Family and Home Archives

A Conversation with an Atheist

Comedian and illusionist Penn Jillette amazes audiences with his slight of hand tricks and such routines as the “Magic Bullet.” For more than a decade, he’s worked his magic six nights a week in Las Vegas with fellow magician Teller. Both members of the Penn & Teller duo are gifted performers who also happen to be advocates of atheism—the belief that there is no God.

For his part, Penn would be the first to admit that he can be crass, vulgar, and unapologetically opinionated about his lack of belief in God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pop culture September 22, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Thank You, Lenny!

Everyone I meet has a story to tell. Each of us has an unique background; no two journeys are alike. Some of our stories rival a fairytale. If that’s your experience, rejoice. If your story involves a closely-knit extended family, the kind which, like a scene out of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, gets together and has a great time over the holidays, you are indeed blessed.

If you’ve read my memoir, FINDING HOME, you know about the disappointments and hardships which defined my childhood—from a murder outside of my bedroom window when I was eight, to the death of my mother when I was nine, only to be orphaned a few years later—not to mention much of my family tree remains shrouded in mystery.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, staff September 21, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Civil Discourse Should Be Our Aim

Back in July I became a regular contributing panelist for The Washington Post/Newsweek blog “On Faith.” Yesterday I was asked to weigh in the need for more civility in our public discourse. Far too often I’ve observed what resembles a verbal “smackdown” between those who hold opposing points of view.

While exchanging heavy blows with an opponent might be expected in the land of World Wrestling Entertainment, my view is that something is desperately wrong when we resort to throwing verbal jabs.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 16, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

31 Ways to Encourage Your Pastor

Clergy Appreciation Month is just around the corner!

In fact, October marks the 17th year we’ve been encouraging our friends to cherish and nurture their pastors. Why is this so important? Not long ago we conducted a survey of 2,000 pastors and found the majority are working more than 50 hours a week serving the body of Christ. It’s an invaluable and often thankless role, one that often puts an enormous strain on them and their family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: pastors September 15, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Mother of All Moments

It could have been a scene straight out of central casting.

When injuries and motherhood caused highly acclaimed Belgian tennis sensation Kim Clijsters to retire from the sport in 2007, many of the pundits assumed she was just another star to have fizzled and faded away all too soon. Sadly, such is the usual trajectory of professional athletes. Of those who actually enjoy their moment in the sun, the time is almost always brief. High profile comebacks often produce headlines, but rarely do they result in historic championships.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, news, pop culture September 14, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Heavens Are Declaring, Are We Listening?

When I was a kid, I loved to stargaze.

Late at night I’d head outdoors to lay down on my back and lose myself in the canopy of the midnight blue sky. I still enjoy doing that, although it’s been a while. Over the years I’ve learned how to identify a number of the eighty-eight constellations. Of course, the naked eye can only see so much. That’s why I’m always fascinated when the Hubble telescope snaps new pictures of deep space which has a way of transporting me to worlds beyond ours.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 12, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

NBA’s David Vaughn Rebounds

As a child, David Vaughn dreamed of making it as a player in the National Basketball Association. As a young man, the Memphis native realized his dream by signing a multi-year deal with the Orlando Magic. With a $600,000 paycheck, the former first-round draft pick was living large. On the road, he stayed pampered at the Ritz Carlton. At home, he lived in a mansion and collected far too many cars. Money slipped through his fingers as the purchases for jewelry and clothing skyrocketed.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, parenting, pop culture September 9, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Help for Those Without a Job

It’s Labor Day, a federal holiday with roots to the labor disputes in Canada back in the 1870’s. The first celebration of Labor Day in the United States took place on the streets of New York City, September 5, 1882. The tradition of taking time to rest and enjoy picnics, parades, backyard barbeques, and fireworks continues to this day—with one sobering difference.

This year the dark cloud of soaring unemployment hovers over the country. When the United States Labor Department released unemployment figures last month, the news was as stunning as it was disheartening.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: finances, friendship, staff September 7, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Life-Changing Adventure in Odyssey

I don’t know about you, but Jean and I found the Adventures in Odyssey (AIO) radio drama a real lifesaver this summer. Whenever we were on the road for a long trip, we found AIO a perfect way to entertain our boys, Trent and Troy, while also immersing them in a number of important life lessons.

The first AIO aired November 21, 1987, about two years before I joined the staff of Focus on the Family and long before we had kids.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, kids, promos September 5, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Myth of Green Pastures

A number of years ago, Focus on the Family Films released an eye-opening video series entitled That the World May Know, hosted by historian and scholar Ray Vander Laan. Ray does a masterful job transporting us to the actual places where the stories of the Bible took place. Filmed on location in Israel, Ray offers “faith lessons” from the Holy Lands.

One of the things I like most about Ray is how he challenges my Western way of viewing the metaphors and events of scripture.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 5, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura