Daly Focus Blog
I’m an extrovert. I love to talk. But some people run into brick walls at the end of the day. They drag themselves into the house each night, and dread what’s coming: their spouse asking, “How was your day?” Their mind goes blank, or they groan at the thought of having to explain everything that happened at work.
Most couples need more than a simple reminder to talk more, they need a plan. So, here are a couple of practical ideas you and your spouse can put into practice tonight.
Our guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “How a Dysfunctional Street Kid Became a Disciple of Jesus” is Greg Stier, an evangelist, author, and the founder of Dare2Share, a youth evangelism and leadership training ministry.
Greg’s life story is an amazing tale of how the Lord worked through his toxic upbringing to draw him to Christ.
Greg grew up in a community in northern Denver that was a tinderbox of racial tension, and where fights, gunshots, and knifings were common.
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 are things 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.
I’m making an URGENT appeal to you today to contact your U.S. senators as soon as possible to ask them to vote “NO” on H.R. 8404, the mis-named “Respect for Marriage Act,” which is reportedly coming up for a vote either today or tomorrow.
At Focus on the Family, we are concerned that the bill accomplishes the exact opposite of what its name implies. It changes the definition and meaning of marriage and would be nearly impossible to reverse.
If you have a hard time facing Mondays, your problem may be a lack of purpose.
Behavioral researcher John Calhoun performed an experiment with mice that was designed to study the effects of overpopulation. He set up a biosphere that was essentially a Garden of Eden for rodents. They were given everything they needed to thrive: shelter, open space to run and play, and unlimited food and water. Even their bedding was routinely changed to provide an ideal nesting environment for baby mice.
Today, on a special Veteran’s Day edition of our Focus on the Family Broadcast titled “Honoring America’s Veterans,” we’re raising the flag in honor of those military families who paid the ultimate sacrifice so that you and I might celebrate freedom.
Every American, regardless of your political or social views, owes a debt of gratitude to the generations of military personnel who have helped secure our freedom and keep it for nearly 250 years.
On this Veterans Day, I would like to pay tribute to a dear friend, a former longtime Focus on the Family board member, and a remarkable man who embodies the motto of the Marine Corps, Semper Fidelis – “Always faithful.”
Tony Wauterlek, now 85, served for five years as a captain in the United States Marine Corps. A pilot with the 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, he flew jet fighters between 1960 and 1965.
It might surprise you to learn that until Tony signed up to serve following his graduation from the University of Illinois, he had never flown in an airplane.
Most self-help advice focuses on the future – on what will be. Set goals. Plan ahead. Dream of where you wish you were instead of where you are.
Those are great ideas but let me share just one word of caution: don’t focus so intently on your future that you forget to be engaged right here, right now. This moment may never come again.
The importance of appreciating the moment is illustrated in the life of Wally Pipp, a man you probably won’t recognize unless you’re a major league baseball historian.
The Great Chicago Fire of 1871 was one of the largest disasters in American history. In popular accounts from the time, Catherine O’Leary’s cow kicked over a lantern in a barn. The small flame became an inferno that destroyed miles of homes and burned Chicago’s business district to the ground.
More recently, in 2018, the Ranch Fire in California became the largest wildfire in the state’s history, killing a firefighter and burning over 410,000 acres. It was caused by a single spark from a hammer that someone was using to drive a metal stake into the ground.
You and I are up against a world full of lies that distort what’s really true.
That distortion is illustrated in the classic fairytale The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen. In the story, the devil creates a magic mirror that distorts everything it reflects. One day, students of the devil attempt to carry the mirror into heaven so they can mock God and his angels. But the higher the students ascend, the more the mirror shakes … until, finally, they lose their grip.
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.
