Daly Focus Blog
It’s wise to think about your relationships in terms of boundaries. Kathy and Tom didn’t, and it got their marriage off to a rocky start.
Kathy, an introvert, blamed Tom, an extrovert, for smothering her. He placed such an emphasis on spending time together that Kathy often felt like she had no personal space or time for herself. Tom, in turn, interpreted Kathy’s desire for space as a lack of love for him, leaving him feeling hurt and disconnected.
Success rarely happens overnight. Most goals can only be reached by keeping the big picture in mind and staying the course until you achieve them.
In 1897, a construction worker named Pearle Wait came up with the idea of mixing fruit flavoring with powdered gelatin. His wife nicknamed the jelly-like substance “Jell-O.” At the time, Pearle made extra money selling homemade medical remedies like cough syrup door to door. He switched to Jell-O. For months, he tried to sell his new product all over town, but he had trouble generating interest.
Would you know how to answer these questions if your children asked them?
Do all religions point to the same truth?
If Christianity is the only true religion, why are there so many denominations?
Why did Jesus die for our sins?
Providing biblical answers that children can understand isn’t always easy, much like when author Natasha Crain gave her four-year-old son his first swimming lesson. She’d tell him to hold his breath then she’d swish him through the water, but each time he’d come up choking and crying.
According to the CDC, nearly one in four women and one in seven men report having experienced physical violence from an intimate partner. Likely, those numbers are low because most abuse cases go unreported.
Domestic violence is evil. It’s a perversion of God’s design for relationship and should never be tolerated or excused. And yet, tragically, some Christian traditions encourage victims stay with their abusive spouse. This advice ignores other teachings in the Bible about love, safety, self-care, and serving God and each other through our relationships.
Is it up to fate whether or not men become a good father?
My dad was a poor role model. He was an alcoholic and in his drunken stupors he would threaten my mother and scare me to death. He walked out on our family when I was five then floated in and out of my life for years. He was never a positive influence and didn’t model for me what good fathering looked like. Mostly, he broke his promises and disappointed me again and again.
Did you get married to do laundry? To pay bills? To cook dinner or wash the dishes? No one does.
And yet, for many couples, that’s all there is. Their relationship is practical and business-like. At some point the joy of the wedding ceremony gave way to the daily grind of routine activity. Careers were chased, children were born, and ever-larger homes with new cars in the garage were purchased.
And, slowly, the romance faded. What used to be hours on the phone together became business meetings about practical matters, like finances or the kids’ grades.
When we talk to people who believe differently than us, do we think before we speak? Author and internationally known public speaker Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is joining me on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly to share practical ideas for speaking the truth in love.
Being nice is easy. It’s how we act toward someone with whom we share common ground. Kindness requires something deeper. Kindness engages in civil dialogue with others even though they hold different religious beliefs, social values, or political viewpoints.
Few things are as painful for Christian parents as a child who turns away from his or her faith. Often mixed with that sadness is the parents’ guilt. In their minds, they’ve failed in their efforts to lead their child to Christ.
But effective parenting isn’t black and white. We can’t be perfect parents any more than we can be perfect human beings. We all fail. In addition, as children grow older, they become more independent and make their own choices.
Marriage is a unique gift from God. He takes two people – who are often complete opposites – and puts them together with the task of moving forward in unity.
But what happens when times get tough and circumstances change?
Well, couples who have a purpose, a direction, and a plan work through their struggles together and overcome their difficulties as a team.
Couples who don’t have a purpose, a direction, and a plan drift.
And what’s the solution for couples who begin to drift?
For more than 45 years, elementary students across America have had a legal right to attend elective offsite Bible classes during their public-school day. “Released time” laws allow students to attend religious training opportunities of their choice.
Bible2School (B2S) is one such program. Located in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho and Texas, B2S isn’t extracurricular; it takes place during the school day and, according to the Supreme Court, is a protected Constitutional right in all 50 states.
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.
