Daly Focus Blog
My friend Matt learned the hard way how important other people can be to our lives.
In college, he pulled into a convenience store, threw open the door, and ran inside for a quick purchase. Unfortunately, he didn’t quite get his Chevy into park. It clicked out of gear, rolled backwards into a pole, and bent Matt’s open door completely in the opposite direction.
Instead of asking someone for help, he pounded his door shut with a sledgehammer.
The wear and tear of everyday life can take a toll on your marriage. Any given day a couple may face challenges in their faith, church, extended family relationships, recreation, sexual intimacy, friendships, household responsibilities, finances, hectic schedules, or a never-ending stream of parenting decisions.
Whew!
Is it any wonder that most relationships could use a little maintenance? The question is, how do you fill your marriage with good things without it all becoming just one more thing to juggle?
I’m in Washington, D.C,. today ahead of tomorrow’s annual March for Life – the world’s largest gathering of individuals committed and dedicated to saving and protecting the most innocent among us.
Back on January 22, 1974 – the one-year anniversary of the horrific and ill-fated Roe v. Wade decision – Washington lawyer Nellie Gray led a morning of lobbying and an afternoon demonstration of over 20,000 people on the Capitol steps. In response, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood declared:
“The Right to Life people have not accepted the Supreme Court decision and continue to press to resist it, subvert it and to turn it back.”
Planned Parenthood has been wrong about countless things, but they were right then (and now) about our refusal to accept the killing of pre-born children.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “How I Found God Through My Abortion Journey,” we’re talking with Cynthia Wenz, the founder of Healed for Life Ministries, which ministers to those in the post-abortive community in need of healing.
Cynthia has also had to find healing in the aftermath of her own abortions, experienced at points in her life when she was vulnerable, afraid, and believed she had no other options. During her third, she experienced what she considers miraculous events which culminated in her spiritual rebirth and a determination to do whatever she could to survive as a single mom with a new baby.
According to the CDC (11/2020):
Stillbirth affects about 1 in 160 pregnancies.Each year, about 24,000 babies are stillborn.As many as 1 in 4 known pregnancies end in miscarriage.
No one wants to be represented in those statistics. Nothing can prepare a parent for the devastation of losing a child. The grief can seem insurmountable.
Those of us on the outside of that loss – families, friends, and the church community surrounding the parents – often don’t comprehend the depth of pain and sorrow that bereaved parents experience.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we want to share with you a powerful message about building racial harmony in our communities by my dear friend and brother in Christ, Carey Casey.
Carey was part of the real-life story captured in Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington. The movie is about an African-American high school football coach who overcame significant challenges after being hired to coach the school’s first racially integrated team. The Titans overcame tremendous adversity, worked through their racial differences, and won the state championship.
Ladies, when was the last time you stepped outside of your busy schedule and spent quality time with God? Has it been a while? It’s not easy to slow down when you’re running as fast as you can.
I know how busy my wife is, and I can only imagine that you can relate. Jean’s days are packed from beginning to end and finding time to connect with God can be tough. That’s why she recently took time to join a handful of girlfriends on a retreat in the mountains to relax and study the Word.
I’ve got good news for you if you’re in a bad marriage: No matter how dire your circumstances, there is hope.
When a marriage enters dangerous territory, the journey to get out isn’t easy, but the results can be beautiful.
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Saving Your Marriage from Divorce,” psychologist and author Dr. David Clarke shares his proven, 90-day strategy for getting a broken marriage on track toward healing and intimacy.
Something terrible happened at a nationally televised sporting event. At least, you’d think it was terrible given the stir it caused on social media.
Here’s what happened: During a break in the action, a camera caught two friends sitting together in the stands having a conversation.
That’s it.
No one argued. No one threw a punch.
Two people simply talked and enjoyed a football game together.
What created the social media firestorm was who the two friends were.
Most of us enter marriage with high expectations. We dream of long walks through the neighborhood every night and long walks along the beach in the summer. We imagine that every day will be romantic and exciting.
But somewhere between “I do” and “happily ever after” daily life settles into a predictable routine. And by “predictable” I mean “mundane” or – dare I even say – “boring.” Before long, we’re struggling under the “whens” and “if onlys” of life.
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.
