Daly Focus Blog
Despite what you see on commercials, Christmas isn’t about presents or a jolly old man in a red suit. It’s also not about food, festive decorations, or family get-togethers – even though those are all wonderful things. At its core, Christmas is about the birth of Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived.
His story is the greatest ever told because it empowers us to hold on to our faith in tough times, to believe that a light of hope can still burn bright even when our world seems dark.
What if you and your children each spoke different languages?
Imagine the challenges. How would you communicate? How would you express your love? Even if you repeatedly said the words, “I love you,” your child might never be able to fully receive your love on an emotional level. To communicate in a way that your child understands, you would need to learn to speak his or her language.
The truth is your child does speak his or her own language.
You’ve probably heard the mantra “no pain, no gain” before. People usually say it when they’re talking about exercise. But you can apply that phrase to other things, too. Like raising successful kids.
“No pain, no gain” refers to discipline, sticking with something even when it hurts, and success seems impossible. Kids need a lot of discipline in order to take risks and to keep going when things don’t work out very well.
The trouble is we Americans have become quite safety-conscious in recent years.
Have you ever felt like disagreements with your spouse end up covering the same ground over and over again?
The reason is that marital conflict is rarely only about the specific issue itself. There’s an iceberg of insecurity, negative assumptions, and hot buttons beneath the surface that are also at work. Hidden issues from your past can sabotage your marriage today.
Dr. Bob Paul and his wife, Jenni, are with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Understanding the Hot Buttons in Your Marriage” to describe what they consider to be a married person’s guide to a “fair fight.”
Dr.
In part one, I shared four simple ideas to help you get organized for Christmas. In part two, I have another idea that can make your holiday season as stress-free as possible.
The mom who gave me this idea calls it her Christmas binder. It’s basically a notebook that keeps all of her Christmas needs in one place, so she doesn’t have to recreate her lists every single year. By the time the season gets underway, she already has a head start.
“Last week’s passage of the misnamed “Respect for Marriage Act” in the House of Representatives represents a tipping point in the American story, and a grave turn that should concern all those who cherish and value religious freedom.
“Enshrining into law a destructive definition of marriage that undermines and expresses hostility towards God’s sacred design of a multi-millennia old institution invites the inevitability of unintended consequences. It also threatens to criminalize people of faith and jeopardize organizations that have done so much good for so long.
“History has demonstrated that empires end when attributes like virtue, honor and honesty are no longer valued.
Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. But all the “stuff” – the lights, the decorations, the shopping – can be overwhelming and stressful. To make this season as stress-free as possible, keep these four tips in mind:
First, find out what’s important to your family. Sometimes we’re committed to long-held traditions that no longer hold the same meaning. Save your energy and resources for activities everyone will enjoy.
Second, figure out what’s important to you.
In John 10:10, Jesus says, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.”
In December of 2012, five days before Christmas, Pastor Levi Lusko was confronted by the horrible truth of that verse when his five-year-old daughter Lenya died after a severe asthma attack. Since then, Levi has wrestled through questions and doubts that arise in painful moments.
He has concluded that the devil, the enemy of your soul, wants to rob you of every good thing associated with your life in Christ.
News broke yesterday that an amendment designed to protect religious freedom in the deceptively titled “Respect for Marriage Act” currently pending a vote in the House of Representatives was blocked by House Democrats.
This is one more example why Christians should vote their convictions. Elections have consequences.
Apparently, there’s also discussions about the possibility of folding the legislation into the defense authorization bill in order to garner more votes.
Nevertheless, your voice matters. Please consider calling or contacting your House Representative and ask them to Vote “NO” on HR 8404, the “Respect for Marriage Act.”
You can either call their House offices directly through the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121, or you can use the House website directory found here.
Here is some additional information put out by Focus on the Family’s Daily Citizen about the troubling legislation:
HR 8404 is extreme and poses a substantial threat to religious freedom nationwide.
The bill:
Further embeds a false definition of marriage into American law.
Opens the door to federal recognition of polygamous relationships.
Jeopardizes the tax-exempt status of nonprofits that affirm that marriage is the union of one man and one woman.
Endangers faith-based social service organizations by threatening litigation and liability risk if they follow their views on marriage when working with the government.
The U.S.
You never know what you’re made of until you’re tested.
One of the most famous stories of this kind is a man named Doris Miller, who woke up on December 7th, 1941, as a United States Navy cook third class aboard the battleship West Virginia. By noon, he had entered American history as the first black American to be awarded the Navy Cross, the second highest military decoration awarded for valor in combat.
As the first Japanese bombs and torpedoes exploded at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, Miller risked his life to carry wounded sailors to safety.
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.
