Daly Focus Blog
Today we’re re-airing one of the highest response programs of 2017 here at Focus on the Family.
It was a message by Senate Chaplain retired U.S. Rear Admiral Barry Black at the National Prayer Breakfast last year in Washington, D.C.
His remarks were delivered to the President of the United States, more than 4,000 government, business, and religious leaders from all over our nation and 160 countries around the world, and to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.
The struggle against perfection begins the moment in childhood when you first recognize that other people expect you to achieve and to measure up. From your performance at school or at work to your performance at home as a parent and a spouse – almost everybody wants or needs something from you.
The pursuit of excellence can fill your life with a lot of great things. It can motivate you to work hard and to excel, for yourself and for others.
Last night’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis, which featured an upset win by the Philadelphia Eagles over the New England Patriots, was sports drama of the highest order. The game came down to the last play, a “Hail Mary” heave from the Patriots’ Tom Brady. And although he passed for a Super Bowl record 505 yards, along with three touchdowns, the seemingly timeless Brady came up short.
Thankfully, to the legions of football fans tired of New England’s dominance, there would be no come-from-behind win this time.
Week Ending January 12, 2018.
Enjoy!: The Gift of Sexual Pleasure for Women (by Cliff & Joyce Penner)
The Married Guy’s Guide to Great Sex (by Cliff & Joyce Penner)
Little Book of Great Dates (by Dr. Greg & Erin Smalley)
Kingdom Woman (by Tony Evans, Chrystal Evans Hurst)
Financial Peace Junior Kit (by Dave Ramsey)
Put the Disciple Into Discipline (by Erin MacPherson)
Joni and Ken: An Untold Love Story (Ken & Joni Eareckson Tada)
The Case for Life (by Scott Klusendorf)
The Kindness Challenge (by Shaunti Feldhahn)
NIrV Adventures in Odyssey Children’s Bible
Cherish (by Gary Thomas)
Martin Luther (by Eric Metaxas)
Openness Unhindered (by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield)
Honey, We Need to Talk (by David E.
You see somebody’s true character when they struggle.
That’s what’s so great about Jase and Missy Robertson, from the Duck Dynasty family. They’re the real deal. They’re as down home as they portray themselves to be. They also love Jesus and want you to know it.
The whole Robertson clan has a deep-seated faith in Christ. That was never more evident than when their daughter Mia was born with a cleft palate – a serious condition that required multiple cranial and facial surgeries, eight major procedures so far in the first 11 years of her life.
Two-hundred and thirty-two years ago yesterday – January 16, 1786 – the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, legislation ensuring that no citizen would have to choose between their personal faith and the law of the land.
Prior to the American Revolution, Baptists were being harassed and arrested for worshipping in their own homes. Pastors were even being incarcerated.
It was amid this atmosphere that led Thomas Jefferson to pen, in part:
“All men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”
Over two centuries later these foundational principles, which are enshrined in the First Amendment, are now tenuous and under assault.
In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, we want to share with you a powerful message about building racial harmony in our communities by my dear friend and brother in Christ, Carey Casey.
Carey lived through the real-life story captured in the movie Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington as an African-American high school football coach who must overcome significant challenges after he’s hired to coach the school’s first racially integrated team. The Titans overcame tremendous adversity, worked through their racial differences, and won the state championship.
Joni Eareckson Tada says that suffering is “like a little splash-over of hell.”
Few people can talk about the intensity of suffering with more authority than Joni. A tragic accident fifty years ago left her a quadriplegic, requiring 24-hour care. She’s also survived a stage-3 breast cancer diagnosis, the removal of a 3-inch tumor, and months of chemotherapy that followed.
So when she talks about how to handle suffering in a way that enriches our lives and glorifies God, we all do well to listen.
I didn’t have a dog (no pun intended, Georgia fans) in last night’s national championship college football game, but an exclamation point was put on the dramatic finish when Alabama’s winning quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, spoke with the press following the overtime victory.
“My parents would be mad, so excuse me,” he began, “but first and foremost I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with Him, all things are possible and that’s what happened tonight.”
When asked what the victory meant to him, he talked about being overwhelmed by the win but also went on to say,
“All glory goes to God.
Week Ending January 2, 2018
Openness Unhindered (by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield)
Cherish (by Gary Thomas)
The Kindness Challenge (by Shaunti Feldhahn)
Exploring the Joy of Christmas (by Phil Robertson)
Hope Rising (by Kim Meeder)
7 Women (by Eric Metaxas)
7 Men (by Eric Metaxas)
Forgive, Let Go, and Live (by Deborah Smith Pegues)
Honey, We Need to Talk (by David E. Clarke)
The Secret Thoughts of an Unlikely Convert (by Rosaria Champagne Butterfield)
Your Teenager Is Not Crazy (by Dr.
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.
