Daly Focus Blog
Karen Kain – one of the most respected ballet dancers in the world – once said, “Sometimes a dancer’s worst enemy is themselves. They get in their own way.”
The art of dance is the art of movement. It’s about gracefully moving in concert with the music and with your partner. Every step forward is a risk. Your partner could step on your toes. Or you could step on theirs. The solution is not to focus on your partner’s steps but on your own.
The late Steve Farrar believed Psalm 23 was the most dangerous Psalm in the Bible – dangerous because we know it so well that it loses its deep meaning and significance. The Psalm is only six verses long, but each one is potent and pregnant with meaning.
David, who wrote Psalm 23, was a shepherd as a youth and could have written from the perspective of the shepherd. Instead, he wrote it from the perspective of the sheep.
In order to stand at a wedding altar and say, “I do” with confidence, couples must first understand who they are as individuals. Only a person with a healthy sense of “I” can give to the marriage as much as he or she receives.
A thriving marriage doesn’t erase individuality. It celebrates it. It puts one’s individuality to work in service of the relationship, molding two people into one while encouraging each person’s individual flames to burn bright.
A common question Focus on the Family gets from many moms and dads is, “What’s the best way to do family devotions?”
My wife Jean and I did devotions with our boys throughout their upbringing. Along the way, we discovered that “serious” doesn’t have to mean “dull” or “boring.” We also learned that there’s no one way to pass your faith on to your children.
Jean preferred formal times of Scripture reading and devotion. Her degree is in biochemistry, so it fit her personality to whip up a lesson with the skill and creativity of a schoolteacher.
Abby Johnson describes God’s mercy as “fierce” – that is, His mercy is marked by unrestrained zeal, intensity, and highly determined activity.
Abby experienced God’s “fierce mercy” after working for eight years as an employee and clinical director for Planned Parenthood. In 2009, Abby assisted with an ultrasound-guided abortion and watched in horror as a 13-week baby lost its life right before her eyes. In that moment, she realized the ugly reality of abortion.
The horror of abortion is far more than the number of babies lost each day.
Many people keep on the lookout for big opportunities that will change their lives. But often it’s the small, seemingly insignificant moments that have the greatest impact.
Author Cecil Murphy tells how a broken heel unexpectedly led to a new life for a woman named Betty. Going about her business one day, she broke the heel of her shoe as she stepped into the street. When she sat on the curb to nurse her ankle, she noticed a shoe store for the first time, even though she must have walked by it dozens of times.
Young girls seem to be maturing physically earlier than past generations. In fact, some counselors warn that if you haven’t discussed puberty and sexual development with your child by age 8 or 9, somebody else likely already has.
If that’s alarming to you, tune in to our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Guiding Your Daughter into Womanhood.” We’re equipping moms to prepare for and effectively discuss with their daughter all the physical, emotional, and spiritual developments that come with puberty – that important stage in a child’s life where the body begins to change in significant ways.
I don’t know about you, but thoughts of heaven bring me great comfort!
I love the promise in Revelation 21:4: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Finding Heaven: Knowing God and His Love,” we’re taking a unique look at the God of heaven – the Creator of the universe and the Light and Lover of our souls – with John Burke.
Few experiences are as comforting and connecting as a family gathered around the Thanksgiving table. Fellowship with family and giving thanks to God for His many blessings is something we look forward to in the Daly household every year.
But the holidays weren’t like that for me growing up. My mother died when I was young, and my stepfather abandoned me and my siblings, so Thanksgiving was anything but a peaceful family holiday. Mostly I remember feeling disconnected from everything that was happening around me.
Married couples need to spend one-on-one time together to be healthy. But they also need a community of couples who positively influence their relationship.
Your marriage is not an island. You need to interact with other couples – to invest in their lives and for them to invest in yours. This is especially important because so many people live far away from members of their extended family and can’t benefit from their influence. If you don’t have family support, the influence of good friends is invaluable.
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.
