Daly Focus Blog
Have you ever tried to push a fully inflated beach ball under the water and hold it there?
You can only hold it beneath the surface for so long. Sooner or later, your strength will give out, and the ball will pop back up.
It’s a lot like parenting. How so?
Well, to answer that question, we’ve invited Milan and Kay Yerkovich back to our microphones. They were with us a couple of weeks ago to discuss how we develop a deeper connection with our spouse by understanding their love style and ours.
Friends: Three policemen were killed yesterday in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. You can read my thoughts about this terrible news on my Facebook page. -JD
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Have you ever felt like a trapped monkey?
Neither had I until a friend described to me how other cultures hunt for monkeys.
The hunters hollow out a coconut and fasten it to a tree with a rope. Inside the coconut, they put a small portion of food that can be reached through a small hole.
The death toll from yesterday’s terrorist attack in Nice, France, was raised to 84 this morning. According to reports, two Americans were included in the count. The driver of the truck that rammed into the crowd, which had gathered to watch fireworks and celebrate Bastille Day, is Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel. He was shot and killed by police.
“France has been struck on the day of her national holiday,” said France’s president, Francois Hollande. “Human rights are denied by fanatics, and France is clearly their target.”
This latest episode of terror comes barely a month from the terrible shootings inside a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida, where 49 people were murdered and 53 others were wounded.
One of the most important responsibilities you have as a parent is passing your faith and values on to your children.
It may also be one of the most challenging tasks before you. And there’s a reason why.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, both the U.S. men’s and women’s 4 x 100 relay teams were expected to compete for the gold medal. Instead, in a shocking turn of events, neither team even made it to the finals.
Dallas Police Chief David Brown shared some very personal thoughts during a Monday news conference as he updated the media on the Thursday night attack.
“We’re asking cops to do too much in this country,” he said. “We are. You’re asking us to do too much. Every societal failure, we put it off on the cops to solve. Not enough mental health funding, let the cop handle it. Not enough drug addiction funding, let’s give it to the cops.
If you’re a Christian, you’re aware that God desires to hear your praise and worship.
But what about your anger, or your discouragement, or your frustration that He’s not intervening in your life the way you wanted or expected?
Many Christians have a hard time believing God will tolerate such deep, often unpleasant emotions from His children. They might even say, “Oh, no, no, no. You can’t talk to God like that.”
But the Psalmists felt no such uncertainty.
The people of Dallas are in mourning today and with them, all of America as well.
That a rally purported to serve as a peaceful protest to police-involved shootings in Louisiana and Minnesota (read my statement on the deaths on Facebook) turned violent is a stark reminder that sin and evil rage across every corner of every community of the country.
Here’s what we know:
During a “Black Lives Matter” rally last evening in downtown Dallas, 12 law enforcement officers and two civilians were shot.
For many couples, marriage is mostly about the kids.
Well-meaning moms and dads spend so many years completely devoted to the task of raising their children that they often forget to be husband and wife. It’s a situation that may be manageable while the kids are still at home and there’s enough work to “float” the relationship along – but it can become unbearable after the kids move out.
That’s what puts empty-nest marriages at higher risk for dissatisfaction – and even divorce.
I’d say the most popular word in the average parent’s vocabulary would have to be “no.”
To be fair, it’s an important word for moms and dads. Used properly, it creates healthy boundaries for children.
But I think sometimes we over-do our “no’s,” too. We can be a little too protective. Remember Dory, the Pacific blue tang with short-term memory loss from the animated hit “Finding Nemo”? She reminded Marlin, the dad of mis-adventurous Nemo, “You can’t never let anything happen to him.
American patriotism hits a high point at about this time every year. Independence Day celebrations remind us of our nation’s rich history of liberty.
But we’re also confronted with some very dark chapters that can tarnish the national pride we feel.
That paradox brings to mind an important question: “Should we love our country?”
Author Eric Metaxas says a lot of people today interpret love for America as nationalistic chest beating. Our pride is really nothing more than tribalism, they say.
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.
