Jim Daly

How to Avoid Christmas Debt

Jean, the boys and I are having a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday together. I hope your family is too.

Although depending on when Black Friday sales began in your neighborhood, Thanksgiving was probably over well before your clocks struck midnight earlier this morning.

The race to Christmas has begun.

With every retailer fighting over your hard-earned dollar for the next four weeks, do you worry it’ll take until next Christmas to get this Christmas paid off?

Americans spent nearly $580 billion last year for Christmas.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage

The Story of Squanto You May Have Never Heard

“The story of Squanto is one of the freakiest miracles in history.”

With an introduction like that, I know you’ll want to tune in to our radio program today while you’re preparing Thanksgiving dinner and keeping an eye on the football game.

Our guest, author and radio host Eric Metaxas, will share the true story of Squanto most of you have never heard.

The very founding of our country might never have happened had Squanto not walked out of the woods and had his heart prepared by God like Joseph.

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

You Voted for Who? No Turkey for You!

Monday’s USA Today featured a story suggesting that families are disinviting friends and loved ones to their Thanksgiving celebration based on who they voted for in this year’s contentious presidential election.

Other news outlets like the New York Times and the Wall St. Journal are filing similar reports. Across the nation we’re hearing that people feel like they just can’t bridge the divide caused by political differences. In addition to being disinvited to holiday tables, many who are going somewhere are dreading the family get-together.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home

Who Can You Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?

A great Thanksgiving-related story out of Phoenix this week, where an accidental text message from a grandma to a young man who wasn’t her grandson resulted in an unlikely inter-generational friendship.

The viral tale reminded me of another story some might call happenstance… but I know was God’s providence. I first shared this entry in 2013… and I think it’s worth reposting today. Hope you enjoy… -J.D.

***

She first saw the elderly gentleman at a cemetery on Thanksgiving morning.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, family

The Secret to a Happy Life with Your Wife

They say the eyes are a window to the soul.

If that’s true, husbands, then what are the eyes of your wife telling you?

Do they seem alive and vibrant? Or are they tired and withdrawn? The difference could lie in how she sees herself in your eyes.

God’s Word couldn’t be more clear about the incalculable worth of women. Genesis 2:18 says, “Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him’” (ESV).

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

Eight Simple, Practical Ideas for Raising Great Kids

If you’re a parent and missed yesterday’s edition of our radio program, I encourage you to grab your iPad to take some notes and get near a radio for part two today (then go back and catch part one online or via our free phone app).

Conversations about parenting often lean toward the philosophical, the “why” of raising children.

Not today.

We’re talking with Todd Cartmell, a child psychologist, about his book 8 Simple Tools for Raising Great Kids.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting

How You Can Help Adoptive and Foster Care Families

We all know what heroism looks like. It’s a soldier risking his life to save his buddy’s. It’s the police officer and fireman running toward the danger, not away from it. And I’d add to that: It’s loving families who are willing to open their homes and their hearts to children who need both.

A few weeks ago, Jean and I, and about 60 others, were in Israel with Ray Vander Laan, the host and teacher of Focus on the Family’s That the World May Know series.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, broadcast, faith, pro-life

A Child’s Telling Question About Assisted Suicide

Have you noticed that children often possess profound sensibility? Amidst their innocence there can be a purity and clarity of thought, an ability to see through the competing forces of propaganda that can corrupt and distort reality.

They see what many more “enlightened” people miss.

Such was the case when a 12-year-old daughter of a Focus on the Family staff member asked her mom last week about Colorado voting to approve doctor-assisted suicide.

For context, the passage of Proposition 106 made Colorado the sixth state in the country to allow doctors to prescribe lethal drugs for some patients for end their lives by suicide.

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

Download Focus’ Free Resource for Families “7 Days of Gratitude”

Can you believe that Thanksgiving is just a week from this Thursday?

Since it’s always a good idea to reflect on the virtue of gratitude – or to talk with your children about the meaning behind the holiday – Focus on the Family’s parenting team has put together a free resource that will help your family prepare for our national day of thanks.

The “7 Days of Gratitude” week-long devotional is designed to help children (and their parents!) develop “an attitude of gratitude.” Because the reality is, creating a thankful heart takes practice.

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The Common ‘Language’ Marriages Around the World Share

“It’s just like an American to think you invented the family.”

That’s what Dr. Lilian Wahomey, a psychologist in Kenya, jokingly said to me over lunch one day. I met with her almost 25 years ago to explore ways Focus on the Family could come alongside families in Africa.

“Do you think our focus on marriage and parenting will be relevant in this part of the world?” I had asked.

With a friendly smile, she reminded me that the core needs of marriages and families transcend language, culture, nationality, and socio-economic status.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage