Daly Focus Blog
Few things are as painful for a Christian parent as a child who turns away from his or her faith. And the deeper the pain, the deeper our need for hope.
Maybe that’s why the story of the prodigal son has remained one of the most beloved parables in Scripture for centuries.
The story doesn’t make promises or guarantees about “wayward” children, of course. But it does offer hope to parents in desperate need of it.
Long before the Supreme Court imposed same-sex marriage on the country, Christian parents had been dealing with the culture’s growing acceptance of homosexuality and same-sex relationships and the impact it has on their children.
We at Focus are hearing from more and more of them as they navigate these difficult waters with friends and relatives who are homosexual while also trying to model Christian behavior for their own children. Here’s a question typical of those we receive:
My sister-in-law is currently married to her partner.
Do you get along with your in-laws?
Okay, so I didn’t intend that question to be funny. But if you caught yourself snickering a little, who could blame you? In-law jokes (particularly about one’s mother-in-law) are a mainstay of modern comedy routines and a common stereotype in movies and television shows.
But within every joke you can find a kernel of truth. And the truth here is in-law relationships can be difficult.
When you get married, in-laws may start doing or saying things you never anticipated, and before you even know what’s hit you, you find yourself in an adversarial relationship.
When it comes to America’s sovereignty, freedom has never been free. Dating back to the Revolutionary War, more than 1.3 million Americans have died in combat. It’s important to remember that each of these deaths is not an isolated incident; no man is an island. When a soldier falls, life within a family unit is irrevocably and permanently changed. Those deaths represent a lot of tears over the course of 235 years.
Yes, freedom in the U.S.A.
Women face a lot of pressure.
Many are trying to maintain a career or an otherwise busy outside schedule while being a wife and mother and caring for the family home. The demands on their time are immense.
That’s how it is for my wife, Jean. Our boys are in those middle, “tweener” years, so she always seems to be running from one activity to another.
But, as many women discover, too much responsibility makes it easy to get out of balance.
It’s been said that fear is the enemy of intimacy. I think that’s right.
Our guest on today and tomorrow’s program, author Donald Miller, agrees as well. He compares intimacy with standing on the edge of a cliff, fighting through anxiety and fear to jump into the water.
We don’t often equate fear with lack of intimacy because we don’t recognize all the ways we avoid vulnerability with the people closest to us. We rely on our humor, beauty, social status, or whatever identity we’d rather people see than our deepest, truest selves.
Do most men know the difference between love and sex?
A lot of men assume they have that distinction pretty well settled – until they realize the lines are more blurred than they thought, and their marriage suffers because of it.
The fact is, struggles related to sex and intimacy within a marriage are one of the top reasons we’re contacted here at Focus on the Family. So it’s an important issue for us to address.
In celebration of Father’s Day this weekend, let’s look at one sometimes-overlooked characteristic of a good dad …
He is, quite simply, a hero.
Forget Superman, Batman or Captain America. When you’re in trouble, you need Dad to save the day.
Dad will save kids from the brink of danger:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qoQssWPRNR0
He’ll risk his life to save his child.
And sometimes, Dad will even give his life to save his child.
The benefits involved fathers provide to their children are countless.
Augustine of Hippo called the Bible “our letters from home.”
Abraham Lincoln once reflected that the Bible, “is the best gift God has given to man. All the good the Savior gave to the world was communicated through this Book.”
The late Dr. Adrian Rogers, former pastor of Bellevue Baptist Church and a longtime member of our board, said, “The Bible is not a book of the month, but the Book of the Ages. It’s so majestically deep that scholars could swim and never touch the bottom.
Talk shows discuss it.
Researchers study it.
Too many articles and books to count have been written about it.
I even chime in on this blog from time to time with my thoughts on it.
What’s the it I’m talking about?
It’s the secret to a happy and successful marriage.
There are a lot of practical steps couples can take to build a healthy relationship. Hopefully, you’ve learned some solid advice right here at Focus from our radio programs, periodicals, and other materials we offer.
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.
