Jim Daly

The Confirmation of Xavier Becerra as HHS Secretary is a Troubling Turn of Events

Given his previous record of hostility to pre-born life, today’s confirmation of Xavier Becerra to serve as head of the Department of Health and Human Services foreshadows the coming of government sanctioned antagonism towards people with deeply held religious convictions.

Mr. Becerra has been a strong supporter of taxpayer-funded abortions, sex-selective abortions and while a member of Congress, voted in favor of partial-birth abortion. In the past, he’s also tried to force pregnancy resource centers, organizations committed to the preservation of life, to actively promote the destruction of it.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: politics

Guiding Your Teen into Adulthood

What would you do if your boss asked you to train someone for your job so well that you’d no longer be needed?

That’s an important question to answer if you have a child, because that’s precisely your task as a parent.

Some parents react to the process of letting go of their children by not letting go. They cling to their need to feel needed. But the task of every parent is to work yourself out of a job by raising children who become adults capable of standing on their own two feet.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: children, parenting

Politics is Putting Children at Risk on the Southern Border

According to official reports, nearly 10,000 children arrived at our southern border last month without a parent – three times more than in February of 2020.

Although some are struggling to define and quantify the extent of the situation, there’s little doubt that it’s a growing humanitarian crisis, especially as facilities explode beyond capacity.

Why is this happening? What’s going on? And why should we care deeply about it?

While it seems obvious that many of those coming across the border believe President Biden’s immigration policies are more favorable to them than President Trump’s, this current crisis has been years in the making.

In part, it’s the combustion of tyrannical, oppressive regimes driving desperate people to exploit inconsistent and unenforced American immigration laws.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: family, politics

Holding on to Hope During Separation

Dr. Gary Chapman never asks troubled couples, “Do you want to work on your marriage?” Wanting something is a function of the emotions, and emotions rely on desire to get things moving.

Instead, he asks, “Will you work on your marriage?” The will involves a commitment and a decision to act. If a couple can say “yes” to that question, then good things can happen with the right guidance.

Some couples are headed for a divorce because they don’t know how to resolve their conflict.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: marriage

As a Parent, Do You Say “No” More Than “Yes”

If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve grown accustomed to saying “no” – and for good reason.

By their very nature, children love to test the limits. If there’s an edge, you can bet they’ll find it.

Back when our sons, Trent and Troy, were young, I remember how they often wanted to go faster, higher, farther and deeper.

When we allowed them to watch one movie, they’d ask to make it a double feature. If one dessert was good, two would be better.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, movies

Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus

I love meeting new believers in Christ. Their faith is so alive and vibrant that it bubbles over into every area of life, and they want to serve and worship Him at every opportunity.

Do you remember feeling that way?

Unfortunately, we can lose passion for our faith over time. We get busy with work, children, and household responsibilities, and the fire that once burned bright for Christ begins to fade.

If you’re wondering how to keep your passion alive or to reignite it if it’s gone dull, tune in to our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus.” We’re speaking with Kim Meeder, author of the book Revival Rising: Embracing His Transforming Power.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family

If the Stimulus Bill is Supposed to “Rescue” Americans – Why is it Funding the Killing of Babies in the Womb?

President Joe Biden is expected to sign by week’s end the latest COVID-19 relief bill, a hotly contested and fiercely debated piece of legislation filled with massive pork, including funding for abortion.

Known as the “American Rescue Plan of 2021,” the stimulus doesn’t include language from the Hyde Amendment, legislation that has historically prohibited taxpayer dollars from funding elective abortions. Money from this will further fill the coffers of groups like Planned Parenthood.

Public opinion polls suggest the American people favor this third round of government spending, particularly because most taxpayers will see payments of $1400 per family member.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: abortion, government

Sharing Your Faith as a Family

Is your home a lighthouse?

The purpose of a lighthouse is to shine brightly through the darkness so that people on the open water can make it safely to shore.

That imagery illustrates the profound nature of the Christian life. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world” and then encourages us to let our “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”

A Christian’s home ought to shine with God’s love and grace and be welcoming to the neighborhood around it.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family

Identifying Triggers in Your Marriage

Every dating couple believes their marriage will be a string of mountaintop experiences.

In the early stages of a relationship, couples can’t imagine feeling discontent with their significant other. They can’t fathom their romance fading or their conversations not stretching into the wee hours of the night. And disagreements? What disagreements?

But once a couple is married, those expectations often hit speed bumps. There’s the monotony of work and paying bills week-in and week-out. There are stressors – a job loss, the death of a loved one, financial struggles, the birth of children.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, stress

Reconnecting with Your Spouse

Many couples contact Focus on the Family because they feel like married roommates. Their intimacy has faded, their relationship is no longer deepening, and they’re growing apart instead of becoming one.

Drifting in marriage happens when couples stop making their relationship a priority. After the fun of dating and the splendor of the wedding celebration, other things begin to distract husbands and wives from each other.

Spouses stop talking to one another about what they’re thinking and feeling.