Daly Focus Blog
If you thread two keys onto a single key ring, is either key more complete after it is joined with the other?
No.
And neither will you be if you’re single and hoping to be married one day.
“Singlehood” is often synonymous with “incomplete.” But Adam and Eve weren’t created as a couple. God created Adam first, as a single, an individual. He was given a purpose in God’s creation prior to Eve becoming his wife.
Drs. Gary Chapman and Paul White say toxic jobs and dangerous jobs are similar. Each are stressful, take place in difficult environments, and likely include dysfunctional colleagues who undermine you and the organization.
Brutal bosses. Soul-crushing cultures. Poisonous people. If you personally haven’t experienced workplace trauma, you may be surprised by how many of your friends and colleagues have. According to a Gallup report, seven out of ten American workers either “go through the motions” or flat-out hate their jobs.
Lee Strobel was an investigative journalist and an atheist who set out to disprove Christianity. Instead, he discovered that the evidence for Christ’s resurrection is “strong, persuasive, powerful, and based on a solid foundation of historical truth.”
In the summer of 2011, Lee woke up in the emergency room after his wife Leslie found him unconscious on the bedroom floor. The doctor told him, “You were one step away from a coma and two steps away from death.” Lee was diagnosed with an unusual medical condition called hyponatremia – a severe drop in blood sodium level that caused his brain to swell.
One of the most significant ministries over the course of Focus on the Family’s nearly 50-year history is Adventures in Odyssey, a radio drama for children (check here for more information). Each episode presents a great moral lesson about family and faith in an entertaining way.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast, we’re sharing an Odyssey program called “Something Significant,” which features the character Trent DeWhite, who wants to do something big for God.
The death last month of Dr. Tim Keller has left a void for many of us who appreciated this good man’s historic ministry.
As it turned out, I had the privilege of being one of the last people to interview Tim, just outside his apartment on Roosevelt Island in New York City. We talked about his book on forgiveness: Forgive: Why Should I and How Can I?
As I’ve recently written, forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces in the world.
To experience wholeness, five desires of our hearts must be met:
Security. Who can I trust?
Identity. Who am I?
Belonging. Who wants me?
Purpose. Why am I alive?
Competence. What do I do well?
Each of those are listed in their correct order, by the way. If you feel secure, you’re more likely to discover the deepest passions and strengths of your identity. Out of those, you’ll discover your purpose and develop competence.
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast with our guest author Wendy Speake, “Understanding the Goodness of God’s Word,” we’re discussing the topic of “feasting.” Not on food but on Scripture.
She’s written a great book called The 40-Day Feast: Taste and See the Goodness of God’s Word about how to ingest and savor the Bible and understand God more deeply.
The idea of feasting originated in the Garden of Eden. Before God made humans, he created the food to sustain them.
New York magazine once described Tim Keller’s founding of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City as “close to a theological suicide mission” for having the audacity “to create a strictly conservative Christian church in the heart of Sodom.”
Only Tim Keller wasn’t eager for the assignment. In fact, he turned down the invitation and attempted to recruit two other pastors for the church plant, which was born out of a wildly successful dinner ministry hosted by Nancy DeMoss, widow of Art DeMoss, a mail-order insurance mogul.
To witness for Christ, each of us must cross what Pastor Rico Tice calls our “pain line.”
That’s the barrier that keeps us from sharing about Jesus because:
We don’t know what to say.
We don’t feel we’re “good enough” to adequately represent Christianity.
We fear rejection.
We’re avoiding pain.
My wife, Jean, is the only Christian among her four siblings. When her mom passed away, Jean called for a family conference. Everybody sat down in the living room, and Jean went through a detailed explanation of the Gospel and shared what her faith meant to her.
Dr. Tim Keller’s death today marks the close of a remarkable personal ministry of a good man who lived faithfully, tirelessly, and creatively for the Lord.
His last words to his beloved wife Kathy should inspire and convict every Christian believer. According to his son Michael, as he lay dying, Tim said, “There is no downside for me leaving, not in the slightest.” He then kissed Kathy’s forehead, laid back down – and went to Glory.
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.
