Daly Focus Blog
Do you remember when you and your spouse first fell in love?
Did your heart start fluttering? Did your hands get cold and clammy? Did simply thinking about that special person make you smile? It was a time in your relationship when everything felt new, fresh, and alive.
But then, it happened. At some point after the splendor of your wedding ceremony, life settled into a daily grind of activity. Careers were chased. Children were born.
As I’ve shared before, I’ve had to overcome adversity. My dad died an alcoholic, and my stepdad walked out on my siblings and me the day of my mother’s funeral. To be honest, although I usually end up with greater faith after encountering challenge or loss, the journey there isn’t always easy.
Daniel Ritchie has a unique perspective about what it’s like to experience a deeper connection with God through adversity. He was born without arms and struggled to breathe on his own.
The Senate’s rejection of the dubiously titled, “Women’s Health Protection Act” – legislation intended to enshrine abortion on-demand into law regardless of how the Supreme Court rules on Dobbs – was much closer than it should have been, but still a promising denunciation of a radical anti-woman and anti-life point-of-view.
Monday’s procedural vote would have required 60 votes to advance in the Senate. It received just 46 votes – all Democrats. Senator Joe Manchin (WV) was the lone Democrat who opposed the bill.
Russia’s reckless and bloody invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine has captured the world’s attention, and for good reason. Not since World War II has one European nation attacked another. Vladimir Putin’s violent campaign has put the globe on edge, and now there are fears he may even use nuclear weapons.
Given the depth and breadth of these historic events, parents are inevitably facing questions from children. How should moms and dads respond?
First, it’s important for parents to limit children’s exposure to the round-the-clock coverage of the escalating crisis.
Here at Focus on the Family, we regularly hear from parents with adult children whose lives have hit a snag because of irresponsibility or for reasons beyond their control – they don’t get accepted into college or there’s a slump in the job market. Tragically, some families endure even more serious issues. The young adult becomes a prodigal, suffers from an addiction, or chooses a lifestyle that’s contrary to the way he or she was raised.
For the first time since the days of World War II, we awake to news of one European state attacking the other. The far-reaching consequences of such aggression are sobering. We must pray for peace, and for the protection and safety of the many innocent people caught in the crosshairs of Vladimir Putin’s unlawful and unprovoked attacks on the sovereign country of Ukraine.
Thirty years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to eastern Europe as freedom came to the former Soviet Union.
Mom, God has wired you to love your son. Your soft, nurturing spirit is critical to his development. But as your son grows into a young man, his primary emotional need from you will become something else: respect.
Respect is what attracts guys to coaches and mentors. A growing boy needs someone who will put an arm around his shoulder and challenge his performance. Someone who will say, “I expect more out of you, and you should expect more out of yourself.” A boy needs to be challenged to rise up and win the game, to conquer the chess tournament, or to master the musical piece.
For over a century, no single organization has been more clearly associated with abortion than Planned Parenthood. Since its founding in 1916, Margaret Sanger’s racist-inspired group has been responsible for tens of millions of deaths.
Lately, though, another entity has emerged as a leading promoter and source of abortion:
Big Pharma.
Due to their easy accessibility, abortion pills are rising rapidly in popularity. Now available by mail, it’s also providing women with a nearly anonymous and stigma-free method to do what previously was only available with a trip to Planned Parenthood or another local abortion clinic.
Numerous websites have been popping up, promoting access and providing information on “medication abortions,” touting them as “safe” and “easy.” They brag that while some places require a prescription, others do not.
Mail order abortifacients go by the term “Plan C” and are either a combination of the drugs Mifepristone and Misoprostol or just Misoprostol taken alone.
Marriages everywhere are at risk because of one of the most powerful drugs known to man: infatuation.
You may not consider infatuation a drug, but author and psychologist Dave Carder, who has spent 30 years studying the causes of infidelity, says infatuation is as powerful as any substance out there.
Infatuated people do crazy things. They make irrational decisions and ignore how their choices impact everyone else. They behave like they’re under the influence of a mind-altering substance – because they are.
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.
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.
