We all like to be liked.

But that raises questions.

Doesn’t the Bible instruct us to serve others by putting their needs before our own?

If so, where is the line between being a pleasant person and being a “people pleaser”?

The boundaries can be murky.

In high school, my wife Jean once said yes to three different boys who asked her for a date on the same night.

Dr. Mike Bechtle, a writer, public speaker, and communications expert, had trouble telling his children no because he wanted them to like him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 1, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Have you ever noticed how often Jesus’ ministry was centered around meals?

Among others, there was the wedding at Cana, a dinner with the reviled Zaccheus, and the beautiful symbolism of the Last Supper. Jesus was even criticized for eating with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 9:11).

As one scholar put it: “Jesus ate his way through the Gospels.”

For author Bri McKoy, Jesus’ ministry through meals became a model for creating community and sharing God’s love with people He brought into her life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 31, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

It’s easy to get numbed by numbers, especially when it comes to bad news. We hear so many, and all day long.  

But it’s different when the numbers have names, isn’t it? 

In their photographs, they’re smiling back at us – images caught from earlier days – cheerleading, basketball games, first communion, a party in the backyard. Kids being kids. 

The heartbreak of their parents, loved ones and friends is unfathomable. Depthless. There are the teachers, Eva and Irma.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 27, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The idea for Deborah Pegues’ book 30 Days to Taming Your Tongue came to her after she didn’t control her tongue.

Deborah thought she was helping a friend when she told her something that she shouldn’t have. When her “help” backfired, Deborah discovered firsthand what happens when words aren’t used wisely.

In response, Deborah went on a “tongue fast.” For 30 days, she refused to speak negatively about anything – not the traffic, not the weather, nothing that she couldn’t directly and positively influence.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 27, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

On our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Finding God’s Healing After a Suicide Loss,” we’re talking with Rita Schulte, a licensed counselor who specializes in the treatment of anxiety and depressive disorders as well as grief, loss, and trauma. She’s also a member of Focus on the Family’s Christian Counselors Network.

Rita experienced God’s healing after losing her husband to suicide. My wife, Jean, who is also on our program, overcame the loss of her brother to suicide.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 26, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Our hearts break hearing the tragic news of yet another school massacre, this one claiming the lives of 19 children and two teachers in Texas. 

As a citizen, I am sickened and saddened. As a father, I am enraged. 

Please join us in praying for this horrific situation.

Lord, bring comfort to the grieving families. Please have mercy and bring peace to the chaos of our spiraling culture.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 25, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

It was Easter Sunday 1972. Raul Ries was in the middle of his living room with a rifle in his arms, waiting for his family to come home so he could kill them.

Raul was no stranger to violence. His alcoholic father abused him, contributing to Raul being in and out of trouble throughout his childhood. At eighteen, he was arrested and given a choice: prison or the military. He chose the Marines and Vietnam. After 11 months of destructive behavior, Raul was bound in shackles and a straitjacket and spent six months in a naval hospital.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 20, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

American history is at a critical juncture. Critical Race Theory, cultural Marxism, and other troubling ideologies have gained a foothold. Our culture seems more unsettled than ever before.

A lot of people look for solutions in politics. Our civic duty to vote is an important part of influencing the culture for Christ, but our ultimate citizenship and allegiance is to God’s kingdom. We can take hope that God’s light often shines the brightest when circumstances are at their darkest and most bleak.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 19, 2022 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura