Jim Daly

What Are You Afraid Of?

What are you afraid of?

A lot of us were scared of the dark when we were little. There’s something about the lights going out that transforms ordinary shadows into dreadful monsters.

Years later, we still have our monsters, don’t we? Relational problems. Health crises. Significant life changes that are beyond our control. They’re more sophisticated than the creepy things we feared hid under our bed as children, but they haunt us just the same.

Back when you were a kid, you probably hid from your fears by pulling the blankets a little tighter.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith

What Behavior Counts as Cheating on Your Spouse?

The Eighth Commandment seems clear enough:

“You shall not commit adultery” (Exodus 20:14).

It should go without saying, but in the world’s terms, adultery is when voluntary intercourse occurs between a married person and a person who is not his or her spouse.

Straightforward enough, right? Well, the team here at Focus regularly fields questions such as:

“My spouse sent a romantic text message to another person, is that cheating?”
“Does an emotional affair really count as adultery?”

Beyond mere curiosity, these are actual real-life situations.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home

Rekindle Your Love for ‘Ordinary Life’

Most people enter marriage with high expectations. They dream of long walks through the neighborhood every night and long walks along the beach in the summer. Every day will be romantic and exciting.

But somewhere between “I do” and “happily ever after” daily life settles into a predictable routine. And by “predictable” I mean “mundane” – dare I even say “boring.” Before long, discontentment kicks in, and we’re living in what I call the “when’s” and “if only’s” of life.

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

The Inside Scoop on What’s Going on in Your Teen’s Brain

“What were you thinking?”

If you’re a parent of teenagers, you’ve probably asked that question a few times. I know I have. On more than one occasion, Jean and I have looked at each other and asked the same question about one of our boys: “What is going on in that brain of his?”

Well, according to Dr. Jeramy and Jerusha Clark, our guests on today’s and tomorrow’s broadcasts, there’s an avalanche of change going on.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting

Download Your Free ‘Parents Guide to 13 Reasons Why’

Last week I blogged about “13 Reasons Why,” the controversial television series from Netflix that, while rated TV-MA, targets the teen demographic.

As you may know, “13 Reasons Why” tells the story of a teen girl who commits suicide and blames others for what happened.

I explained that our parenting team and counselors here at Focus on the Family agreed with the experts who are concerned the show glamorizes suicide and might influence copycat behavior – and that our recommendation to parents is to not allow their kids to watch this series.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, parenting, pop culture

The Superhero Lurking Beneath Every Mild-Mannered Dad

You remember Clark Kent. He was a mild-mannered man … until he pulled open his shirt and revealed the superhero outfit underneath that announced his true identity. He was Superman, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Dads don’t wear a superhero’s outfit under their clothes, but don’t let that fool you. They have true heroic power. Their mere presence can have a dramatic influence in the lives of their children.

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

Read a Free Excerpt from My New Book “When Parenting Isn’t Perfect”

No one has children because it’s easy.

Quite the contrary, really. Raising children – especially nowadays – is hard work. That’s probably why parents want to know if they’re doing an acceptable job.

And if we’re being honest, we would admit we want to be doing more than just “OK.” Most of us want to measure up to some sort of perceived ideal. We want to be the perfect parent and have the perfect family.

So we read books by all the “right” experts, and we try to follow a formula, and yes … we might even listen to the Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast.

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

What to Do When You Feel There’s No Future for Your Marriage

“We were doing all the right things. We knew each other’s love languages. We went on date nights. We spent time away, just the two of us. We thought we were doing all the right things and yet, infidelity became a part of our story. That’s when we realized it wasn’t a lack of big things that were robbing us of intimacy. It was all the deeper emotions under the surface that went undiscussed that pulled our hearts away from each other one centimeter at a time.”

That’s how Mark and Jill Savage describe their marriage’s slow descent into a dark abyss of infidelity and near-divorce.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, marriage, wife

How to Forgive When You Really Don’t Want to

The call to forgive others lies at the heart of the Christian message.

But that doesn’t make it easy.

Forgiveness is tough. The human heart is wired for justice. When somebody sins against us, the hurt we feel is a cry for wrongs to be made right again. And when they can’t be, we often want the other person to suffer in some way that will help us feel that the debt has been satisfied. At least, we tell ourselves this is true.

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

A Sweet Mother’s Day Video

In anticipation of Mother’s Day weekend, I want to share a sweet video with you that celebrates moms:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjWoRd4OMZw

You know, as Christians, we should all be living lives worth emulating, because our lives should reflect Jesus Christ.

But that reality – that others are watching us – is especially true for parents. Our children (yes, including the older ones) watch our every move and even tend to mimic our words and behaviors.

And that’s one reason why I thank the Lord for godly moms.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: events, family, parenting, relationships