Daly Focus Blog
Parenting is the toughest job in the world.
Why?
Well, for one thing, parenting is a job you can never truly master. By the time you figure out one stage of life, your child has already moved on to the next one, and you have to start all over.
For another thing, you can never quit. You will come to the end of yourself regularly and often, but somehow, someway, you have to keep going. That small person depends on you, and God has entrusted him or her to your care.
I learned an important lesson about living a good life while playing golf at one of the most beautiful courses in the world, Augusta National in Georgia.
My friend and I were on the eleventh green when he hit the greatest putt of his life. The ball had to travel up a slope, down the other side, and curve toward the hole, which was almost 50 feet away and out of view. He hit the ball on just the right line with just the right speed and – bam!
Could you use a positive perspective today? Despite your troubles?
We’re listening to Phil Callaway on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Laughter Really Is the Best Medicine.”
Phil, once called “the funniest Canadian alive,” is an award-winning author, speaker, and daddy of three, who makes it a habit to be joyful even though his life isn’t perfect. In his recorded message, Phil shares four secrets to life that he says are absolutely essential to living life with joy in turbulent, unpredictable times:
The world is full of cacti, but we don’t have to sit on one.Don’t jump from the train when you’re in a tunnel.Live so the preacher won’t have to lie at your funeral.Courage is fear that has said its prayers.
I heard someone caution young women who are about to wed with this old saying: “Remember, when you marry your Prince, you inherit the king, the queen, and the whole court!”
That warning applies to every prince marrying his princess as well. And let me add – you may also get a “court jester” thrown in as well!
Jokes about the “meddling mother-in-law” and the “grumpy father-in-law” are funny because they’re true often enough that stereotypes develop.
A lot of couples will want to “lean in” to my conversation with Dr. Juli Slattery on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Rethinking Godly Sexuality in Your Marriage.”
Dr. Slattery is a clinical psychologist and the president of Authentic Intimacy, a ministry devoted to reclaiming God’s design for sexuality. She’s written the book God, Sex, and Your Marriage, which will be the basis for our conversation today.
She says that too many married couples are not experiencing the intimacy that God intended for them. For many, sexual problems are a hidden, shameful secret because they don’t know how to navigate their pain and frustration or even communicate about it effectively.
If you’re a parent, then I know you’re busy. Your schedule is full from morning until night. Which raises an important question.
When life has you running, how do you make the most out of your time with your children?
I’ve always taken advantage of the opportunities in front of me. When my boys, Trent and Troy, were younger, I struck up thoughtful conversation every morning as I drove them to school. My relationship with them has been built largely on bike rides, four-wheeling excursions, and camping trips.
Parents often believe three common myths about discipling their children in the Christian faith:
“The perfect environment will guarantee that my child will become a Christian.”“The ultimate goal of my Christian life is to have children who follow the Lord.”“My child’s salvation is all up to me.”
The truth is discipling children isn’t like following a recipe where the right ingredients mixed together the right way guarantees success. Children have free will to embrace or reject wisdom.
Imagine this: You’re the lead detective on an important case. Your job is to search for clues that reveal who, what, where, when, and why a crime has been committed. What evidence would you look for?
What if the case was finding proof for the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Is there evidence of that?
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “The Proof You Need to Believe in Jesus Christ,” we’re putting you in that lead detective scenario.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Finding Your Identity in Jesus Christ,” Susie Larson says, “I believe the enemy sees your potential long before you do. How did he come against you in your childhood? His threat to you is connected to your threat to him. But when we live in response to God’ love, it changes everything. It empowers us to stand strong and be who God always intended us to be.”
When Susie was 9, she was attacked by her brother’s friends.
It goes without saying that the Supreme Court’s dramatic reversal of Roe last week catapults this year’s slate of cases into the historic tier of terms. No issue is more fundamental than life.
But with most of the attention centered on Dobbs and Roe, it’s easy to overlook some other significant and consequential cases that the High Court addressed concerning religious freedom.
When the Supreme Court affirmed Coach Kennedy’s right to pray silently on the 50-yard line, they actually empowered and encouraged all praying Americans.
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.
