Daly Focus Blog
Tracy was raised in an alcoholic home. Her story might have had the same tragic ending as so many who grow up in her circumstances.
But the Lord used a neighborhood family to intervene in her life.
When Tracy was little, she met a girl next door named Missy, who was her age. They became lifelong friends. Missy’s family was kind and welcomed Tracy into their home. The two girls would play all day and have sleepovers at Missy’s house.
Do you and your spouse fight “well”?
That’s not a trick question. There really is such a thing as “healthy conflict” in marriage.
Here at Focus, we find that couples fall into one of three beliefs about marital conflict. One is the group who enters marriage expecting an unrealistic level of agreement and perfection in their relationship. If they’re truly happy and meant for one another, they believe, there shouldn’t be any conflict. That’s not a very realistic view of human relationship.
Christians desire to serve God. We read His word and seek His will. Maybe we even pray, “God, break our hearts for the things that break Your heart. Give our hearts joy for the things that give Your heart joy.”
But our guest on today’s program, Pastor Eugene Cho, wonders, “Are we more in love with the idea of following Jesus than actually following the teachings of Jesus?”
That question isn’t some thoughtless accusation he levels against the church.
Sometimes parents think of a child’s manners in the most basic of terms, like table etiquette or how polite they are when guests come to the house. But the benefits don’t end there. Manners actually equip your children for success in their adult life.
To that end, a few years back, my wife and I enrolled our boys, Trent and Troy, in something called Cotillion. It’s all about teaching manners and preparing kids to interact with others as maturing young men and women.
I used to think successful people achieved great things because they faced less adversity than those who fail. But when I became an adult, I realized everybody encounters challenges of one kind or another. What matters is how we respond to the obstacles we face.
Probably no one communicates the truth of that concept better than best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, our guest on today and tomorrow’s programs we’ve titled, “Battling Giants in Everyday Life.” His latest works tell the stories of people who not only overcame adversity, but in many ways those challenges became the catalyst for their success.
The doctor simply said, “Michele, it’s not good.”
In that moment, at 8:30 a.m. on Nov. 19, 2010, Michele Cushatt’s life changed forever. She went from being, as she described herself, a “confident, somewhat assured Christian woman” to “being absolutely undone.”
There is something about the word “cancer” that can turn what we thought was cement under our feet into sand.
Suffering is like that. It’s a difficult topic to even discuss. There’s no way to put a positive spin on pain.
To be a good father, you have to be a good man.
Not perfect. After all, there are no perfect dads or men.
You just have to be there.
Sadly, there are too many dads who aren’t. Twenty-five million children in the United States go to bed each night without their biological father in the home.
Statistically, these children are more likely to grow up in financially difficult circumstances and more likely to drop out of school.
Could you welcome a child who’s in need into your home?
Reports show there are approximately 100,000 children in foster care in the United States who don’t have a mom and dad because the courts have deemed them unfit and have terminated their parental rights.
But think about this: There are about 300,000 churches in the U.S. If just one church out of three had a family who was willing to adopt a child, the number of kids on the foster adoption rolls would be zero.
“Conscience is the most sacred of all property.” – James Madison
Have you heard about “Deflategate”? That’s the ongoing story involving NFL quarterback Tom Brady and whether he ordered air to be let out of footballs last season. Not long ago, it was the lead story on the evening news almost every night, and it’s still regularly covered in the news cycle.
The fact that the number of pounds of air per square inch in a football is so newsworthy is shameful in my opinion based on what the national media hasn’t considered worthy of airtime.
One of the most well-known characters in classic literature is Dracula, the ghoulish vampire created by Bram Stoker in 1897. Since then, thanks to countless movies and cartoons, vampires have become synonymous with black capes and sharp teeth. But there’s another characteristic often featured in these dark tales: a vampire’s reflection is never seen in the mirror.
On the surface, it might not seem like that obscure quality would have any practical application to marriages. But let me ask you: on an emotional level, do you see your reflection in the mirror?
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.
