Daly Focus Blog
At some point, almost every boy will struggle with the feeling that he doesn’t measure up.
My teenage feelings of inadequacy shot to the surface one day while I was in gym class, standing behind a muscular upper-classman named Glen and one of his buddies. They were talking about how guys grow bigger as they get older.
Without warning, Glen wheeled around and – Bam! – he socked me right in the chest. “See this guy?” he said.
Few parents have experienced the heartbreak of losing a child.
Fewer still have endured that suffering twice.
Lindsey Dennis and her husband, Kevin know the depths of that heartache. They also know how God’s comfort can bring beauty out of terrible circumstances.
Lindsey and Kevin are sharing their tragic and touching story with us on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “A Mother’s Story of Loss and Redemption.”
At what was supposed to be a routine prenatal visit, the couple was given shocking news: “We can’t find your baby’s skull.” Their baby was diagnosed with anencephaly.
I’ll cut right to the point.
Jean and I are grieving a little bit this week – not over the death of a loved one or a dire medical diagnosis – but grieving nonetheless.
Our oldest, Trent, left for a nearby college earlier this week.
We couldn’t be happier for him, of course, especially seeing how he’s matured and grown over these last few years. We’ve been impressed with his choice of friends, his attitude and his overall goals and sense of direction.
Take a look at these alarming statistics:
41% of practicing Christians believe that cohabitation is a good idea.60% of people on Christian dating websites say they have no moral inhibitions against sex before marriage.32% of Christian men ages 18 to 30 admit to having an addiction to pornography (not casual use, mind you, but an addiction).
How did we get so far away from God’s design for sexuality?
I’d love to read your thoughts in the comment section below.
It’s easy for us as Christians to lose track of God’s timing in our lives. Our culture is driven, and we often fall prey to busyness. We work hard at our jobs. We volunteer at church. We have hobbies and responsibilities around the house. Some days there’s not much left of our time or our energy to keep our relationships in order.
That was true for Terry Looper. His goal was to become a wealthy businessman.
“We practiced an active shooter drill today.”
Those words from Lee Nienhuis’ grade-school aged son, Ryan, felt like a gut punch. She could barely hold herself together when he told her, “We pile up in the corner like puppies, and we hide.”
That wasn’t the only time Lee was confronted by the darkness her children face in this world. Another incident happened in church. The congregation was singing the hymn I Have Decided to Follow Jesus. Lee could hear her son Ryan singing when they reached the words: “The cross before me, the world behind me.
Does your marriage stress you out? If not, there’s still a good chance that you’re bringing stress into your marriage.
Either way, how do you handle it?
The natural inclination for a lot of couples is to seek stress relief in non-relational ways that enable them to hide – things like drugs and alcohol, or even behaviors like shopping, gambling, excessive cleaning, or binge-watching television – all of which lead to addiction, unhealthy obsessions, or lashing out at other people.
Sometimes God calls us to do things that are bigger than us – so big that all we can do is rely on His strength to get us through.
Captain Ron Johnson experienced that truth in an inspiring way. He’s a retired African-American police officer who became well-known after the governor of Missouri assigned him to lead security efforts in Ferguson, Missouri after a young black male, Michael Brown, was killed by a white police officer.
Grammy-award winning singer and songwriter Russ Taff grew up in church, but he was an adult the first time he was truly able to understand God’s love.
His dad was a pastor who preached what Russ calls a “hard Gospel.” That means there were rules about clothes, rules about hair, rules about attitude. Rules, rules, rules – so many that his father couldn’t live up to his own standards. His father relapsed with alcohol again and again for years and, ultimately, didn’t stop drinking until he died.
So here’s the scenario. It’s a weeknight, and your child has spent most of the evening on the same school assignment. It’s pretty clear he doesn’t understand the information. To top it off, he’s brought home a note from the teacher warning you about a failing grade.
What do you do?
Many parents immediately assume the worst. They think their child has a behavior problem, difficulty learning, or is just plain lazy. But most of the time school challenges like this aren’t a crisis.
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.
