Daly Focus Blog
This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for a small country church and its big-hearted members.
We first learned of Silver Lake Church of the Bible (Silver Lake, Oregon) from a simple letter. The story Pastor Leon Baker shared in that letter started in 2006.
After listening to a Focus broadcast, “The Lord laid it upon my heart to begin collecting for the purchase of an ultrasonic machine,” he wrote.
And for eight years, that’s what Pastor Baker and his congregation did.
You may have heard of the recent interfaith conference on marriage at the Vatican. The three-day event brought together 14 faith traditions from 23 countries, and included the participation of prominent evangelicals such as Dr. Russell Moore and Rick Warren. Focus marriage expert Glenn Stanton also attended the event.
“The Complementarity of Man and Woman: An International Colloquium” served to gather leaders and scholars to examine marriage “in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society.” It reaffirmed the centuries-old belief shared by the different faiths that vital to marriage is the complementary nature of man and woman.
Isn’t it strange that in a nation nicknamed the “land of opportunity” that so many struggle to find happiness?
I think, in part, that’s because we haven’t learned the discipline of gratitude. I’m not talking about the brief moments here and there where we acknowledge God’s blessings. I’m talking about living a life of gratitude.
Maybe gratitude is difficult because cynicism is too easy.
By nature, I’m an optimist. But it’s easy to turn pessimistic from time to time.
Why would a photo of an elderly man eating lunch with his wife go viral across the Internet? Maybe because the simple image captures the true richness of love and intimacy within a marriage like few things can.
The photo first appeared on social media along with the unnamed man’s story. He met his wife when they were 17. It was love at first sight. They dated for a short time but lost touch when he left to serve in World War II, and her family relocated to another part of the country.
Television often portrays dads as blubbering simpletons or even optional accessories to a family. Yet, we all know that dads matter, for good or bad. To lift up this truth, I want to share a story today from a daughter on how her dad positively influenced her.
A father’s influence on his daughter’s life can mean the difference between her entering a good marriage or a bad one. Here’s how Glenn Stanton, one of our family experts, summarizes the research:
Girls with involved fathers, therefore, are more likely to select for themselves good suitors and husbands because they have a proper standard by which to judge all candidates.
Facts are stubborn things,” wrote John Adams. “Whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”
And so, by that measure, there’s been a lot of conjecture and spin surrounding the push to redefine the sacred institution of marriage.
But what are the facts? Where does the issue concerning same-sex marriage currently stand?
Consider:
Same-sex marriage is now legal or nearly so in 35 states.
Have you noticed how, every year, Christmas seems to edge out Thanksgiving more and more? It’s now par for the course to see Pilgrim decorations living side-by-side with Santas on store shelves.
A U.K. researcher confirmed the trend: He found people start thinking about Christmas in August.
Isn’t that something?
Why would that be?
Perhaps people are yearning for Christmas. They’re yearning for the warmth and joy and happy memories.
Deep down, though, we’re longing for a Savior.
Many of us strive for excellence. But for other folks, excellence isn’t good enough. They want perfection. As noble as that goal sounds, it’s actually a very unhealthy way to live.
Oh, sure, perfectionists look great on the outside. Just ask today’s broadcast guests Kathi Lipp and Cheri Gregory. Self-acknowledged perfectionists, they’ll tell you they tend to work harder than everyone around them, excel at most things they try, and appear confident. But underneath that polished exterior is a fragile self-image.
When a couple is expecting their first baby, it doesn’t matter that pregnancy and childbirth have happened billions of times before to other people – what matters is that it’s their first time. Just ask Jill (Duggar) Dillard and her husband, Derick.
They’re expecting their first baby, a boy, in March.
Fans of the popular show have watched Jill, 23, grow up for the past ten years on her family’s reality show “19 Kids & Counting.” Jill and Derick’s wedding episode was the series’ most-watched at 4.4 million viewers, and the night’s No.
Glenn Stanton’s new book, “Loving My (LGBT) Neighbor: Being Friends in Grace and Truth,” is an important read. I was honored to write the foreword to the book, which I want to share with you today. -JD
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Not long ago, Glenn Stanton invited Jonathan Rauch, a noted author, journalist and gay rights advocate, to address members of our team at Focus on the Family. Glenn and Jonathan have been friends for some time despite representing opposite ends of the spectrum in the national debate over homosexuality.
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.
