Uncategorized Archives

Remembering the Pilgrims’ Journey

For a lot of us, Thanksgiving is about family, football, and pumpkin pie. We don’t often reflect on the origin – and therefore the true meaning – of the holiday. Doing so is a great way to deepen our gratitude for the opportunity to live in a nation so blessed by God.

With that in mind, while you’re fixing your Thanksgiving feast today, or heading over to Grandma’s in the car, tune into our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Remembering the Pilgrims’ Journey.”

Jay Milbrandt, a professor at Bethel University in Minnesota, is with us to peel back the layers of history and get us back to what the first Thanksgiving was all about.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: events November 25, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Be a Bold Witness for Christ

John Cooper is the lead singer, songwriter, and producer for the Christian rock band Skillet. He was on tour with several popular mainstream acts when he had a conversation with one of the industry’s movers and shakers that became a pivotal moment for his band and his walk with Christ.

The man approached John and told him directly, “You could be the biggest band in the world. You have the look. You’ve got the sound. And you play the kind of spiritual music people are hungry for.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith September 13, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Encouraging Dads to Be Heroes

You remember Clark Kent. He was a mild-mannered man … until he pulled open his shirt and revealed the superhero outfit underneath that announced his true identity. Then he was Superman, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Dads don’t wear a superhero’s outfit under their clothes, but don’t let that fool you. They have true heroic power. Their mere presence has a dramatic influence in the lives of their children.

Topics: Uncategorized June 17, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Wisdom with the Next Generation

Rob Parsons is the founder and chairman of Care for the Family in the United Kingdom, a sister organization to Focus on the Family. In his study are two armchairs, one to the right of the fireplace and one to the left. One night, Rob imagined each of his grandchildren, not as the little ones they were, but as grown men and women in their 20s or 30s. They each sat in one of the armchairs after somebody had broken their heart or stepped all over their dreams.

Topics: Uncategorized May 27, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Practical Advice for Parenting Strong-Willed Children

Jean and I have a strong-willed boy. Over the years, we’ve joked that we were raising a lawyer-in-training. He could find a loophole in anything.

Once, Jean hosted a women’s tea and set out chocolates in the living room. She later discovered half the bowl was gone. When she asked him if he’d eaten all the chocolates, our son responded, “No,” without hesitation.

“You didn’t eat the chocolates?”

“Oh, I ate some of them. But you asked if I had eaten all of them.”

If you’ve got a strong-willed child, you’ve probably encountered situations like that.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: children, parenting November 19, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Overcoming the Obstacles of Cerebral Palsy

Tyler Sexton has been an overcomer since the day he was born. So have his parents, Lisa and Kevin.

When Tyler was born at 28 weeks, doctors immediately placed him in an incubator and said, “We’re rushing him by helicopter to a hospital four hours away. His lungs will likely collapse, and there’s a chance that he could die mid-flight.” Tyler survived, but a long road that included 16 surgeries had just begun.

At 18 months, Tyler was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith June 16, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Pursuing Our Untamable God

In The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis, we’re introduced to Aslan, a great lion who rules Narnia.

Susan, a little girl who stumbles into the enchanted world through a magic wardrobe, asks Mr. Beaver if Aslan is safe.

“Safe?” Mr. Beaver replies. “Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King.”

God, whom Aslan symbolizes, isn’t safe, either. We never know when or how God will show up in our lives.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith June 11, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt’s SAG Awards Interaction Demonstrates the Healing Power of Forgiveness

Hollywood was founded on the power of story, though the real-life ones off the screen between its stars sometimes draw more attention than the fiction we watch on film.

Which is maybe why Sunday’s night’s interaction between Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt at the Screen Actors Guild award show has lit up social media into something of a frenzy and elicited speculation the famed couple may soon rekindle their romance.

Married between 2000 and 2005, the pair have been spotted together numerous times of late, primarily at industry shows.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: forgiveness, pop culture January 22, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Getting Organized for Christmas

Is it too early to start thinking about Christmas?

It’s not if you hope to have a smooth December and enjoy a stress-free Christmas season. That can be tough to do if you’re not organized.

Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy. A time for us to reflect on our Savior who came as a baby in a manger and soon took upon Himself the sins of the world.

Instead, we get caught up in all the “stuff” of Christmas: the lights, the decorations, the shopping.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: broadcast, christmas, family, holidays November 12, 2019 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Examining Your Part in a Difficult Marriage

Darryl and Tracy Strawberry are living proof that with God’s help, any couple can overcome obstacles that seem insurmountable and build a happy marriage. Their life together has been a difficult but rewarding journey.

They met each other in recovery. At the time, neither one was living for the Lord, and they were both broken people.

Darryl was $3 million in debt. He had been a power hitting, eight-time Major League All-Star who earned four World Series championships in 17 seasons with teams like the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: broadcast, conflict, couples, marriage September 16, 2019 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura