Daly Focus Blog
“We make men without chests and expect from them virtue and enterprise” – C.S. Lewis.
It’s a popular trend these days to raise boys into “nice guys.” Men are expected to be sweet and gentle – almost feminine – in the way they interact with the people around them. But I think that mentality is putting our families at risk. We don’t need more “nice” guys. We need strong men.
First of all, let me clarify.
Former U.S. Secretary of State and accomplished pianist Condoleezza Rice and Grammy-nominated violinist Jenny Oaks Baker recently teamed up to play a touching rendition of the favorite hymn “Amazing Grace.” I hope you enjoy.
Few things are as painful for a Christian parent as a child who turns away from his or her faith. And the deeper the pain, the deeper our need for hope.
Maybe that’s why the story of the prodigal son has remained one of the most beloved parables in Scripture for centuries.
The story doesn’t make promises or guarantees about “wayward” children, of course. But it does offer hope to parents in desperate need of it.
Long before the Supreme Court imposed same-sex marriage on the country, Christian parents had been dealing with the culture’s growing acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships and the impact it has on their children.
We at Focus are hearing from more and more of them as they navigate these difficult waters with friends and relatives who are homosexual while also trying to model Christian behavior for their own children. Here’s a question typical of those we receive:
My sister-in-law is currently married to her partner.
Do you get along with your in-laws?
Okay, so I didn’t intend that question to be funny. But if you caught yourself snickering a little, who could blame you? In-law jokes (particularly about one’s mother-in-law) are a mainstay of modern comedy routines and a common stereotype in movies and television shows.
But within every joke you can find a kernel of truth. And the truth here is in-law relationships can be difficult.
When you get married, in-laws may start doing or saying things you never anticipated, and before you even know what’s hit you, you find yourself in an adversarial relationship.
I want to draw your attention to an insightful post on Plugged In’s blog that explores the growing view in today’s culture that, when it comes to sex, consent is the only thing needed to make a sexual relationship appropriate: “as long as there’s consent, there need be no other questions.”
In “Miley Cyrus Has Become the Poster Child for Consent,” Focus’ own blogger and movie critic Adam Holtz examines this troubling perspective by comparing it to historic Christian teaching on sexuality:
“To deal with the consent-only sexuality worldview that Miley Cyrus represents, we must ask a couple of simple but crucially important questions: What is the purpose of sexuality?
When it comes to America’s sovereignty, freedom has never been free. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, more than 1.3 million Americans have died in combat. It’s important to remember that each of these deaths is not an isolated incident; no man is an island. When a soldier falls, life within a family unit is irrevocably and permanently changed. Those deaths represent a lot of tears over the course of 235 years.
Yes, freedom in the U.S.A.
Women face a lot of pressure.
Many are trying to maintain a career or an otherwise busy outside schedule while being a wife and mother and caring for the family home. The demands on their time are immense.
That’s how it is for my wife, Jean. Our boys are in those middle, “tweener” years, so she always seems to be running from one activity to another.
But, as many women discover, too much responsibility makes it easy to get out of balance.
For Christians, the emotional response to the Supreme Court’s decision on marriage has run the gamut, and understandably so. It would be impossible to overstate the significance of Friday’s announcement.
In my statement to the media, I urged believers to continue engaging the culture with loving kindness and to be a light in these dark times. I joined many other Christian leaders in signing the “Here We Stand” evangelical declaration that, among other things, cautions against responding in panic to this ruling.
It’s been said that fear is the enemy of intimacy. I think that’s right.
Our guest on today and tomorrow’s program, author Donald Miller, agrees as well. He compares intimacy with standing on the edge of a cliff, fighting through anxiety and fear to jump into the water.
We don’t often equate fear with lack of intimacy because we don’t recognize all the ways we avoid vulnerability with the people closest to us. We rely on our humor, beauty, social status, or whatever identity we’d rather people see than our deepest, truest selves.
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.
