Daly Focus Blog
What would you like your obituary to say about you? If you want to feel confident in what those final words say, you may want to write them yourself.
That’s what Pennsylvania schoolteacher Ashley Koozma did. She faced a losing battle with cancer and wrote her own obituary, explaining what she discovered about life by contemplating her death. She closed her reflections with these words: “What do you value in life? In the end, that’s what matters.”
Ashley is right.
When you hear about teenage boys in the news, it’s usually because they’re in trouble. Boys who act out get all the headlines. Which is too bad because a far greater number of teenage boys exhibit good character. They make their moms and dads proud. They don’t take from their communities; they serve them.
How do we raise boys into men with that kind of character? Mentoring. Mentoring is when an older man comes alongside a younger man and guides him through the challenges of life with wisdom and grace.
How do kids grow up with a healthy sense of their own worth? There are a lot of ways for them to learn, from team sports and a good youth group to artistic ability and academic achievements. The best way of all is the influence of a loving mom and dad in everyday moments of life.
A colleague once told me about the time he took his young daughter with him while he ran an errand to the store.
On Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, we’re commemorating the beginning of the Olympics in Paris by featuring a recorded message by Kim Hamilton Anthony, a world-class gymnast who overcame a rough start in life.
Kim’s mother grew up in a four-room house with 13 of her relatives. There were a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of bills to pay. She became pregnant as a teenager. Confused and scared, she was told that a self-induced abortion was the only solution.
Mom and dad, you may not think of your household as a business, but it’s true. You are the CEO of a mini empire. It’s your job to provide structure and order – like paying bills and doing laundry – but it’s also your responsibility to create a home where your spouse and children can thrive – spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. How do you do that? The same way you run a traditional business. You put your customers first.
Why does love often fade over the years of a marriage? One reason is that many couples don’t spend nearly enough time having fun and laughing together. They’re so stressed by the daily pressures of making life work that they slowly push laughter and fun to the wayside – often without even noticing it’s happening. Worse yet, a vital piece of the couple’s marriage usually disappears with the fun.
The Greek philosopher Plato once said, “You can learn more about a man in an hour of play than in a year of conversation.” I think he meant that fun and laughter can reveal things about a person you won’t notice in routine situations.
Anyone who’s familiar with Ray Vander Laan appreciates his gift for teaching. For over 40 years, he has empowered others to see the story behind the story in Scripture.
Ray has partnered with Focus on the Family for 30 years on the popular video series That the World May Know. He’s also been a religion instructor at Holland Christian Schools in Holland, Michigan for more than 40 years.
Ray is amazing at uncovering the mysteries of ancient Jewish culture and putting the Bible in its proper context.
A door-to-door salesman from a local cable company once stopped by Dave and Ashley Willis’ house with an offer they couldn’t refuse. At least, that’s how good the offer sounded at first. The man promised his company would take good care of Dave and Ashley and give them the best package at the best price.
However, the deal went south when Dave asked the salesman, “How long is this package available at this price?”
“Twelve months,” the salesman said.
Parenting can be frustrating!
Authors Amber Lia and Wendy Speake thought they were the only moms who struggled with anger and shame. Then they talked to a lot of other moms and discovered that they weren’t alone.
Anger catches many women off guard. Stress, helplessness, and feelings of inadequacy slowly build until some final straw pushes them over the edge. Shame quickly follows, which pushes women into isolation. For every brave mom who acknowledges a problem with anger, hundreds more wonder if they alone struggle.
As the Republican National Convention kicks off this week in Milwaukee, and as I recently mentioned on my blog, political party platforms matter – especially when it comes to the sanctity of preborn life.
Many of us with pro-life convictions were disappointed last week when the GOP adopted a party platform that, while supporting the banning of third-trimester abortions, is silent regarding the first two trimesters.
Meanwhile, the Democrat Party Platform endorses the codification of abortion rights and opposes any measure restricting the killing of preborn children.
We can be grateful the GOP is unanimous that preborn life should be protected in the latter stages of a pregnancy, but 94% of all abortions occur in the first 15 weeks of development.
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.
