Family and Home Archives

Please Watch this Video

I wish you could have been sitting with our team the other day when we gathered to watch a short video.

It’s about a young couple and their unborn child, and the story is told from the perspective of the father.

We’ve titled it “A Letter from Dad.”

Since you couldn’t be there the other day, I hope you’ll take a moment to watch it now:

Do you need a tissue? I’ve seen this video several times, but it never fails to leave me with tears in my eyes and a lump in my throat.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting June 19, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

These Things I’ll Remember

Yesterday was Father’s Day. For those keeping score at home, it was the 113th anniversary of the holiday, a day that finds its origin in the genius of a woman named Sonora Smart Dodd.

Ironically, Mrs. Dodd was inspired to set aside the day to honor her own father while listening to a sermon on Mother’s Day in Spokane, Washington. It was May of 1909. The first Father’s Day celebration was held the next June 19th, 1910.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, kids, parenting June 17, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Notes You’ll Never Throw Away

This is Jean Daly, Jim’s wife. I’m going to hijack Jim’s blog today to allow our sons, Trent and Troy, to pay a tribute to their dad, whom they absolutely adore.

And I suppose it wouldn’t surprise you to know that I do, too.

Earlier this week the boys sat down to offer some thoughts on what their dad means to them. When I first met and married Jim, I remember thinking he’d be a terrific father.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting June 12, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Bring the Books!

Looking to justify setting aside some time for summer reading?

Charles Spurgeon on Books and Reading:

We will look at [Paul’s] books. We do not know what the books were about, and we can only form some guess as to what the parchments were. Paul had a few books which were left, perhaps wrapped up in the cloak, and Timothy was to be careful to bring them. Even an apostle must read.

Some of our very ultra Calvinistic brethren think that a minister who reads books and studies his sermon must be a very deplorable specimen of a preacher.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith June 11, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Is It Time to Break Your Dreams Free?

Do you have ambitions you’ve kept hidden from everyone around you? Maybe it’s time to break them free from the shelter you’ve built to protect them.

Had you been walking by Henry Ford’s Detroit home that summer day in 1896, you might have thought he’d lost his mind. There he was, ax in hand, chopping away at the doorframe and surrounding brick of his makeshift garage. What you actually would have been witnessing was history in the making.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, technology June 10, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This is Why We Worry

Worry is a passive form of arrogance.

It’s believing that you know how things are supposed to turn out. It’s assuming God’s seat for yourself.

We don’t worry because we fear God’s will won’t be done.

We worry because we’re afraid that things won’t go our way.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 7, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What a Viral Video Can Teach Us About Marriage Communication

“It’s Not About the Nail” is a short video that’s been making the rounds. It takes a humorous look at the differences in how men and women communicate – and if you’ve been married for at least five minutes, you can probably relate to what the couple in the clip is going through.

Take a look:

The video works because it hits on themes and tendencies that are true. It’s the classic tug-of-war between husbands and wives, something we hear about a lot at Focus on the Family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, marriage, wife June 5, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Could You Live in This House?

Could you live in a small space? (And by “small,” I mean less than 100 square feet.)

The national press seemed to pick up on this trend last year when New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg called on designers to come up with “micro-unit” apartments under 300 feet to accommodate the city’s growing single population.

Then there is the tiny house movement. These homes can make the NYC spaces look palatial in comparison. With homes as small as 89 square feet, it’s impressive to see how creativity plays a big role in making the best use of every nook and cranny.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 4, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What “Happily Ever After” Really Looks Like

Romantic movie or story plots are often predictable. Boy meets girl. Boy woos girl, and then something happens – a fight, a misunderstanding or a disaster – that tears the would-be couple apart. Ultimately, though, the boy and girl make it back together, and “they lived happily ever after.”

However, those of us who are married know that the real love story takes place after the wedding. Meeting and falling in love are just small parts of the big picture.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, marriage, wife June 3, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are Your Kids Overscheduled?

How did you spend your summer days as a child?

For many years I lived a short distance from my elementary school. My friends and I would play baseball over on the school field, riding our bikes home for lunch and then meeting back up for another 4 or 5 hours of play.

No uniforms. No umpires. No adults. Just the kids – like a typical Charlie Brown episode, minus the “wah, wah, woh, wah” adult soundtrack from the sidelines.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting May 31, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura