Daly Focus Blog
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.
The wear and tear of everyday life can take a toll on your marriage. On any given day you may face challenges in your faith, church, extended family relationships, recreation, sexual intimacy, friendships, household responsibilities, finances, hectic schedules, and a never-ending stream of parenting decisions.
Whew!
Is it any wonder that most relationships could use a little maintenance? The question is, how do you fill your marriage with good things without it all becoming just more things to juggle?
Family get-togethers are supposed to be a big part of the reason we experience joy during the holidays. But it often doesn’t work that way. Family dynamics often dredge up old wounds and, before you know it, we’re pulled right back into the roles we played in childhood.
Maybe you know what I mean. One moment the family is all together, and everything is fine. The house is filled with conversation and laughter. And then a family member says or does something that reopens an old emotional wound we’ve never healed.
I’ve seen government overreach and oppression firsthand. I was in Moscow in August of 1991 when President Mikhail Gorbachev was placed under house arrest. It was a failed coup attempt orchestrated by hardline communists who opposed his ideas for reform. Russian citizens were told that Gorbachev was ill. In reality, he was being held hostage.
I’ve been in other countries who closely monitored the Christian church and limited their freedoms. These governments only tolerated so much before cracking down and silencing any expression of faith.
When life gets hard, your perspective can make all the difference.
Perspective is the theme of an art piece called “Sunset Over Manhattan.” When it was presented in galleries, the piece was located in a dark room. When viewers entered, a light from above came on and illuminated an old table against the far wall. Scattered across the table were old bottles, scraps of newspaper, and soda cans shot through with BB guns.
At first, viewers stood there, wondering why the artist believed a table filled with garbage would communicate something meaningful.
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.
