Family and Home Archives

Family is Beautiful

A number of months ago I blogged about Charles Hummel’s little book, Tyranny of the Urgent. In brief, his premise is that urgent things in life tend to throw a tantrum, demanding our immediate attention, energy, and response, while the important things wait patiently for us to move them up the priority list.

There’s a downside to neglecting the important things—like exercising, personal devotions, time spent with family, dental cleanings, changing the oil in the car, or dating your spouse.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith November 23, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Call of Christian Conscience

I’m in Washington, D.C. today where I had the honor and privilege to join Chuck Colson, Professor Robby George and Bishop Harry Jackson, among scores of others, in issuing the Manhattan Declaration: A Call of Christian Conscience.

The unveiling came during a news conference at the National Press Club here in the nation’s capital, but this was a lot more than a photo op. It was a demonstration of solidarity among more than 125 Christians of all denominational stripes that we will not only continue to speak out in the public square, we will continue to stand firm for biblical principles in that public square.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, family, policy November 20, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Playing the Blame Game

New England Patriots head football coach Bill Belichick is the popular topic of discussion up and down the sports-talk radio dial this week. That’s because on Sunday, the three-time Super Bowl winner ordered his team to go-for-it late in the fourth quarter on a fourth-and-two at the Patriots 28 yard line.

At the time, the Patriots were leading 34-28 with just over two minutes to go in the game. Conventional wisdom dictated that Belichick’s team play it safe and punt the ball away.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting November 18, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Great Vin Scully

Although football has always been my passion, I also love the game of baseball. The late Bart Giamatti, Major League baseball’s former commissioner and a clear romantic of the sport, did too. He once lamented the end of the season in near-poetic terms. Here is what he wrote:

It [baseball] breaks your heart. It is designed to break your heart. The game begins in the spring, when everything else begins again, and it blossoms in the summer, filling the afternoons and evenings, and then as soon as the chill rains come, it stops and leaves you to face the fall alone.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: divorce, faith, marriage November 13, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Halloween: Trick or Treat or Abstain?

Fans of comedian Jerry Seinfeld might remember his humorous recollection of Halloween. Growing up in Massapequa, Long Island, he remembers being admonished to never accept candy from a stranger. Although contrary to the “Get candy! Get Candy!” mantra running through his little brain, the warnings made sense, he said, until he was suddenly introduced to the October 31st holiday.

“You mean everyone we know is just giving away candy?” he asked incredulously. “What’s wrong with them?”

Many Christians, maybe even some of my readers, might ask the same question.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, kids, parenting October 28, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Discovering the Difference between Sorrow and Despair

Is there anything more painful to endure than the death of a child?

Having been orphaned and abandoned as a young boy, I’ve been exposed to my share of sorrow. But, so have you. Nobody on earth can escape the human condition. Troubles roll like the relentless tides of the sea. Or, to quote William Shakespeare, “Troubles come not as single spies—but in battalions!”

If your life is happy and currently free of worry, rejoice—but brace yourself.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids October 27, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Don’t Go Easy On Trent!

Last Tuesday, Jean and I attended a special dinner engagement here in Colorado Springs. It was one of those gala events that required us to leave our boys with a sitter for the evening. Like most parents, we have a touch of apprehension about leaving our high-energy boys for several hours in the care of another person. And yet, taking comfort from the fact they were in good hands with this particular sitter, we kissed them goodbye and headed out the door.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: humor, parenting October 17, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharpening My Saw

Have you heard the story about Luther and Jerry?

As the story goes, these two good old boys had a major disagreement which they couldn’t resolve. They figured the best way to settle the dispute was with a chainsaw—the winner would be the guy who fell the greatest number of trees on Jerry’s farm in eight hours. Given the fact that the heavily treed piece of property needed to be thinned out, the contest was a win-win situation in their minds.

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

The Top 5 Ingredients of a Great Marriage

Ask a hundred people, “How do you make a great banana split?” and they’d probably list the same core ingredients—vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream nestled between the two halves of a banana, drizzled with chocolate syrup, crushed pineapple, whipped cream and topped off with one or more maraschino cherries. Depending on personal preference, some might lobby for a few spoons of wet walnut topping.

Ask a hundred people who loved to cook, “How do you make a great Alfredo sauce?” and I imagine their recipes would easily be boiled down to four or five core ingredients—sweet butter, heavy cream, shredded parmesan cheese, and a pinch of white pepper and garlic salt.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: husband, marriage, wife October 12, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Swing in the Favor of Life

There was some new research out last week that is good news for those committed to the preservation of life.

According to the Pew Research Center, Americans are now evenly divided on whether or not abortion should be legal “in all or most circumstances.” A year ago, abortion advocates outnumbered pro-lifers by a margin of 54-41 percent. Today, that gap has narrowed to 47-45 percent, a difference within the poll’s margin of error.

In May, Gallup released similar findings, indicating that 51% of Americans identified themselves as “pro-life.” Some media reports have attempted to downplay this latest round of news, suggesting that historical data reflects a stronger or steadier level of support for legalized abortion.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, pro-life October 7, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura