Family and Home Archives

Noah’s Ark Delayed by Rain?

Both theologians and management consultants like to point out that it wasn’t raining when Noah built the ark.

They’re right, of course. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said of the Darren Aronofsky-directed film, Noah, scheduled to release in 2014.

The forthcoming movie starring Russell Crowe and Emma Watson was forced to suspend production in both Brooklyn and on Long Island earlier this week due to the arrival of Hurricane Sandy.

Unlike in the real Noah’s day, though, the Hollywood-produced ark was heavily damaged in the storm.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, news November 1, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

“Character counts in the presidency more than any other single quality.It is much more important than how much the President knows of foreign policy or economics, or even politics. When the chips are down – and the chips are almost always down in the presidency — how do you decide?

Which way do you go?

What kind of courage is called upon?”

– David McCullough, Character Above All, pp. 41-42.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: policy, staff October 31, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Three Things Parents and Kids Can Do About Hurricane Sandy

The sun is shining here in Colorado Springs this afternoon, but as you all know, Hurricane Sandy is bearing down on the East Coast. Forecasters are suggesting the developing storm is of epic proportions and will paralyze life for days to come for those in the impacted areas.

Natural disasters are among the most peculiar of all human challenges, aren’t they?

Simply put, we’re defenseless against the cyclical and sometimes catastrophic reality of our environment. In a day and age when man seems to have conquered so many of life’s difficulties, it’s still impossible to tame the earth’s weather, be it the wind, the waves or the rain.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, pro-life October 29, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are the Producers Behind “Duck Dynasty” Uncomfortable with Christianity?

A&E’s hit reality series “Duck Dynasty” has made celebrities out of Duck Commander Phil Robertson, his wife Kay and their bearded, camo-clad sons Willie, Jase and Jeptha, not to mention “Uncle Si,” Phil’s younger brother.

As the network portrays it, the series — whose Season 1 finale drew 2.6 million viewers — follows a Louisiana bayou family living the American dream as they operate a thriving duck call and decoy business while staying true to their family values.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pop culture October 26, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Brit Hume Saw the Face of God

FOX News viewers are familiar with Brit Hume, the popular political commentator and journalist. The 69-year-old television veteran is the network’s senior analyst and a keen observer of culture. Earlier this year I had the pleasure of sitting down with Brit for an extended conversation during a visit to Washington D.C. I found him to be a true gentleman, and he shared with me a little bit about the painful death of his son, Sandy, to suicide.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, policy October 24, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Five Tips from the Oldest Woman in the World

A colleague recently had the pleasure of speaking with Sidney Cooper of Monroe, Georgia. Mr. Cooper’s mother, Besse, is the oldest woman in the world.

She’s 116.

To put that number in context, at the time she was born, Grover Cleveland was President and Orville and Wilbur Wright were still seven years away from their first powered flight over Kitty Hawk. She’s now lived in three separate centuries and actually remembers the turn of the 19th to the 20th and the 20th to the 21st.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, news October 23, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

UPDATE: Texas Cheerleaders Granted Temporary Victory

Two weeks ago I shared with you news out of Kountze, Texas, that a group of high school cheerleaders were forced into court when their school district prohibited them from displaying banners with Bible verses at football games.

Last week, the judge in the case issued a temporary injunction, which allows the young women to continue creating and displaying the signs for the remainder of the season. A trial date was set for June 24, 2013.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, news October 22, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Handle Any Problem

Sami Yacoub is the Regional Director of Focus on the Family in the Middle East. He’s also a friend, and those of us here at Focus US have long admired his courage and bravery. Given his location and the politics of the area in which he lives, you can appreciate just how tenuous day-to-day living is for him.

With that in mind, I want to share an excerpt of an insightful article that Sami recently wrote.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith October 22, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Did You See Dr. Billy Graham’s Ad?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news October 19, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Postcard from Hawaii

I was in Hawaii last week. Hawaiian Island Ministries (HIM) graciously hosted us for several meetings and I enjoyed learning more about their outreach. HIM has been serving and showing the love of Jesus to people in the area for nearly 30 years. The Lord has clearly blessed their work and I’m proud to call them my friends.

Given where we are culturally and with the election looming just weeks away, I was struck by a few thoughts the other day.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith October 17, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Noah’s Ark Delayed by Rain?

How I Will Vote