Family and Home Archives

God Speaks Through Little Kids Books

Sometimes God has to use simple words to get through to me. Case in point.

One of the things I like to do after dinner is to engage the family in a brief time of devotions. Given the age of our boys, we’re reading from a children’s picture story version of the Bible. The other day I was reading the story of King Saul, David, and Goliath. Keep in mind that the editors of the children’s Bible condensed the whole 58-verse saga down to about eight illustrated pages with maybe six words on each page.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting June 4, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

My First Commencement Address

I don’t know about you, but God seems to find new ways to stretch me. My latest stretching moment occurred earlier this month. The Honorable Bill Armstrong, former Senator from Colorado and now the president of Colorado Christian University (CCU), invited me to give the commencement address for the graduating class of 2009. Me? I had never done that type of thing before. Weren’t there more qualified people to do the job?

Talk about being outside of my comfort zone.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith May 28, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Thanks, Coach!

The official start to the football season is several months away, but I’ve got football on my mind probably because I just had the privilege of spending some time with Jim Zorn, NFL head coach of the Washington Redskins. Jim was hired by the Redskins franchise shortly after legendary head coach Joe Gibbs retired in January of 2008. Jim’s been a long time friend of Focus on the Family and, I might add, his daughter graduated from our Focus on the Family Institute.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, faith, pop culture May 25, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Breakfast of Champions

Last week I traveled to Washington, D.C. to participate in an Alliance Defense Fund breakfast held in honor of former Attorney General Edwin Meese. He’s one of those rare men with a long record of distinguished service to our country and a man I admire. Ed Meese served as President Ronald Reagan’s chief policy adviser and currently works at The Heritage Foundation.

Of his numerous accomplishments, General Meese has been—and continues to be—a champion of “originalism”; he believes the Constitution should be interpreted in light of the “original intent” of our Founding Fathers rather than what an activist judge might want it to mean.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, policy May 18, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Smile I Carry With Me

I know this is a tad early, but here’s a reflection with Father’s Day around the corner. As I said in my first book, Finding Home, life is wonderful . . . and life is hard. Having moved 23 times as a kid, I’ve experienced my share of both and prefer the good stuff this journey has to offer. Especially considering the train wreck that was characteristic of my childhood. My family put the “D” into Dysfunction.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, kids, parenting May 16, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The “Blessing” of Abortion

Just when I thought I’d heard every positive spin used to justify the practice of aborting babies, I cracked open this week’s edition of WORLD magazine. Marvin Olasky’s article, “The ‘Blessing’ of Abortion,” left me speechless. Olasky presented several excerpts from a speech given by Rev. Katherine Hancock Ragsdale in Alabama. I think you’ll agree Ms. Ragsdale is about as far to the political left of the spectrum as is humanly possible.

For starters, Ragsdale doesn’t agree with Hillary Clinton’s popular pro-choice worldview that believes abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” Far from it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: pro-life May 8, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hope in a Box

Food and hope go together.

That perspective dawned on me last weekend while speaking at a Children’s Hunger Fund charitable dinner at the Reagan Library. Based on my personal experience and what I’ve observed in my travels, I’d say this insight is especially true for children. Hunger has a way of devouring their hope and robbing their dreams. Conversely, even in the wake of a natural disaster, if there’s food on the table there’s hope that tomorrow might just be better.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, events, kids May 1, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Miss USA Judge: A Case of Religious Persecution

When celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton—an intolerant Miss USA pageant judge with an ax to grind—asked Miss California about her views on same-sex marriage, Carrie Prejean didn’t back down or compromise her beliefs. Even though she knew her response might just cost her the crown, she did the right thing. Her answer came from a place of deep conviction . . . and just happens to represent the prevailing viewpoint of the Californians she represents.

Perez asked the politically-charged question, “Vermont recently became the fourth state to legalize same-sex marriage.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, homosexuality, marriage, pop culture April 30, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Supermodel’s Pro-life Journey

Last weekend, I was in Memphis speaking to a group of 1,200 attendees at the LifeChoices Banquet. LifeChoices has been helping women in the greater Memphis area facing a crisis pregnancy since 1986. In 1987, LifeChoices became a state-licensed child-placing agency that has found loving homes for children who would have otherwise been aborted.

Two years ago, they added a number of medical services, including ultrasound and diagnostic pregnancy testing and, more recently, opened a counseling center and medical clinic minutes from three abortion clinics.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: policy, pro-life April 28, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Never Forget

Last year I blogged about a father who, while walking to McDonald’s with his four-year-old daughter, observed the erratic driving of an oncoming car. As the vehicle barreled down on them, with the impact just seconds away, this father instinctively knew what he had to do. Giving no thought to persevering his own life, he grabbed his daughter and held her above his head. His quick action prevented her from being crushed by several thousand pounds of steel.

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