Daly Focus Blog
A door-to-door salesman from a local cable company once stopped by Dave and Ashley Willis’ house with an offer they couldn’t refuse. At least, that’s how good the offer sounded at first. The man promised his company would take good care of Dave and Ashley and give them the best package at the best price.
However, the deal went south when Dave asked the salesman, “How long is this package available at this price?”
“Twelve months,” the salesman said.
Parenting can be frustrating!
Authors Amber Lia and Wendy Speake thought they were the only moms who struggled with anger and shame. Then they talked to a lot of other moms and discovered that they weren’t alone.
Anger catches many women off guard. Stress, helplessness, and feelings of inadequacy slowly build until some final straw pushes them over the edge. Shame quickly follows, which pushes women into isolation. For every brave mom who acknowledges a problem with anger, hundreds more wonder if they alone struggle.
As the Republican National Convention kicks off this week in Milwaukee, and as I recently mentioned on my blog, political party platforms matter – especially when it comes to the sanctity of preborn life.
Many of us with pro-life convictions were disappointed last week when the GOP adopted a party platform that, while supporting the banning of third-trimester abortions, is silent regarding the first two trimesters.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Party Platform endorses the codification of abortion rights and opposes any measure restricting the killing of preborn children.
We can be grateful the GOP is unanimous that preborn life should be protected in the latter stages of a pregnancy, but 94% of all abortions occur in the first 15 weeks of development.
Critics of religion say it’s all make believe. They say the Bible is nothing but a collection of fairy tales. And people who profess faith in God may as well believe in magic and unicorns.
When I hear people talk about faith like that, I scratch my head. Some of the stories in the Bible are remarkable, but there’s nothing akin to fairy dust and houses made of candy.
The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat human suffering, corruption, or the consequences of evil.
Joni Eareckson Tada calls suffering a “splash-over of hell.”
Few people can talk about the intensity of suffering with Joni’s authority. A tragic accident fifty years ago left her a quadriplegic in need of 24-hour care. She has also survived a stage-3 breast cancer diagnosis, the removal of a three-inch tumor, and months of chemotherapy.
So when she talks about handling suffering in a way that enriches our lives and glorifies God, we all do well to listen.
“We are grateful that President Trump was not seriously injured in the the tragic shooting at a campaign rally in Pennsylvania this afternoon. We are praying earnestly for Mr. Trump and his family and the loved ones of the bystander who was killed and ask our fellow Christians to call on our mighty and merciful God to comfort all those affected.
While the full details of what occurred are still rightfully being carefully investigated, it is in no way premature to call for Americans of all ideological perspectives, Republicans and Democrats alike, to commit to bringing greater civility to their advocacy in the public square.
Guys, for a better relationship with your wife and children, adopt the same motto as NFL players and coaches: “Put something good on tape.”
“Putting something good on tape” refers to the way NFL games are filmed. Every player on every play is recorded from multiple angles. This allows teams across the league to evaluate a player’s abilities, strategy, and work ethic. And since everyone is watching, “putting something good on tape” means showing up on game day ready to go.
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, we’re introduced to Aslan, a great lion who rules Narnia. Susan, a little girl who stumbles into the enchanted world through a magic wardrobe, asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe. “Safe?” Mr. Beaver replies. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King.”
God, whom Aslan symbolizes, isn’t safe, either. We never know when or how God will show up in our lives.
Political party platforms matter.
Once the product of smoke-filled backrooms, they cast vision, identify opportunities and problems, and suggest practical, legislative, and executive solutions.
Given that a right to life is a fundamental truth, both the Republican and Democrat party platforms should reflect a national commitment to innocent preborn life.
Support for life first appeared in the 1976 Republican Platform and included a call for a human life amendment, which would have banned abortion and saved the nearly 60 million lives that have been lost since that bicentennial year.
My wife Jean and I have had a wonderful marriage, but we’ve also faced challenges along the way.
One of the biggest – ironically enough – was when I became president of Focus on the Family. I was assuming leadership of an organization created to help families around the world. Although we supported that mission wholeheartedly, we were concerned about the impact it would have on our family. Would people expect our marriage to be perfect?
Since then, we’ve learned a lot about what it takes to build a great relationship.
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.
