Is making others happy making you miserable?

Maybe you feel guilty when you say no to a friend, a family member, or your spouse. Maybe you’ve earned a reputation as someone who gets things done, so people keep asking you for help. And you agree to help. Even though your schedule is already full.

Author and speaker Karen Ehman knows just how you feel. She has struggled with people pleasing for years. One time, an old friend called to ask if her college-aged son could stay with her family a couple nights a week during his summer internship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 29, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

It’s no accident that the World War Two generation earned the nickname “The Greatest Generation.” They fought a bloody war on foreign land so the fight would never come to our shores.

The war wasn’t won by the military alone, however. It was also won on the home front. A certain sensibility permeated society back then, which was, “We’re all in this together. Do your part.”

“Doing your part” meant each person made small sacrifices that benefited the whole country during one of the most uncertain times in our nation’s history.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 28, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

When authors Gabe and Rebekah Lyons got married, they were a successful, goal-oriented couple who had the next decade of their lives all planned out. Then their firstborn son, Cade, was born with down syndrome and everything changed … for the better.

At first, their son’s condition was a difficult adjustment. Gabe and Rebekah were confronted by the harsh reality that they weren’t in control of their lives as much as they thought they were. They also had to grieve the loss of dreams they had for their son.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 27, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

For couples to have a strong marriage, they have to spend time together. But that can be tough when life is so busy. One of the ways to solve that problem is to maximize everyday moments. How? Instead of waiting for the perfect circumstances to come along, take advantage of key moments that already happen every day.

The first is when you say goodbye in the morning. On a typical day, one or both of you will likely leave the house.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 26, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

It was just an old watch.

That’s what one man thought when he decided to have his Rolex appraised by the experts at Antiques Roadshow. The man, identified only as “David,” had bought the watch in 1974 for $345. He’d worn it just a few times in all those years and didn’t believe it had increased much in value. Boy, was he wrong.

The appraiser surprised David by telling him that the watch was worth at least $200,000.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 23, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If you’re stuck in the wilderness and everything around you is thick with trees, true north is what gets you out. When you’re navigating the confusion of society, your spiritual and relational true north will guide you.

Jesus gave us His true north when he said that the two greatest things we can do are love God and love our neighbor (Matt. 22:37-40). He equated the two. Which means that when the world is spinning out of control, the way through is to cling to objective values that never change – like truth, love, and humble sacrifice.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 22, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

For a happy life, perspective is key.

After her older son’s football game one Friday night, author and speaker Chrystal Evans Hurst drove her younger kids to a fast-food place for dinner. On the way home, traffic was heavy, bumper to bumper for miles. When traffic finally thinned, the driver in front of Chrystal sped up, so she sped up, too. But just as quickly the driver in front of her hit his brakes, forcing Chrystal to hit hers.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 20, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Building Healthy Friendships Among Men,” we’re talking with popular comedic group, The Skit Guys, Eddie James and Tommy Woodward.

They’re sharing how God has worked through their friendship across 30 years to grow them as husbands, fathers, and men.

Their friendship wasn’t natural or likely. In the 9th grade, Eddie’s girlfriend, Jill, told him that she liked someone else. That someone else was Tommy Woodward. Eventually Eddie and Tommy became friends, and Eddie became a Christian through Tommy’s church.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 19, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If your marriage isn’t all that it could be, maybe you’ve forgotten how valuable your spouse really is.

One Christmas, author Gary Thomas decided to help his wife Lisa decorate. As he set out a few knick-knacks, one of the ceramic reindeer slipped off the edge and shattered into pieces. Lisa barely blinked an eye. “Don’t worry about it,” she said. “I’ll just buy another one.”

Fast forward a couple of months and Gary was emptying the dishwasher when a teacup slipped through his fingers and broke.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 16, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Every single person has profound worth … because every single person has value that can’t be earned or taken away.

Rembrandt’s 17th century painting The Return of the Prodigal Son is considered one of the greatest artistic masterpieces in history. It’s worth millions.

Now, let’s say you’re visiting the museum where it’s housed, and you walk out the back door into the alley. You see a painting has been tossed into the dumpster. It’s stained, and torn, and has dirt all over it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 15, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura