children or allow them to feel discomfort in any way. There are no chores to do, no bedtimes to worry about, and no difficulties to learn how to overcome.
If your teenage son or daughter forgot something they needed for school, would you bring it to them?
Well, if your child attends a Catholic High School for Boys in Little Rock, Arkansas, you can forget it.
When the school’s administrators posted a picture of a sign that’s taped to a door in their building, they probably didn’t expect it to go viral – but it did.
Here it is:
It reads, “If you are dropping off your son’s forgotten lunch, books, homework, equipment, etc., please TURN AROUND and exit the building.
We run from suffering … but God invites us to join Him in it.
Financial hardship. The death of a spouse … a child. The breakup of a marriage. The list could go on, but in every case, God says to us, “Let me redeem this and use it for your good. I’ll teach you through your suffering. Just rest and trust Me.”
He’s saying we have a choice even when we don’t have a choice.
The catastrophic flooding in Louisiana is the worst U.S. disaster since Hurricane Sandy, says the Red Cross. At least 13 people are dead and 40,000 homes are damaged, according to reports. Some 86,000 people have already applied for federal disaster aid across the disaster area, which spans across more than 20 parishes.
To make matters worse, the forecast calls for scattered storms, and Louisiana’s flat topography will make for a very slow recovery.
Author, blogger and Louisiana resident Sara Horn, who was recently a guest on our broadcast, described the destruction:
The water came fast and no one was prepared for what was happening…
This was rain.
Buckle up, everyone, the final stretch of election season is just around the corner.
I’ve talked to a lot of people recently who are feeling apathetic about our nation’s political situation. Enthusiasm for either presidential candidate is virtually non-existent, and the battle for morality has been waging in our country for decades. A lot of people are just plain tired.
Some of us may even be tempted to stay home instead of voting this fall. While I can understand the growing sense of “political fatigue” gripping so many, I want to challenge you not to do that.
“We’re not gonna have a baby, we’re gonna have a funeral instead.”
There are few events in life that bring more excitement to a couple than the anticipation of a new baby. The height of that joy is rivaled only by the depth of heartache that comes with a troubled pregnancy.
Josh and Laura had three children under five and were pregnant with their fourth. Each of the first three pregnancies had progressed without complication.
But the fourth…
Call it a mother’s intuition – that mysterious and beautiful bond between a mother and her baby that not only connects them physically, but at a heart level.
By the time the 1800’s came to a close, Lew Wallace’s bestselling novel, Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ, was considered by many to be “the most influential Christian book of the nineteenth century.” Adapted for film a couple times, most recently in 1959, Ben-Hur became a runaway Hollywood hit, eventually capturing eleven Academy Awards.
Even today, over a half-century later, many critics consider it to be one of America’s greatest movies of all time.
Tomorrow, Mark Burnett and Roma Downey are releasing a new version of the classic adventure for the big screen.
If you’re married, chances are you’ve encountered some challenges when it comes to sleeping together – and I don’t mean that kind of “sleeping together.” I mean getting some actual shut-eye.
Who can sleep through loud snoring, after all?
Or perhaps you’re married to someone who can’t stay still – there’s tossing, turning, and even “stealing” the blanket.
What about those couples who have mismatched sleep patterns or preferences – the night-owl who marries the early-bird?
Men are usually held in high esteem for their strong will. “What a leader!” people say. “He’s bold and lives with conviction.”
But a woman with a strong will is often characterized quite differently. “She’s bossy, controlling, and too self-assured.” It’s as if a woman can only be virtuous if she’s quiet and meek.
I think women and men are identical in this sense – God doesn’t want to rid us of our personalities, He wants to direct it and use it for His purposes.
Do you know the difference between raising a “body-conscious” daughter and a “body-confident” daughter?
Recently, I had the privilege of talking with author and speaker Dannah Gresh on how mothers can help their daughters develop a positive body image.
Most moms of teenage girls know what it’s like to watch their daughter break down into tears in the middle of a department store because none of the jeans fit right. Dannah explains that at the core of every girl’s battle with body image are these questions: “Am I beautiful?” “Am I worthy?” “Am I noticeable?”
The trouble is, it’s easy to focus on outward modesty – the length of shorts, the depth of a neckline, and the thickness of eyeliner.
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.
