Jim Daly

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.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: forgiveness, pop culture

Adorable Child Warms Hearts and Reminds Us How to Pray

There are a lot of things we can learn from children.

Often, we can become so busy with the hustle and bustle of life, that we forget to take time for what matters most. For Christians, spending time in prayer and reading Scripture can too quickly become an afterthought.

I was reminded of this recently when I came across a video of an adorable schoolboy leading his fellow classmates in prayer before breakfast.

The boy folded his hands, bowed his head, closed his eyes and, with furrowed eyebrows, devoutly prayed:

“Father God, we thank you for this food.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: children, faith

Reaching Across Cultural Divides

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his iconic I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. in 1963. Dr. King spoke of his hope that America would one day live out its creed that all men are created equal, that men and women of diverse ethnicities would join together as brothers and sisters.

My guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Reaching Across Cultural Divides,” author and pastor Dr.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith

A Lighthearted Look at Wedded Bliss

Marriage is serious business.

But it can also be hilarious.

You’ll discover that’s true when you hear our next Focus on the Family Broadcast: “A Lighthearted Look at Wedded Bliss.” We’re airing a recorded message from John Branyan, who takes a humorous look at the differences between men and women and explains how a couple’s unique characteristics impact their relationship in serious and hilarious ways.

John also shares a poignant story about his great-grandparents’ 70-year marriage, explaining that while married life isn’t always wedded bliss, it is life’s most profound expression of unconditional love.

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

Vince Vaughn, Thanks for Talking with Trump. Ignore the Leftist Mob and Keep Showing Us Civility

It was a familiar scene at a sporting event – amidst the action on the field, there’s amiable banter in the stands between fans. Catching up and carrying on, a pastime older than sports itself.

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along.

Unless you’re actor Vince Vaughn who happens to be caught on video talking with President and Mrs. Trump at the national championship college football game in New Orleans, La.

Twitter blew up Monday night after Timothy Burke, a former Deadspin employee, posted the short video, which was taken between the action of LSU’s 45-25 win over Clemson.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: current events, pop culture

New Study Finds Parenthood Makes People More Law-Abiding

Parenthood is both wonderful – and wonderfully challenging.

Raising children takes a lot of hard work, sleepless nights, and self-sacrifice. But most everyone will tell you it’s also worth it.

And according to a new study, parenthood doesn’t just benefit the children at the expense of parents. It helps parents become better, more law-abiding people.

The study was conducted by two doctoral students at the University of California, Berkeley. It found that when couples first find out that a baby is on the way, the average number of crimes the mom and dad commit drops dramatically.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home

Finding Strength in the Midst of Disappointment

Genesis says that we were created perfect in the Garden of Eden. Revelation 22 describes the end of the age when God will create a new heaven and new earth, and our perfection will be restored.

There lies the rub: Between Eden and eternity, life is filled with disappointment, and we don’t always know how to handle it well. We push disappointment aside. We ignore it. We numb it. We bury it. We doubt God’s love for us.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith

Answering Your Kids’ Tough Faith Questions

Would you know how to answer these questions if a co-worker or a neighbor asked them?

Do all religions point to the same truth?If Christianity is the only true religion, why are there so many denominations?Why did Jesus die for our sins?

Would you know how to answer your children if they asked those questions? Answering in ways children can understand isn’t always easy.

You may feel like author Natasha Crain when she gave her four-year-old son his first swimming lesson.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, parenting

Being a ‘Yes’ Parent in a World of No’s

The most popular word in the average parent’s vocabulary is “no.”

To be fair, it’s an important word for moms and dads. Used properly, it creates healthy boundaries for children.

But it’s easy to over-do our “no’s.” We can be too protective. Remember Dory, the fish with short-term memory loss from the animated hit movie Finding Nemo? She reminded Marlin, the dad of mis-adventurous Nemo, “You can’t never let anything happen to him. Then nothing would ever happen to him.”

If we build too many fences, we’re not allowing our kids to be kids or to grow.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, parenting

VIDEO: Our Response to Hollywood Cheering Abortion is ALIVE 2020

I suspect few of you tuned into this weekend’s Golden Globes award show, but many may have heard about one of the more callous moments of the program when actress Michelle Williams stepped up to the microphone to accept her trophy.

Beaming, she proudly suggested the only reason she was receiving the award was because she had aborted her baby that would have otherwise derailed her career.

“I’m … grateful to have lived in a moment in our society where choice exists.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: abortion