Daly Focus Blog
Public speaking. Heights. Spiders. Did you know that these are the top three fears for Americans? Fear is the belief that something has the potential to harm you. It’s rooted in a lack of control.
The word “fear” occurs over 300 times in the Bible. Clearly, fear is something that has gripped mankind since the fall. It takes away our ability to enjoy life’s best moments and our ability to connect with the people closest to us.
Is it really possible for nice people go to Hell?
To answer that question, we have to define the word “nice.”
Picture a spectrum of holiness. Abject evil to one extreme and pure holiness to the other. The Hitlers of the world would be closer to the pure evil side, while people like Mother Teresa would be to the other extreme. The rest of us probably fall somewhere in between and could rightly say, “I’m no saint, but I’m no mass murderer, either.”
With that worldview, our standard of “goodness” is reduced to shades of gray.
Hurdlers don’t usually stumble on the open stretch of track. Victory or defeat is mostly about clearing the obstacles.
It’s the same for marriage. Relationships don’t stumble when everything is calm, and life is rolling along smoothly. Problems tend to develop when couples encounter some kind of stress.
Those moments are an opportunity for husbands and wives to work together as a team.
My wife and I have gone through quite a few transition periods. We’ve faced challenges in our extended families, relocated to new cities, and raised two boys.
“Spirituality wrongly understood or pursued is a major source of human misery and rebellion against God.” – Dallas Willard
Christians use a lot of words like “salvation,” “grace,” and “faith.” How often do we stop and really think about what those words mean?
We’re hungry to the core of our soul for relationship. The degree to which that need goes unfulfilled is the degree to which we will lose ourselves in the pursuit of more. More everything.
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.
The middle of life is supposed to be a great time for men. Their marriages are doing well. Their children have launched, or are ready to go. Their careers are rolling, and the future looks bright.
Or maybe it doesn’t.
Maybe you’ve hit mid-life, and your marriage isn’t what you thought it would be. Maybe your children are struggling to launch. And your career is … sigh … fine.
If your life hasn’t slipped into a comfortable rhythm, we have encouragement for you today on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Avoiding a Midlife Crisis.”
Mid-life is a transition point, but it doesn’t have to be a crisis.
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.
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.
