Daly Focus Blog
Few things in life are as good as we think they are.
Believe it or not, there’s even a scientific term for that phenomenon called the Better-Than-Average Effect. In short, our tendency is to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to.
We don’t sing as well as we think we do.
We don’t eat or exercise as healthy as we should.
We minimize our addictions.
We downplay our depression.
We believe that our marriages are healthier than they are.
Once more, innocent children have become casualties in the ongoing cultural revolution.
The state of Oregon recently prohibited Jessica Bates, a mother of five, from becoming certified as a foster care parent.
Why?
Oregon’s Department of Human Services requires foster parents to “respect, accept and support the race, spiritual beliefs, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression, disabilities, national origin, cultural identities, immigration status and socioeconomic status of a child or young adult in the care or custody of the Department.”
As a Christian, Jessica told state officials that she respects everyone, but that she believes “God gives us our gender/sex and it’s not something we get to choose.” In other words, she cannot in good conscience support any effort to try and change one’s biological sex.
From growing up dirt poor to becoming reality television superstars, Phil and Kay Robertson, of A&E’s Duck Dynasty, have experienced more than 50 years of ups and downs together.
Their first years as a couple were marred by poverty and alcohol abuse so severe that, at one point, Miss Kay kicked Phil out of the house. Their future together looked bleak.
What transformed them and their relationship? According to Phil: repentance.
He says:
“We look at the word ‘repent’ as a bad thing.
Yesterday at Focus on the Family, our staff came together for our Maundy Thursday chapel, a special time for reflecting on our Lord’s final hours before ascending Calvary to shed His blood on our behalf. Today, our offices are closed in honor of Good Friday.
Some of my non-Christian readers may not understand the meaningful symbolism ascribed to Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross. They see Jesus as a wise prophet, a good man, or a great teacher in a long line of equals to be imitated as we would any other great person.
When Easter comes around every year, many people think of chocolate, colored eggs, and strange looking rabbits carrying baskets.
As Christians, we know there’s a lot more to the story – Jesus’ triumphal parade, His last supper with His disciples, His brutal death on the cross, and His bodily resurrection.
The events surrounding the Easter story can evoke a complicated mix of emotions – sadness and joy, anger and gratitude, fear and trust. These mature themes can be challenging for adults to process.
Author Elisa Morgan remembers the day she heard a loud crash somewhere in the house and discovered her three-shelf hutch had fallen from the wall and shattered her late grandmother’s antique china collection into pieces on the floor. The worst part was realizing that she could do nothing to fix it.
As she swept up the broken shards, other moments came to mind when something precious to her shattered beyond repair.
The first time was when she was five years old, and her parents announced their divorce.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Trusting God That Hope Is on the Way,” our guest, Dove and Grammy Award-winning Christian alternative and rap figurehead TobyMac, is sharing his journey of faith, family, and music, and encouraging listeners to find hope in God through difficulty, loss, and tragedy.
TobyMac has suffered plenty of all three. His oldest son Truett, an aspiring rapper, died tragically at age 21 in 2019 after a drug overdose.
I encourage you to join us for our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Accepting My True Identity in Christ” with guest Rosaria Champagne Butterfield.
It was in college on her path to academia and an earned Ph.D. in English literature, that Rosaria first noticed her interest in women. At age 28, she came out as a lesbian. Like many – perhaps most – who identify as homosexual, her pronouncement didn’t come with a political agenda.
Is a happy marriage possible?
I believe the answer to that question is yes. But there is a catch: happiness isn’t dependent on good things happening to you. It’s dependent on you choosing to be happy.
Author Kevin Thompson learned that happy marriages are no accident by observing his grandparents. They were married for 70 years! After such a long time together, a lot of people suggested that they were “lucky” to have so many things go their way.
The suggestion that, “It’s never too late,” may be good advice if you’re thinking of going back to school or your diet is out of whack. But when it comes to mending broken family relationships, there’s no time like today.
Tina and her father were in such severe conflict that they didn’t speak to one another for decades. As the years rolled by, the girl – now a woman – began to regret the split and decided to reconnect with her dad, who was nearly eighty.
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.
