Daly Focus Blog
Author Kari Trent Stageberg – daughter of psychologist and author Dr. John Trent – and her husband, Joey, coach couples toward greater health and connection.
They say there’s a moment in every marriage that permanently changes the relationship. It’s called the “merge moment.” It occurs when husbands and wives realize their differences have the potential to drive them apart.
“Merge moments” are like two rushing rivers crashing into one another. They can be noisy, messy, and unpredictable.
What would you say are the most crucial ingredients to human survival? Food? Water? Shelter? Equally important is the need for hope.
The Jewish Holocaust was one of the darkest periods in human history. Over six million people were murdered in German concentration camps. Millions more barely survived horrific conditions of disease, abuse, and starvation. The misery was unbearable.
When the Allies liberated camps throughout Europe, they were shocked by what they found among the gas chambers and mass graves – drawings, writings, sheets of music, all created by prisoners.
Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?
It’s not if you want a stress-free holiday season.
Social media raises our expectations to overwhelming levels. Instead of peace and joy, we feel pressure to transform our homes into Christmas wonderlands. Instead of peace and joy, Christmas becomes a time of stress and “stuff” for many of us, each day filled with lights, decorations, shopping, parties, or family get-togethers.
It’s all wonderful, but it also inhibits us from reflecting more deeply on the hope of Christmas – our Savior.
I’ve heard that if couples are married long enough, they start to look like one another. I’m not sure if that’s true, but I think couples do often look like the other couples they hang out with.
It may feel more comfortable to be friends with someone who’s just like you, but you’re depriving your marriage of a great chance to grow. Maybe the couple you spend the most time with is also newly married, or is raising teenagers, or is retired.
It’s easy to overlook the importance of small compromises. They seem so insignificant. But small compromises eventually turn into big compromises that take us further than we want to go and cost us more than we ever thought possible.
That dark reality is captured in a movie from the early 1960s called Judgment at Nuremberg. The film dramatically portrays the military tribunal that prosecuted Nazi leaders accused of crimes against humanity during World War II.
Spencer Tracy plays Judge Dan Haywood, who leads the trial.
Did you know:
55% of married Christian men look at porn monthly.
1 in 10 view porn daily.
71% of those who view 7+ hours of porn weekly report some kind of sexual dysfunction.
More than half (56%) of divorce cases involve a spouse having an obsession with pornographic websites.
Mark and Rosie Makinney’s family was nearly destroyed by the poison of pornography. They now help other couples discover the good news that God can heal, restore, and redeem anyone who turns to Him for help.
Raising teenagers can be both exciting and stressful. There’s a lot going on in their lives. They’re learning how to manage their own thoughts, feelings. and identities apart from mom and dad.
Developmentally, that’s a good thing. But in many families, a teenager’s struggle for independence becomes a tug-of-war with parents who take their authority seriously.
Effective communication with a teenager can be challenging, especially if you’re trying to navigate conflict, emotional triggers, disrespect, and even a few slammed doors.
Do you practice “everyday generosity”?
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Modeling Generosity for Your Children,” father-and-son team Brad and Drew Formsma explain how to use your time, talent, and influence to infuse your children with a spirit of generosity that they’ll carry into their adult years.
They’ll share how to be generous with:
In a “me-focused” culture, our children can develop an other-centered attitude that expresses Christ’s love through simple acts of kindness.
Would you like a happier marriage? If so, then you have a choice to make.
In fact, you have seven choices to make.
According to studies, couples disagree almost 2,500 times per year, which averages out to seven times a day. That’s seven opportunities every day to drive your relationship further apart. Or to draw it closer together. Which one depends on you. Literally. You get to choose.
You see, a lot of couples fall prey to the myth that their conflict is the result of their differences.
My guess is you consider yourself an open minded person. You’re mostly right. I say mostly because we’re all biased. Each of us has filters through which we see the world.
We’re a lot like the people of Oz – as in The Wizard of Oz. In the original story, written by Frank Baum, the Emerald City is said to be made of green glass, emeralds, and other jewels. And yet, when Dorothy and her companions enter the city, the Wizard expects them to wear green-tinted spectacles.
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.
