Daly Focus Blog
In my latest book, “The Good Dad,” I spent a lot of time and pages on the importance of dads simply “being there” for their kids.
“Our kids aren’t asking for perfection,” I wrote. “They’re asking for our presence – to show up for the job each and every day. They’re asking us to be there for them, to guide them, to hug them.”
When we’re there with them, accompanying them in the trenches of everyday life, we’re able to serve as a guiding influence over our children.
The title of “teacher” is a great one. It conveys passing along wisdom, knowledge and nurturing.
Most of us, looking back, can identify at least one teacher who poured into us. It might have been the elementary school teacher who comforted us, or the high school teacher who encouraged us to believe that God made us capable of achieving our dreams. Whatever it was, their care made a big difference in our lives.
He saw my potential
I remember my “teacher.” He was my high school football coach, Paul Moro.
They call them “fur babies,” and many couples in the U.S. are opting for them. One headline aptly described it this way: “Americans are having dogs instead of babies.”
The United States isn’t unique in this trend. We’ve seen for a while now how birth rates worldwide are plummeting and the number of pets are increasing. Japan, a country where sales of adult diapers outnumber those of baby diapers, has a population of more than 22 million pampered pets versus only 16.6 million children under 15.
Typing and “quick communication” have taken over our lives.
From the endless emails that are part of many of our jobs to text messages asking if someone can pick up bread and milk on their way home, typing has largely replaced handwriting.
Scientists are beginning to warn us that this move to all things technology isn’t completely beneficial. Last month The Boston Globe’s article “Taking notes? Bring a pen, skip the computer” connected handwriting with memory retention.
Ed Stetzer, president of LifeWay Research, has been consistently coming out with interesting and relevant perspectives on the Christian faith, the general culture and the interaction between the two. I enjoyed sitting down with him in Nashville recently for an interview on his popular internet-based show.
In a piece published last week for Christianity Today, “4 Trends for Churches to Consider,” Stetzer builds on some of the points he presented earlier this year refuting the myth about the “dying” American Church.
While we’re still a few weeks from the official start of summer on June 21, the Daly Family already has a summer kind of mind.
My wife Jean snapped this picture of the boys and me after we had enjoyed some time boogie boarding in Corona del Mar, California and were at the Shake Shack to watch the sunset.
We make it a point to spend some family time just having fun every summer – after all, laughing and playing together is a great way to make some treasured memories.
His marriage was dead. It was past acrimony and fighting. Comedian Jeff Allen and his wife, Tami, were at a stage of apathy.
After years of his alcoholism and fits of rage, it got to the point where Tami always had her back to Jeff.
Finally, one night, Jeff and Tami were in bed when he tried to talk with her – except she refused to turn around.
“No, please,” she said.
“What’s the problem?” Jeff inquired.
We’ve all seen a marriage in crisis.
We all know people who have struggled (or are struggling) within their marital relationship.
Maybe that someone is you.
Or perhaps it’s someone you love, like a son or daughter or your best friend from high school.
You can’t stand to see the marriage falling apart. You feel helpless.
When you ask, you’re told that everything that can be thought of has been tried.
Traditional counseling. A visit with the pastor.
Focus on the Family Radio Theatre’s production of the Charles Dickens classic “Oliver Twist” won the 2014 Audie Award for Best Audio Drama.
An Audie is a significant achievement for anyone involved in spoken word entertainment. The special recognition is the genre’s equivalent to the Academy Awards given out to exemplary movies and films.
So in a sense, it’s like saying Focus on the Family’s “Oliver Twist” won an Oscar. And it’s our fifth Audie Award from the Audio Publisher’s Association.
For those of us whose pro-life convictions stem from our Christian faith, the New Jersey Star-Ledger’s recent headline was disconcerting: “Why I perform abortions: A Christian obstetrician explains his choice.”
Willie J. Parker, who performs abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy, explains his decision this way:
In listening to a sermon by Dr. Martin Luther King, I came to a deeper understanding of my spirituality, which places a higher value on compassion.
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.
