About a year ago the Lord impressed upon my heart the need to pray more often with my boys. That’s when I got the idea to start a family tradition called The Prayer Road. When Jean or I drive the boys to their charter school in the morning, we follow a road that cuts through a somewhat rural neighborhood. That’s our “prayer road.” As we drive, we intentionally don’t turn on Adventures in Odyssey, the radio, or listen to music.
Radio Feedback
This is a guest blog post by Gary Schneeberger, Vice President of Media and Public Relations at Focus on the Family:
Last week Jim Daly shared his journey of faith during a two-day Focus on the Family broadcast. Even though I knew the details of Jim’s story, I found myself fighting back tears all over again as he spoke. As turbulent as his childhood was—having his father abandon his family when Jim was at a young age and having lost his mother to cancer when he was seven, I am convinced those years prepared Jim for his current role ministering to today’s families.
Hooray for Hollywood
Looking for some good news out of Hollywood?
I was encouraged to read the other day about the actor Chris O’Donnell of NCIS: Los Angeles fame.The thirty-nine-year-old actor has been married to his college sweetheart, Caroline, for the last twelve years. They have five children, ranging in age from two through ten.
Chris recently said something that I can genuinely relate to. He told a reporter: “Family is my number one priority. I can’t handle being away that long .
Hanging Out With The Family
If you were to ask what our family did this past weekend, I’d tell you the truth: We quite literally and figuratively were hanging out together at Monarch Mountain, a delightful family-friendly ski area just a couple hours southwest of Colorado Springs. “Hang” is the operative word here.
I’ll explain.
On Saturday, Jean and I took Trent and Troy up to Monarch for a day of skiing. The air was warm and the sun was shining.
Condoms for Preteens?
I just read that a condom manufacturer is marketing a new line of smaller condoms to 12-year-old boys called the “Hotshot.” Swiss condom maker Lamprecht AG decided to produce the prophylactic in response to a study by Switzerland’s Federal Commission for Children and Youth which noted a sharp increase in unprotected sex among youth. They hope the use of these kid-sized condoms will reduce teen pregnancy and the spread of STDs.
To me, the ad slogan, “It fits when passion hits,” is about as crass as is the whole idea of targeting young boys with condoms.
When Less is More
Paul Harvey used to lament that “noise makes news”—which was a pithy way of saying that journalists are drawn to the negative and the sensational. Fortunately, there are exceptions, and I’d like to tell you about one of them.
This past Friday’s edition of the Denver Post featured an extensive story on its front page by a reporter named Electa Draper. It was entitled:
Adoption Initiative Halves Numbers of Kids Needing Families
Admittedly, I’m a bit biased about the story because it highlights the great work our team here at Focus on the Family has been doing.
NCAA Bans Focus Ad
The latest Focus on the Family ad featuring our “Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life” message was banned last week by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Here’s what happened. In short, our agreement with CBS Sports to run the Tim and Pam Tebow ad in the Super Bowl included the placement of banner ads on various Web sites which the network maintains. One of those outlets was a Web site for the NCAA basketball tournament.
I should point out the banner ad had nothing to do with the topic of abortion or sexuality or any other “hot button” issue.
The Kindness Club
A couple of weeks ago, Trent and Troy, who go to a charter school here in town, attended a special assembly called “Rachel’s Challenge.” This program was based on the life and story of Rachel Joy Scott who, you may recall, was the first victim killed during the Columbine High School shooting.
About a month before she was gunned down, Rachel wrote an essay for her fifth period class entitled, “My Ethics, My Codes of Life.” In it, she threw out the challenge to treat others with compassion, kindness, love, and mercy.
Recycling Resources
There’s a difference between being a collector and a pack rat. Whether it’s baseball cards or classic cars, collectors are interested in specific items of interest, value, or vintage. And while they collect things, they’re quick to sell or trade or toss items as needed.
Pack rats, on the other hand, are a different breed. They’re interested in saving everything—forever. Their compulsive hoarding frequently involves stuff most folks understand is worthless—like 6-foot-high stacks of old yellowed newspapers and magazines, or mountains of old clothes that no longer fit bulging from closets or displayed on rows of racks in a back room as if it were Wal-Mart.
Write a Tribute to Dr. Dobson
Jean and I were big fans of Dr. Dobson and the Focus on the Family broadcast long before I came to work at the ministry. And while we didn’t have kids at the time, I personally benefited from Dr. Dobson’s insights into marriage—especially since I came from such a dysfunctional home. Considering the fact that my father was a gambler and an alcoholic who walked out on our family when I was six, I had no idea what a “healthy” husband and wife dynamic should look like.
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