Family and Home Archives

Texas High School Cheerleaders in Court Battle

Cheerleaders in Kountze, Texas, found themselves in court last week, fighting to preserve their right to inscribe Bible verses on homemade banners at high school football games.

According to published reports, the girls in this small east Texas town were looking to create an alternative to the negative signs that are typically prepared to inspire the team and elicit cheers from the fans.

So, instead of painting phrases like “Scalp the Indians” the young ladies started off the season with a banner that highlighted a well-known phrase from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

“I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.”

No parents or students complained, but school officials announced a ban on the future display of such signs.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, pop culture October 9, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

These People Save Others from Themselves

New York City police detective Peter Keszthelyi is assigned to an unusual detail.

When an individual climbs out on a ledge or scales a bridge threatening to commit suicide, Detective Keszthelyi and a partner are called in to try and talk the person out of it.

There are 300 officers assigned to this highly specialized unit in New York City. Unfortunately, they’re busier than they want to be, but often very successful, too. Every situation is unique, of course, but the officers are skilled at trying to get the people to talk and see things from a new and hope-filled point of view.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, friendship October 9, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Did You Know This Actor Is Pro-Life?

A friend emailed me a story the other day about the actor Jack Nicholson.

I wonder if you’ve ever heard about his upbringing?

Mr. Nicholson was raised by his grandparents. His biological mother conceived him as an unmarried teenager. Now 75 years of age, he still speaks very lovingly about his childhood and the wonderful people who surrounded him as a young boy. It was this background that firmed up his opposition to abortion and his support for the pro-life movement.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, pop culture, pro-life October 7, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tim Keller: The Five Things You Need in Life

There are five things that comprise a wise, godly life. They function both as means to becoming wise and godly as well as signs that you are growing into such a life:

1. Put your heart’s deepest trust in God and his grace. Every day remind yourself of his unconditioned, covenantal love for you. Do not instead put your hopes in idols or in your own performance.

“Let love and faithfulness never leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, pastors, relationships October 5, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why Strangers May Know Where Your Children Are

At the risk of alarming you, this is something you’ll want to know.

Whenever your youngster uses their phone or computer to access the Internet, there are businesses out there collecting, analyzing, dissecting and selling the details of their use to other businesses.

For example, if your daughter posts a photograph of friends on Facebook, it’s possible for certain technology to determine the exact location of the snapshot. Such finite details can be valuable to companies trying to market to teenage girls.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting, technology October 2, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Caption this Photo

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids September 28, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Three Ways Marriage Improves Your Health

I want to share with you some scientific findings about the family that were culled from nearly 35 years worth of research. The results were analyzed and compiled by two of my Focus colleagues, Andrew Hess and Glenn Stanton. Following is a condensed version of their full report.

The Health Benefits of Marriage

The pursuit of health has become a cultural phenomenon. Diet, exercise, supplements, relaxation and medications have all been touted as the way to achieve good health.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, marriage, wife September 27, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Five Types of Weekend Warriors

Do you have a home improvement project planned for this weekend?

When it comes to fixing or building things around the house, the late writer, Andy Rooney, once identified five categories of people.

Which one best describes you?

1. The person who knows how to do it, and proceeds quietly and efficiently to get the job done right, alone. This is a rare species.

2. The helpless. This person can’t do it, won’t try to do it, and has no interest in learning how.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, marriage, wife September 21, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Check Your Motives

Sometimes we might do what’s right—but for the wrong (usually selfish) reason.

I’m reminded of the story of the philosopher Diogenes.

He was once seen sitting on a curb eating lentils and bread, a meager meal by any standard. A fellow philosopher, Aristippus, a man who lived well because he flattered the king, approached him and mocked his circumstance.

“If you would learn to be subservient to the king,” he snarled, “you would not have to live on lentils.”

Diogenes looked up with a smile, tilted his head, and replied, “Learn to live on lentils, and you will not have to cultivate the king.”

Topics: Family and Home Tags: discipline, faith, relationships September 19, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Strangest Secret

Over sixty years ago, Earl Nightingale, a former United States Marine who had been one of only twelve survivors of the bombing of the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor, struck upon an idea.

At the time of his epiphany, he was an announcer at the legendary Chicago radio station WGN. Residents of the Windy City were drawn to his soothing, sonorous voice. But it was off the air, while reading a book by Napoleon Hill, a well-known motivational writer and speaker of that era, that Nightingale’s revelation came to him, like “a bolt out of the blue,” he said.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: discipline, faith, relationships September 17, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura