Jim Daly

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

My Journey to Salvation

Today’s guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “My Journey to Salvation” is Adolph Coors IV. In this presentation recorded at a prayer breakfast, Mr. Coors shares what it was like to grow up in the family that founded the Coors Brewing Company, one of the largest breweries in the world.

His story is a fascinating tale of wealth, privilege, and tragedy – and the lessons he learned along the way are thought-provoking.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith

Empowering Women to Take Control of Their Finances

A woman came up to author and speaker Deborah Pegues at a conference where she was speaking and said, “I lost my home after my husband died because I didn’t realize what a balloon payment was. When it came due, I didn’t have the money.”

Deborah has heard similar stories from more women than she can count. She’s a certified public account with an MBA in business finance and has written more than 20 books. She says the issue isn’t one of gender.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, finances

Honoring Preborn Life in 2020

Years ago, in the mid-90’s, a colleague at Focus on the Family attended the Beijing Women’s Conference. It was a global event convened by the United Nations and included a diverse level of world leaders and politicians whose stated goal was to achieve greater equality and opportunity for women.

My colleague asked a panel of well-known female political figures, “What woman’s rights are being protected? The adult female? Or the baby female? Because one of those females is taking the rights of the other.”

They refused to answer.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: abortion, march for life, pro-life

Homemade Meals for Busy Families

The holidays are over, and you’re probably running at high speed in a lot of directions.

The end of the workday doesn’t mean your work is over. Somebody has to pick up the kids from soccer practice and run to the store for groceries. After that, you still have to get home and make dinner, which can take a couple of hours once you cook, eat, and clean up the mess.

Who’s got time for that?

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

Finding Your Path in Life

Racing wasn’t just a day job for NASCAR legend Darrell Waltrip. I can tell you from experience, he was wired for it.

I played golf with him once, and he nearly took off in the golf cart without me. He wanted to beat the other members in our group to the next tee. He was literally zigging and zagging all along the cart path to keep them behind us … where they belonged, apparently. After Darrell won the short chase, he looked at me and said, “Life is a race to me.”

I love the adrenaline rush of a fast car, but I’m wired a lot differently than Darrell.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast