marriage Archives

How to Successfully Blend Your Family

If you made a list of all the things in your life you never thought would happen, situations you never could never have imagined yourself being in, what would you write down?

For some of you, picking up the broken pieces of your life and starting over again with a blended family might be at the top of that list.

This new chapter of life may have come about through death or divorce or some other circumstance, but the challenge is the same: how to overcome the difficulties common to blended families and to give this new part of your life its best chance to thrive.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, divorce, family, marriage October 29, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

One Woman’s Story of Domestic Violence

Every now and then our radio broadcast covers a topic that breaks my heart.

This is one of them.

October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month here in the U.S., so we’re gearing today’s and tomorrow’s programs toward creating awareness about domestic violence and offering information and hope to those who may be suffering abuse themselves.

Some of our listeners might be thinking, “Why would Focus be talking about a subject like this on Christian radio?” Well, the sad truth is, domestic violence happens within the Christian community as well, so we need to talk about it openly and honestly.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, divorce, husband, marriage, wife October 20, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Improve Your Marriage By Doing This One Thing Each Week

When was the last time you and your spouse enjoyed a date night together? You know, just the two of you, where you’re not being pulled on by kids or other distractions.

Ooh. That long ago, huh?

Well, don’t be too hard on yourself. I think most couples struggle in this area.

But it does illustrate an important point: We married couples have to be intentional about creating alone time with our spouse. If we don’t, what little free time we have will get eaten up by other activities.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage October 19, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Did You Know This About the Christian Singer Plumb?

Have you ever had a shirt with a loose thread? It seems like such a small thing, doesn’t it? But all it takes is one quick tug for you to realize that thread is part of a much larger problem. The next thing you know, your clothing is unraveling right before your eyes.

A marriage can have loose threads, too. A husband and wife don’t see eye-to-eye, or they’re not communicating very well, or little resentments start to crop up here and there.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, husband, marriage, pop culture October 8, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Resolve Football Season Woes in Marriage

Do you like football?

Not everybody does, of course, a reality that can lead to frustrations in marriage.

My wife, Jean, isn’t a raving fan of the game, but she appreciates the enjoyment the boys and I get from both playing and watching it. That said, we’re not overly “plugged in” to a regimen of watching on television. Because we don’t watch regular TV at all, catching a Sunday afternoon game is a treat.

But what about the husband or wife (women make up 45 percent of the NFL fan base) for whom football is a major passion?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, marriage, wife September 30, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Did You Know This About Darryl Strawberry?

The line that separates the heights of success from the depths of despair is often razor thin.

Take our guests on today’s and tomorrow’s programs, for example.

Darryl Strawberry was a power hitting, eight-time All-Star outfielder who earned four World Series rings. In 17 seasons, he played for a number of Major League baseball teams, including the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.

But his career, and his life, were derailed by substance abuse, prison time, and dysfunctional family relationships that cost him two marriages and estranged him from his children.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, marriage September 28, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Three Ways Healthy Couples Fight

Do you and your spouse fight “well”?

That’s not a trick question. There really is such a thing as “healthy conflict” in marriage.

Here at Focus, we find that couples fall into one of three beliefs about marital conflict. One is the group who enters marriage expecting an unrealistic level of agreement and perfection in their relationship. If they’re truly happy and meant for one another, they believe, there shouldn’t be any conflict. That’s not a very realistic view of human relationship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage September 24, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Good News on the Marriage Front

New research suggests the millennial generation is finally ready to settle down, get married and start a family – in that order.

That’s good news after years of disheartening trends. Ever since the sexual revolution, most of what we’ve heard about marriage has been bleak. Marriage scholar Brad Wilcox explains: “Since the 1960s, the rate of new marriages has fallen by more than 50 percent, and rates of divorce and single parenthood has more than doubled.”

Until recently, things haven’t shown signs of improving.

Topics: Current Events Tags: marriage, pop culture September 16, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Speak Your Husband’s Language

Note: If you’re looking for a powerful and uplifting faith-filled movie this weekend, I’d encourage you to consider “WAR ROOM“– a new film from the creators of “Fireproof” and “Courageous.” My colleague, Adam Holz, writes that War Room shows “…what it really looks like to create space for prayer in our lives amid the real struggles that inevitably conspire to crowd it out.” To read his full review, please visit our Plugged In website.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, marriage August 28, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Ashley Madison Subscribers Are Chasing a Lie

Owners of Ashley Madison, the infamous adultery-facilitating website, bill themselves as being a source of “online personals & [a] dating destination for casual encounters.”

They’re also a site and source of misery and lies. And now, thanks to hackers, millions of their users have had their private sins made public.

During my career as a minister and clinical psychologist, I’ve worked with hundreds of couples grappling with the excruciating pain and heartbreak of infidelity. The reality is there’s nothing new about sexual sin.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, husband, marriage, news, wife August 25, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura