Daly Focus Blog
By now you’ve probably heard the story of an Ohio mother whose 8-year-old son was taken away from her because of the boy’s weight.
The Cleveland Heights youth tips the scales in excess of 200 pounds. Doctors recommend that a child of that age and height should weigh somewhere between 55 and 60 pounds.
To be fair, I’m not aware of all the facts of the case. I did read that state workers had been monitoring the child’s situation for over a year.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, policy, religious liberty by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Tomorrow’s celebration of Thanksgiving conjures up so many memories for all of us. As I’ve shared in the past, my recollections of the holiday as a child bring with them a mixed bag of emotions.
While I looked forward to the celebration, we didn’t have much. And, when my parents got divorced, with mom working several jobs just to make ends meet, times were hard. My mom did her best to pull together enough stuff to make it special.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, family by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Paul Harvey, the late radio legend, shared the following essay at the 1978 National F.F.A. (Future Farmers of America) Convention. As we prepare our homes and tables for Thanksgiving, it’s always good to remember that the Lord uses many bright minds and talented hands to help keep the world warm and well fed (James 2:16). May God bless the farmer!
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
I was on a recent flight with our family and encountered something unexpected. There was nothing out of the ordinary about the trip, just another full plane with hundreds of people squeezed together, row upon row. On this particular segment, though, I happened to be sitting right across the aisle from the boys and kept an eye on them as they read and talked with each other.
Then it happened.
Troy proceeded to put up his tray table.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, family, kids by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
It’s common to wax nostalgic for the past, to suggest that the “good old days” weren’t just good – but great. If only we could turn back the clock, so the logic goes, all would be well.
The only problem with such a theory is that it’s just so often not true. Case in point:
One hundred years ago, on April 14, 1911, the following headline appeared in the New York Times:
5,000 HAPPY ORPHANS AT A CIRCUS TREAT
Youngsters from Many Institutions in the City Have Their Annual Merry Day
The article went on to highlight just who these orphans were, referring to them as “little waifs and strays, orphans and half orphans” who had their one “happy day” of the year at the Barnum and Bailey Circus.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, faith, family by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Fred Barnes is the executive editor of the Weekly Standard and an astute political writer and commentator. I want to call your attention to his most recent column. It was titled “Hidden Persuaders: The unheralded gains of the pro-life movement.”
Fred writes:
That the pro-life movement is bigger is a given. It’s also younger, increasingly entrepreneurial, more strategic in its thinking, better organized, tougher in dealing with allies and enemies alike, almost wildly ambitious, and more relentless than ever.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, policy, pro-life by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
What would you say if I told you that a Texas Appeals Court has just elevated the value of a person’s pet over the value of people in some instances?
It’s a peculiar and sad story – and one that illustrates the unintended consequences of heightening (or surpassing) the status of a pet over that of a person.
The drama began two years ago in Fort Worth, Texas. It was there that Katherine Medlen’s eight-year-old dog, Avery, somehow escaped from the house.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, news, policy by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
The late Nobel laureate in economics, Milton Friedman, warned many years ago that the more government does for the family, the less those in the family are likely to do for themselves.
Do you agree?
Dr. Friedman was not alone in his concern about the negative impact government subsidies can have on private households. History tells us that unintended consequences often accompany even well-meaning bureaucratic intervention. Over thirty years ago a contemporary of Friedman, Martin S.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting, policy by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Dr. Brad Wilcox is a friend and the highly respected Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. He’s also an Associate Professor of Sociology.
For years, Brad and his colleagues have been studying the positive impact of marriage on the culture. His work is not manipulated to prove a point. He’s a scientist who studies and analyzes data and draws conclusions based upon facts. In one of his most revealing articles, he makes an interesting statement, but one that also confirms what Christians believe about God’s institution of marriage:
The long-term fortunes of the modern economy rise and fall with the family.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
In the process of doing some research, one of my colleagues came across a poignant Veterans Day tribute. It dates back over 45 years, but the sentiments are powerful and timeless. Sadly, thousands of mothers and fathers today can relate to the following words of a woman named Mrs. Katherine Jones of Porterville, California, which appeared in the Porterville Evening Recorder in November of 1967:
To the editor:
I am only one of several mothers in Porterville who have lost sons in Vietnam during the past year, but as one mother, this is my tribute to my son.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, family, husband, wife by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.Home
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