Daly Focus Blog
September 15, 1963, was a normal Sunday morning in Birmingham, Alabama.
Until 10:22 A.M.
Then everything changed.
Carolyn, a teenager at the time, was making her prescribed rounds through her church, retrieving paperwork from each of the Sunday school classes. On her way up the stairs, she smiled and said good morning to four young girls – Cynthia, Addie, Denise, and Carole – who were headed into the bathroom.
As Carolyn passed the church office, she heard a phone ringing.
Today’s news regarding the Supreme Court’s decision to grant certiorari to four marriage cases sets up the impending culmination to a decades-long cultural debate.
The outcome will either uphold a state’s right to define marriage or declare same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states.
However, regardless of the outcome, today’s news fails to recognize, appreciate and honor a key truth. Marriage is an institution that historically and culturally has always brought the two unique and complementary parts of humanity together into a lifetime, cooperative partnership that establishes and maintains the family.
Note: On Jan. 21, the GOP leadership pulled this bill and cancelled the vote. Please read my new post on what’s happened — and, more than ever, please contact your representative. -JD
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Your help is needed.
Members of the U.S. House of Representatives are currently gearing up for a vote on a bill that would ban abortion (with a few exceptions) after 20 weeks’ gestation.
It’s called the “Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act” (H.R. 36) and it builds on the fact that 10 states have already passed local versions of the law since 2010.
By now you’ve likely heard that Atlanta Fire Chief, Kelvin Cochran, was recently fired from his position for publishing a book in which he affirmed a biblically orthodox understanding of human sexuality.
The 162-page book in question, “Who Told You That You Were Naked?” is a Bible study designed for Christian men.
According to press reports, Mr. Cochran gave a copy of the book to three individuals within his department, all of whom he knew to be Christian.
Former President George H.W. Bush and his wife, Barbara, recently celebrated 70 years of marriage, making them the longest-married presidential couple in U.S. history. Their marriage isn’t just long-lasting – by all accounts, it’s a happy union characterized by both love and friendship.
Of her marriage, Mrs. Bush has said:
“I think we grew together. I think that when you have a child die and you survive, and you’ve been through a war and you survive, and you build a business and you survive, you either grow apart or together.
It’s a viral video with a local angle for those of us here at Focus on the Family.
The United Parcel Service (UPS) released “Driver for a Day” on Dec. 1, and the heartwarming story of driver Mr. Ernie and a 4-year-old boy named Carson has already been viewed more than 2.4 million times.
Little Carson, who lives in Colorado Springs, is so excited about the packages that arrive to his house that Mr. Ernie decided to make a special delivery just for him.
When John and Lisa Henderson grew weary of the poor behavior of their three boys, ages 5, 8, and 11, the couple decided upon a radical remedy.
They decided to “cancel” Christmas.
No Santa. No stockings. No presents.
“We have not cancelled putting up decorations, celebrating the birth of our Savior, or any of our other heartwarming traditions,” Lisa explains in her recent blog post, which has gone viral and won the family an interview with “Good Morning America.”
But after months of working with their boys to help them curb a growing sense of entitlement and bad behavior, the parents decided to take the money they would have spent on presents and instead “put it towards service projects and giving gifts to others.”
Their goal?
I’ve blogged before about the many financial benefits marriage brings to couples, families and society. Along those lines, a recent article by the respected economist Lawrence Kudlow underscores the vital role of marriage in achieving a robust national economy.
In “Marriage Emerges as Key To Economic Growth,” Kudlow describes how the American economy has slowed from a previous average of 3.5 percent per year to a mere 1.8 percent annually – under both Republican and Democrat presidents and congresses.
Gold-medal-winning Olympian Scott Hamilton and his wife, Tracie, recently doubled the number of children in their family. The couple, who already have two biological children, adopted a brother and sister from Haiti, reports The Today Show.
The Hamiltons first learned of Evelyne, 11, and Jean Paul, 13, two years ago in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the island nation through Tracie’s volunteer work. Tracie quickly fell in love with the pair after visiting one particular Hatian orphanage.
You may have heard of the recent interfaith conference on marriage at the Vatican. The three-day event brought together 14 faith traditions from 23 countries, and included the participation of prominent evangelicals such as Dr. Russell Moore and Rick Warren. Focus marriage expert Glenn Stanton also attended the event.
“The Complementarity of Man and Woman: An International Colloquium” served to gather leaders and scholars to examine marriage “in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society.” It reaffirmed the centuries-old belief shared by the different faiths that vital to marriage is the complementary nature of man and woman.
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.
