Daly Focus Blog
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.
Anger gets a bad rap. Many people consider it be destructive and bad. All of the time.
But anger can actually be good for us in many ways. It’s a God-given emotion that motivates us to right wrongs and to solve problems. Nathan the prophet was indignant when he confronted King David about committing infidelity and killing Bathsheba’s husband. Jesus was angry when he overturned tables in the temple. Anger can empower us to pursue a better career, to end a bad relationship, or to make positive changes.
Coach Joe Kennedy’s victory at the Supreme Court today is a win for religious freedom. The fact that a majority of the justices upheld the right of a high school coach to kneel down after a game to give thanks for keeping his players safe strikes me as not just a victory for the First Amendment, but a victory for common sense.
Why is it that our kids can be exposed to all kinds of negative role models in schools today, but not a positive one like Coach Joe?
Parenting each child according to his or her deepest identity is the concept outlined in Proverbs 22:6: “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it” (ESV).
The wisdom of the verse is that every child within a family is unique. One child is a reliable, conscientious list-maker who likes things done well. Another child is rough and tumble and hangs tough through thick and thin.
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.
