Jim Daly

Guest Blog: Three Things You Can Do Today to Help Your Child Avoid an Opioid Addiction Tomorrow

Chances are good that you know a family that’s been touched by the opioid epidemic. Roughly 60,000-65,000 individuals in the U.S. died from drug overdoses in 2016, with about 42,000 of those deaths caused by opioids. It’s estimated that more than 11 million Americans misused prescription opioids last year, and nearly one million used heroin. Among the fastest growing groups of users are teens.

Opioids are a class of drugs derived from or related to compounds naturally found in the opium poppy plant.

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Escaping the “Family Crazy Cycle”

Parenting is only for adults.

That’s what Dr. Emerson Eggerichs tells parents who struggle with what he calls the “family crazy cycle.”

It works like this: When children feel unloved, they tend to react in ways that feel disrespectful toward their parents. When parents feel disrespected, they tend to react in ways that feel unloving to the child.

And the cycle starts to spin.

Parenting is only for adults because it’s up to mom and dad – not the child – to stop the crazy cycle.

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

Developing Your Child’s Unique Personality

When my two sons, Trent and Troy, were born, I thought they would be a lot alike. More to the point, I thought Jean and I would be able to raise them the same way.

Boy, was I wrong.

Trent and Troy share a lot of the same interests, but spend an afternoon with each of them, and you’ll find out just how different they are. Trent is thoughtful and super-smart. He may be the smartest one in the whole family.

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

Trust Not in Kings, but in the King of Kings

Today we’re re-airing one of the highest response programs of 2017 here at Focus on the Family.

It was a message by Senate Chaplain retired U.S. Rear Admiral Barry Black at the National Prayer Breakfast last year in Washington, D.C.

His remarks were delivered to the President of the United States, more than 4,000 government, business, and religious leaders from all over our nation and 160 countries around the world, and to Republicans, Democrats, and Independents.

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Trusting in God’s Perfection Instead of Your Own

The struggle against perfection begins the moment in childhood when you first recognize that other people expect you to achieve and to measure up. From your performance at school or at work to your performance at home as a parent and a spouse – almost everybody wants or needs something from you.

The pursuit of excellence can fill your life with a lot of great things. It can motivate you to work hard and to excel, for yourself and for others.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith

Philadelphia Eagles Take a Knee and Give God the Glory

Last night’s Super Bowl in Minneapolis, which featured an upset win by the Philadelphia Eagles over the New England Patriots, was sports drama of the highest order. The game came down to the last play, a “Hail Mary” heave from the Patriots’ Tom Brady. And although he passed for a Super Bowl record 505 yards, along with three touchdowns, the seemingly timeless Brady came up short.

Thankfully, to the legions of football fans tired of New England’s dominance, there would be no come-from-behind win this time.

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Signs of Human Trafficking and What You Should – and Shouldn’t – Do to Help

Human trafficking is a part of the seedy underbelly of our society that most of us would rather not have a conversation about. It’s hard to conceive of hundreds of thousands of people, most of them children and women, being either kidnapped or manipulated into psychological enslavement. So we turn our attention to more pleasant topics.

That’s exactly the behavior traffickers count on from us to keep their activities hidden and their operations running smoothly.

Even the lowest estimates suggest that something like 100,000 kids are taken into human trafficking every year in the U.S.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, kids, news, pro-life

If You’re Concerned about Social Media, You Should See This Movie

I recently had the opportunity to have lunch with Kirk Cameron. He’s a good friend to Focus and he’s currently promoting his new movie event, Kirk Cameron: CONNECT.

Those of you of a certain age will remember Kirk as the teen star of the Growing Pains TV series in the 1980s. More recently, he has starred in a number of successful faith-based films, including Left Behind and Fireproof.

CONNECT addresses a subject that is very important to all of us here at Focus, and if you’re a parent, it’s probably important to you as well.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home

From President Trump’s State of the Union to the State of the Family

Of the many moving highlights of last night’s State of the Union address, my favorite had to be when President Trump recognized New Mexico police officer Ryan Holets and his wife, Rebecca. You might recall that it was Officer Holets who boldly stopped a pregnant woman from injecting heroin. When it was first reported last year, the story quickly went viral. The Holets were so moved by the plight and need of this troubled young addict that they wound up adopting her baby and named her, quite appropriately, Hope.

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Pain Capable Bill Defeat Is a Cowardly Case of Radical Politics

Last night’s Democrat-led Senate filibuster of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that would make it illegal to abort a baby after 20 weeks, is an egregious and cowardly case of radical ideological politics coming at the expense of innocent life.

The Senate needed 60 votes in order to advance the bill. In the end, 51 senators voted for it and 46 against. Three Democrats crossed the aisle to support life – Joe Manchin (West Virginia), Bob Casey Jr.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, policy, pro-life