Daly Focus Blog
Ann and Mike’s counselor told them: “I’ve never seen a marriage in as big a mess as yours that’s ever made it.”
How had things gotten so bad? They had ignored the impact that stress, unforeseen hardships, and frustration with each other had made on their relationship. Over time, the cracks between them had grown wider and wider, to the point that even their counselor held out little hope for reconciliation.
Truth be told, no one knew their marriage was so far gone.
Comedian Ken Davis was 65 when he told his audience, “These are some of the best years of my life.”
He wasn’t joking.
He’d been a Christian for years, but it wasn’t until he was older that he’d begun living the truth of Philippians 3:10, where Paul says that he desired “to know Christ and the power of His resurrection.” Christians will experience the fullness of Christ after we die, of course, but Paul reminds us that we can also know the power of God’s resurrection in this life!
Solo parenting is one of the toughest jobs in the world.
I’ve seen firsthand just how tough. I was from a single-parent home. After my parents divorced, my mom took care of five kids. Jean and I have also worked with a young man who lost his wife and has been struggling to raise his kids. It’s been eye-opening to see the world through his eyes as closely as we have over the last few months.
Several weeks ago, I had the privilege of being in Washington, D.C., to talk with media and government leaders about the importance of the family in the culture.
Two of my meetings were with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell from Kentucky and Senator James Lankford from Oklahoma. They both shared perspectives about faith and family that I believe Focus on the Family’s listeners will want to hear. We’re airing those conversations on our broadcast “Protecting Life and Family Values in the Senate.”
Our discussions weren’t specifically political, but, still, that is the Senators’ sphere of influence.
For over 40 years, our society has promoted the idea that abortion is as simple as a woman’s choice. Abortion affects her and no one else.
Pro-abortion activists never mention the babies, the men, and the families who are impacted forever by an abortion.
They also never talk about children like Melissa. Her 19-year-old mother was in her third trimester when she was given a saline abortion. The procedure injects a toxic salt solution into the amniotic fluid surrounding the womb.
Why did you get married?
For yourself? Or for your spouse?
Be honest. It was for you, wasn’t it?
Don’t feel too guilty about that. The rest of us probably did the same thing. Most of us get married because the relationship makes us happy. We thought marriage to this person would make our lives better.
That’s not entirely selfish. God wants us to enjoy our relationships with our spouses, but He also has a larger purpose in mind.
Doesn’t it seem like connecting with your children ought to come naturally? So what do you do when it doesn’t?
Author Kathi Lipp says the “problem” is often a difference in personality. Our children have a unique way of seeing the world. Instead of hindering our relationship, what if their uniqueness became the very foundation upon which a strong connection was built?
Kathi says your child’s personality is a window into his or her soul. Although God doesn’t create children with cookie cutter personalities, there are a lot of commonalities:
Expressive.
From growing up dirt poor to becoming reality television superstars, Phil and Kay Robertson, of A&E’s Duck Dynasty, have persevered for more than fifty years together.
It hasn’t always been easy. Their first years together were defined by poverty and alcohol abuse so severe Miss Kay eventually kicked Phil out of the house. Phil says their transformation individually and as a couple was only made possible through repentance.
“We look at the word ‘repent’ as a bad thing,” Phil says.
Today is Good Friday, the day Christians remember Jesus’ death on the cross for our sins. Sunday is Easter, the day we celebrate His resurrection.
The rest of the world spends this season conjecturing about who Jesus is or debating whether or not He ever existed.
Throughout the culture, the story of Easter is seen as having everything to do with personal faith and nothing to do with objective truth. Religion, it’s believed, doesn’t deal with facts, it deals with personal experience and feelings.
“Who am I?”
Deep down, that’s a question we’re all asking ourselves. Sometimes it’s answered for us by others … and not always in a good way.
Author Michele Cushatt remembers being 19, in college, and overhearing some fellow students talking about her. One of the boys in the group said, “Michele would be beautiful if she wasn’t so fat.”
She was crushed, embarrassed, and humiliated. Worst of all, his comment solidified what she already believed about herself: Beauty was out of reach for her.
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.
