Jim Daly

The Election is Over. Now What?

The dust is beginning to settle after yesterday’s historic mid-term election. Politicos and pundits have been analyzing and dissecting the results, some of which are not yet final as ballots continue to be tallied. Earlier today, President Trump conducted a dramatic, combative and at times, explosive press conference from the East Room of the White House where he weighed in on the “split decision” rendered by the American people.

As I mentioned in my initial statement last evening, the outcome included both good news and bad news for Christians concerned about the family, the sanctity of life, religious freedom and free speech.

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Jim Daly Statement on Mid-term Election Results

It appears that many of the pundits were correct when they predicted that Republicans would hold their majority in the U.S. Senate while Democrats would gain control of the U.S. House of Representatives. This result is both good news and bad news for Americans concerned about the family, the sanctity of life, religious freedom and free speech.

The very good news is that it appears the U.S. Senate can continue to forge ahead with confirming the excellent judges the President has been nominating for the federal bench, almost all of whom have been constitutionalists, such as Justices Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh.

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Offering Hope to Families Experiencing Drug Addiction

More than 72,000 Americans died from drug overdoses in 2017.

Numbers like that are the latest sad statistic from a culture of drug abuse that broke into the open in the 1960s and 1970s. The cost of illegal drugs in terms of crime, lost work productivity, and the impact on the health care system is estimated at $200 billion a year. To that figure, you can add another $80 billion in prescription drugs.

Despite the staggering numbers of traffic deaths, overdoses, and a new generation of “stoners” who would rather get high than pursue productive lives, there’s growing momentum in the United States to legalize drugs.

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

Four Important Reasons to Vote in This Year’s Mid-Term Election

The midterm elections are upon us, and once again issues that Christians care about are front and center, reflected in the positions of candidates and their political parties.

Voters of all political persuasions are motivated to vote this year, and polls suggest many races are so close that no one can predict what will happen.

As the experts always note, turnout will be key.

If you haven’t already early-voted yet, I urge you to make sure your voice is heard tomorrow.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, government, voting

Adoption: Making a Difference in the Life of a Child

Can you open your heart to a child who needs a family?

If you answered no, you’re not alone. Many couples wrestle with whether or not they should adopt, or if there’s some other part they should play.

That was how Mike and Kristen Berry’s story began.

Kristen assumed she and Mike would adopt children when they married. Adoption was Kristen’s family legacy. Her grandfather and his brother grew up in the foster care system, but they were never adopted.

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Combating Bullies in Your Child’s Life

Author Jonathan McKee remembers contemplating suicide as a teenager. He was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring all the way to the bottom. One step, and all of his pain would be over.

The pain was caused by incessant bullying. The pinnacle was in eighth grade when a group of classmates started what they called the “Kill John Club.” They made T-shirts with the letters KJC and a caricature of John’s face, complete with enormous buck teeth – a feature braces had fixed, but classmates continued to torment him over – and a gun scope target over his face.

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The Ordinary Voter Has Extraordinary Power

Outside of the Bluegrass State, the death of former Kentucky United States Senator Walter D. Huddleston earlier this month didn’t register many headlines. The 92-year-old broadcaster-turned-legislator, ill for several years, passed away quietly in his sleep.

First elected to the United States Senate in 1972, Huddleston, a moderate Democrat, eventually lost his bid for reelection in 1984 when a 44-year-old Republican judge named Mitch McConnell narrowly defeated him in a hotly fought contest.

Narrowly defeated is an understatement.

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Loving the Story of Your Marriage

Brad Rhoads didn’t think he had a problem with his marriage. He was putting a lot of energy and creativity into building a law practice. His clients and colleagues all thought he was attentive and engaged.

Not his wife, Marilyn. She thought Brad invested so much of his energy into his work that he had nothing left to invest in his marriage.

There was no affair, no huge blow-up. But Brad had taken his eyes off the Lord and his wife, and their relationship was suffering a slow leak.

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Developing a Love of Prayer in Your Kids

In our Welcome Center here at the Focus on the Family campus, children have the opportunity to leave their prayer requests with us.

One of my favorites is from a 9-year-old boy who wrote, “Please pray for my brother. He wets the bed. And pray for me. I share the bed with my brother.”

Some prayer requests are much more serious, like an 8-year-old boy who asked God to help his dad stop drinking, so he could be healthy again.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, kids, prayer

Halloween Safety Tips for Families

Does your family go trick-or-treating?

It’s one of those issues good Christians can (and sometimes do) disagree on. In previous years, I’ve written about how Christians tend to think about Halloween in one of three ways:

They enjoy it, focusing on the fun and candy part of it.
They amend it, so their children can enjoy activities like a “harvest festival” or “trunk or treating” at church.
They ignore it by not acknowledging the day in order to remain true to their convictions.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: family, parenting