Daly Focus Blog
I wake up every day with a desire to serve the Lord. I want other people to see Christ in me when I’m confronted with challenges. I want them to say, “Wow! I would’ve reacted entirely differently in that situation. What do you have that I don’t, Jim?”
But then someone cuts me off in traffic.
…Or my boys don’t behave the way I’ve told them to a dozen times.
…Or I’m exhausted after a long flight and an unexpected delay complicates my plans.
By: Bob DeMoss
A security guard at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry checked my name and ID against the guest list.
With a nod, he directed me backstage to one of the eighteen, uniquely themed dressing rooms to meet country legend, Charlie Daniels. As I approached, I heard Charlie’s unmistakable deep baritone voice above the laughter spilling out into the hallway. Reaching the door, I found that the room was packed.
The Country Music Hall of Famer, standing at the far side, was holding court with fans, family, and friends before his Opry appearance that evening.
Tyler Sexton has been an overcomer since the day he was born. So have his parents, Lisa and Kevin.
When Tyler was born at 28 weeks, doctors immediately placed him in an incubator and said, “We’re rushing him by helicopter to a hospital four hours away. His lungs will likely collapse, and there’s a chance that he could die mid-flight.” Tyler survived, but a long road that included 16 surgeries had just begun.
At 18 months, Tyler was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, we’re introduced to Aslan, a great lion who rules Narnia.
Susan, a little girl who stumbles into the enchanted world through a magic wardrobe, asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe.
“Safe?” Mr. Beaver replies. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King.”
God, whom Aslan symbolizes, isn’t safe, either. We never know when or how God will show up in our lives.
One of the first things people ask each other when they meet is, “What do you do?” Sometimes we offer the answer to that question without even being asked. We define who we are by what we do.
That God made man responsible for naming the animals is testimony to His desire that we be creative and productive (Genesis 2:20). The “dark side” of finding our identity in what we do is that we can get caught in a performance trap.
If you’re unfamiliar with the Christian faith, or your passion for your faith has cooled, you’ll want to join us for our next couple editions of our Focus on the Family Broadcast.
We’re sharing a recorded message called “Reasons to Believe in Jesus” by author and British evangelist J.John. With plenty of humor, he explains why he is certain that the teachings of Christianity are absolutely true and reminds us why only Christianity can fill our lives with real hope in the midst of the problems of this world.
If you’re like most parents with students in the home, the coronavirus pandemic has thrown a real wrench in academic plans – not just for the last two months but even looking ahead to the prospect of summer camps and other nontraditional instruction.
For the last 57 years, our friends over at Summit Ministries in Manitou Springs– led by Jeff Myers – have been helping to equip high school and college students during the summer months to become next generation leaders.
The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent quarantines and lockdown orders have posed substantial challenges for everyone – especially not being permitted to worship together in person with fellow believers.
But according to a recent poll conducted by the Pew Research Center, the pandemic has actually caused faith to grow.
Imagine that – God using a tough time for good!
The poll found that almost one-quarter (24%) of U.S. adults say their faith has become stronger because of the coronavirus pandemic.
A
lot of people wonder, “Can God truly be good, even when He allows pain and
suffering in my life?”
That
question deserves a serious, thoughtful answer. To that end, we’ve invited Dr.
Larry Crabb to join us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Trusting God When We Don’t Understand His Ways.”
Dr.
Crabb is author of the book When God’s
Ways Make No Sense. He has some
timely thoughts about how faith can anchor our lives in the midst of uncertainty.
On the 100th day of the COVID-19 global pandemic, I would offer to you that the world has learned a few lessons.
This list is hardly exhaustive, but it’s nevertheless irrefutable – at least from my perspective:
1. We are not in control. God is.
2. Humans are frail, fragile – and resilient.
3. Because of sin, bad things happen to everyone.
4. No matter how dark the night, the sun rises in the morning.
5.
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.
