Daly Focus Blog
When I was 14 years old, a small airplane crashed across the street from where I lived. I called 911 then ran to the plane and helped two 20-somethings out of the burning wreckage. I thought they were the only two in the plane at first. I soon realized that their fathers had also been aboard. They were dead.
I also experienced tragedy in my personal life. My mother died of cancer when I was nine.
My wife Jean and I did devotions with our boys throughout their childhoods. “What kind of devotions?” was the issue we always had to resolve.
Jean preferred formal times of Scripture reading and devotion. Her degree is in biochemistry, so it fit her personality to whip up a lesson with the creativity and skill of a schoolteacher.
As for me, I’m spontaneous and loose. I chatted with my boys about the Bible when we were engaged in routine activities, like driving back and forth to school.
Sooner or later, we all face circumstances that are beyond our control. The question in those moments is what do we do when there’s nothing we can do?
Future astronaut Jim Lovell faced that situation in 1954 as a navy pilot. He was on a routine training mission over the Sea of Japan one moonless night when his instruments failed. Without warning, his whole world became darkness. To make matters worse, he had no way to visually spot his carrier because the lights had been turned off to avoid enemy detection.
It’s called “Natural Decrease” – the term used to describe what happens when more people die than are born.
Since European settlers arrived in Jamestown in 1610, the population of North America has seen a meteoric climb. From the 300 or so people who first settled in Virginia, the United States Census Bureau currently projects our population at just over 341 million people.
But all is not well when it comes to fertility and mortality across the country.
The recent Los Angeles wildfires have been an unspeakable tragedy. More than 20 people have died. Thousands have lost their homes. Damage is well into the billions of dollars.
Several years ago, wildfires in Colorado swept through an area not far from my own home. My family and I were forced to evacuate. These frightening events are startling reminders that emergencies can strike any of us at any time. We’re never promised an easy life without worry.
Could you use a simple tip to improve your marriage?
How about 100 simple tips?
Matt and Lisa Jacobson, my guests on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, actually have them for you.
After 25 years of marriage, Matt and Lisa looked at each other and decided, “Let’s each write down one hundred things that we’ve done to create a loving marriage.” When they compared notes, they realized that big decisions are important, but most of the magic in a relationship is the result of small decisions that stack up over time.
I think about kindness a lot because I believe it lies at the heart of the Gospel. I’ve never heard of anyone becoming a Christian as a result of judgment, condemnation, or ridicule.
It occurs to me that Scripture never tells us to be “nice” but to be “kind.” Nice is usually a thin veneer of kindness with nothing of substance underneath.
One of my favorite verses is Romans 2:4: “Or do you … not know that God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance?” It is God’s kindness that opens people’s hearts to God’s message.
I’m sure you’ve wished you could change something about yourself. We all have. Taller. Shorter. Curly hair. Straight hair. We wish we were as athletic as someone else or could play an instrument.
Desiring strength in an area where we are weak is common, but it can cause us to lose sight of our greater purpose in Christ and fall into despair as a result. Especially children. Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for 10-to-14-year-olds.
Infidelity is one of the top reasons why marriages end in divorce. That should come as no surprise. It’s hard to repair the gaping wounds that an affair rips into a relationship. Many couples choose to walk away. Even Christians often view infidelity as a “get out of jail free card.”
Josh and Katie Walters know firsthand the betrayal and devastation of infidelity. They now serve on staff at Seacoast Church, a multi-campus ministry in South Carolina, but six years into their marriage, Katie confessed that she was having an affair with one of Josh’s best friends.
When people ask me why they should go to church, I remind them of this: Human beings exist in two worlds – the physical and the spiritual. The physical world includes everything we can touch, see, smell, and hear. The spiritual world includes things that are no less real even though they can’t be directly observed.
Human life is biological, but it transcends biology. Although the spiritual realm can’t be physically seen or touched, it can be experienced – like when we feel there must be more to life than living and dying.
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.
