Daly Focus Blog
In 1986, a crowd of over 100,000 people gathered in downtown Cleveland, Ohio for an event called Balloonfest ‘86. Organizers hoped to raise money for charity and to set a new world record by releasing 1.5 million balloons simultaneously.
But things went terribly wrong.
Balloon releases are typically harmless. Helium-filled balloons stay airborne until they fully deflate. Even in large numbers, they scatter to the wind and fall harmlessly back to Earth over a wide area.
To enjoy victory in life, remember: it doesn’t matter how long you’re in the lead … you have to finish well.
The last day of the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships featured an unusual outcome in the women’s 400 meter relay. Duke University held the lead from the start. They were fast. Their baton handoffs were smooth and on point. They were picture perfect, even as the University of Miami nearly pulled in front on the final stretch.
The decision to marry someone “for better or for worse” isn’t just a choice that you make once on your wedding day – it’s a choice you make every day, several times a day.
Researchers say that the average person makes about 35,000 decisions a day. Just one of those choices is the choice to love your spouse. When you’re in the day-to-day grind of building your career and parenting your children, intentionality is key in expressing love to your spouse.
The Rubik’s Cube is the best-selling children’s toy in history. It was invented in 1974 by Erno Rubik, an architectural design professor who used the cube to teach his students how to analyze design problems in three dimensions.
But before his students could use the cube, Rubik had to figure out how to solve it himself. That posed an immense challenge. The Rubik’s cube has over 43 quintillion combinations. To put that number into perspective, if everyone on earth did one combination a second, all 43 quintillion combinations would take almost 200 years.
Young people in America and Europe are leaving the Christian church at an unprecedented rate. Statistically, this generation is the least religious in history. Teenagers, in particular, are turning toward atheism at a rate double that of the general population.
Many struggle to believe claims made by the Bible. Or to reconcile faith in a loving God with evil and suffering in the world. Some cite bad experiences with a church or conflict with a Christian as their reason for doubt.
Who is smarter? Albert Einstein? Or your neighborhood auto mechanic?
A lot of people would answer Einstein. But if Einstein’s car broke down on the side of the road, his ability to untangle physics’ greatest mysteries would be useless. In that moment, what he’d need is an understanding of the inner workings of the combustion engine.
Intelligence is relative to our circumstances. So is athletic ability. J.J. Watt, the former pro football player and Defensive Player of the Year, was a stellar athlete.
At some point in our lives all of us ask those big questions.
“Why am I here?”
“Where am I going?”
“Does God exist?”
“What’s the meaning of life?”
We’re exploring these questions and others on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Living As Salt and Light in Today’s Culture” with our good friend and former colleague, Dr. Del Tackett.
Dr. Tackett is a speaker, author, professor, and founder of Soli Deo Gloria Ministries.
Our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “A Legacy of Music and Trusting the Lord” is Christian singer Larnelle Harris, whose music career has spanned five decades and earned him five Grammy Awards and 11 Dove Awards.
His life of faith and music all started with his piano teacher, Ms. Georgie, who encouraged him to believe in his voice and to use it for God’s glory. She once told Larnelle, “You can do this.
Would you like to see more joyful obedience from your children?
Author Arlene Pellicane offers eight key strategies that will set your kids up to succeed:
Amusement is not the highest priority. Your life should not revolve around entertaining your child.
Parents call the shots. You are the leader, not your child.
Routine and boundaries provide security. Kids thrive with guidelines and guardrails.
It’s best to weave the Bible and prayer into the fabric of daily life, not reserve it for Sundays.
America has functioned remarkably well for over 200 years.
Much of that success can be attributed to what historians call the “Golden Triangle of Freedom.” The three points of the triangle are:
Liberty.
Virtue.
Faith.
The relationship between the three is important. Each one relies on the other for its existence and well-being. Liberty requires virtue. Virtue requires faith. Faith requires liberty.
Liberty is freedom. It’s the ability to govern oneself. That means you’re free to choose your own path so long as what you do positively benefits everyone else in the community.
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.
