Daly Focus Blog
I saw a video that powerfully illustrates the incredible influence that fathers have in the lives of their daughters. It captured a dad in his living room, watching a basketball game. He jumped and yelled in support of his favorite team.
Right beside him, his three-year-old daughter copied his every move. She jumped when he jumped. She clapped when he clapped. She even copied his expressions of excitement.
Then the mood changed. The dad started shouting at the television.
The phone company made me mad.
At least, I thought it was their fault. I couldn’t get them to understand that their customer service was terrible. They continually overcharged me and disconnected my boys’ phones even though I hadn’t asked them to do it. I had to call them repeatedly for months and had a terrible time getting my account straightened out.
I tried to stay patient, but I finally reached the end of my rope, and the poor customer service representative got the brunt of my attitude.
In order to stand at a wedding altar and say, “I do,” with confidence, individuals must first understand who “I” is. Genuine intimacy in marriage can only occur between two people who are sufficiently in touch with who God created them to be as individuals that they can give to the marriage as much as they receive.
A thriving marriages doesn’t erase individuality. It celebrates it and puts it to work in service of the relationship, molding two whole individuals into one, while keeping their individual flames burning bright.
They say behind every great man is a great woman. But just as often, great women take the lead.
In 1865, Emily Roebling married her husband Washington. He was the chief engineer who oversaw construction of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City. Two years into the project, he developed decompression sickness while he was working underwater. He was debilitated so severely that he lay bed-ridden for nearly a decade.
Meanwhile, there was still a bridge to be built.
Kirsten Watson’s husband, Benjamin, played for six NFL teams and won a super Bowl in 2005. Much of the time over those 15 years, she found herself on her own in a new city with no support and the responsibility for handling a household of seven children, including twins. At one point, her stress was so severe that she suffered from migraines and was told that her pain would continue unless she made some changes.
Maybe you can relate to the pressure Kirsten felt.
Bitterness will lie to you. It’ll trick you into believing that you build a better future by holding on to the past. The truth is the past eventually spills out.
That’s what happened between Stacy and Janet, who were friends from high school. They were so close for so long that Stacy asked Janet to be her maid of honor at her wedding.
On the big day, the ceremony was beautiful, and Stacy was all smiles … until the reception.
Morality has rapidly declined in America in the past few years. Culture seems to be descending into chaos on many fronts. I’d describe it as a cultural tsunami in which tolerance no longer reflects a willingness to listen to different points of view. It now means joining a revolution that seeks dominance.
How do Christians reach out in the name of Christ to a culture that is drifting further and further from its biblical moorings?
Renowned theologian, popular public speaker, and award-winning author, Dr.
Most Americans believe that the secret to happiness is having more, going faster, or working harder. In reality, happiness is a byproduct of balance.
Balance is hard. Our natural tendency is to overreach, to go too far, and to want too much. It’s like the reporter who asked billionaire John D. Rockefeller who, when asked “How much money is enough?” answered, “Just a little bit more.”
We all answer, “Just a little bit more,” in some area of life.
Few things damage a marriage more than adultery.
Nevertheless, it is possible for couples who have experienced the devastation of an affair to find healing, forgiveness, and restoration.
Rick and Tiffany Bulman, founders of Mended Ministries, help conflicted couples strengthen and rebuild their marriages. They can attest to God’s ability to redeem relationships. They’ve seen it happen in countless marriages, including in their own.
Rick and Tiffany’s relationship looked good on the surface. They had four happy teenagers and were actively involved in the church where Rick served as senior pastor.
Friday’s release of footage from Tyre Nichols’s fatal traffic stop in Memphis earlier this month has justifiably sickened, saddened and horrified the nation. Images of Mr. Nichols being repeatedly kicked and beaten with batons is gruesome and unconscionable.
Five police officers have been fired and charged with second-degree murder. This week, two additional officers with a connection to the incident were taken off duty.
It’s difficult to watch the body cam footage, and painful to read about the details surrounding the incident.
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.
