Family and Home Archives

Focus Resources Also Available En Español

Did you know there are 41 million native Spanish speakers living in the United States?

That means you probably know someone whose first language – the tongue they understand at a heart level – is Spanish.

It’s because of those 41 million people (and the other 429 million native Spanish speakers around the world) that we carry Spanish-language versions of many of our key marriage and family resources.

Our latest such offering is the six-session, DVD-based curriculum “Luchando por un mejor matrimonio,” based on the popular and effective book “Fight Your Way to a Better Marriage.”

It sounds counter-intuitive, but it’s true: there really can be a purpose to fighting in marriage – if you fight well.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, promos April 22, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Freeing Teen Girls from Their Secrets

There’s a saying that “you’re only as sick as your secrets.”

Some secrets are fun and are part of a healthy life – like staying quiet about a surprise party or that special gift you bought for a friend. Other secrets are like a virus. They attach to the deepest, most vulnerable parts of who we are, and they eat away at us, bringing nothing but unhappiness.

That dark reality is a struggle many teen girls face every day.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting April 21, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Lost Bear at Chick-fil-A?

My wife and I recently had one of “those” parenting experiences.

You know the type. It’s a bit exasperating while you’re living it, but later makes you chuckle when you retell the story?

It all started a few months ago, when Jean and I welcomed two children from Colorado’s foster care system into our home. They’re a sister-brother pair, “Chloe” and “Sam.” She’s 4, he’s 3, and they both are great kids. They’re adjusting well to life at the Daly home, and our sons enjoy being big brothers.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting April 20, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Help for Family Caregivers

Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, best known for her 90s hit movie “Father of the Bride,” has written a book about her mother’s dementia.

Kimberly first noticed something was awry with her mom, Linda Williams, on her wedding day in 2003. (She married country singer Brad Paisley.) Her mom was acting irrationally that day, and uncharacteristically struggled through a reading during the ceremony.

Two years later, at age 61, Williams was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of early-onset dementia called primary progressive aphasia.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, pro-life April 15, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Trusting God in the Barrenness of Life

Writing about a time of deep struggle in her life, Sara Hagerty described her experience this way:

“My awareness of my infertility was as variable as the rain. Some days it was a drizzle on the backdrop of my story. Other days it was a downpour altering my whole day.”

That captures so well the emotional upheaval that often accompanies life’s difficulties.

We all go through seasons where we’re overwhelmed, the answers to our problems are hard to come by, and our faith in God is tested.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith April 14, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Educational Options for Christian Families

As many Christians have observed, the impact from the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage last year will be felt for generations and across many aspects of our daily lives.

Our children’s education is one of those areas affected by the government’s legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

A few months ago here in the blog, Focus’ Education Analyst Candi Cushman helped us consider the impact the redefinition of marriage might have on public schools and students’ rights in those schools.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, kids, pop culture, religious liberty April 13, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Practical Ways Moms Can Build Friendships

Motherhood feels like the loneliest job on the planet for many women – especially for young moms who live far away from close family. They go through their days as a one-woman army, balancing work, children, and a never-ending list of responsibilities around the home.

Generations ago, it wasn’t often like that. Daily life for women happened largely in community. Female friends, neighbors, and moms and daughters used to quilt, cook, and do their laundry together.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, friendship, wives April 12, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Doorway to Happiness in Marriage

People get married for a lot of reasons.

They want someone to spend time with them. They want to feel appreciated. They want someone to love them. They want someone to serve them … at least occasionally (of course, no one likes to admit this one).

Do you notice what each of those ideas has in common? They’re all about what someone else can do for us.

But what if marriage isn’t primarily about any of those things?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage April 11, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Loving Others Without Sacrificing Conviction

“Christians hate gay people.”

That succinct message defined most of Caleb Kaltenbach’s childhood. He learned it from his lesbian mother … and from religious people whose behavior seemed to confirm her declaration.

While in elementary school, he marched with his mother in a gay pride parade. Along the route some protestors held up signs conveying hateful messages against homosexuals. They also sprayed water and urine on the marchers as they passed by.

When Caleb asked why people would do something like that, his mom said, “They’re Christians.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, homosexuality, pastors April 8, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Cultivating a Life of Character

Character has been on my mind a lot lately.

As a father of two teenage sons in the final stretch of my parenting journey, I wonder how I’m doing instilling my boys with character. Am I creating conversations that teach them what’s important in life?

And as the president of a Christian ministry, I wonder how the Christian community is doing in communicating the need for character to a culture that operates largely without it.

To answer those questions, I sat down with David Brooks in Washington, D.C., for a conversation we aired a couple of days ago on our radio broadcast.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast April 7, 2016 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura