Jim Daly

From Manson-Follower to Christ-Follower

Over a period of two nights in 1969, seven people were murdered in their homes in the Los Angeles area.

Several of the victims were bound, and strange messages were written on the walls in their own blood. The most well-known victim was actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 ½ months pregnant. Her baby boy died in her womb.

The crimes became known as the Tate-Labianca murders and were carried out by members of the “Manson Family” at the instruction of their leader, Charles Manson, who is considered one of the most notorious murderers of the last century.

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Help for Family Caregivers

Actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley, best known for her 90s hit movie “Father of the Bride,” has written a book about her mother’s dementia.

Kimberly first noticed something was awry with her mom, Linda Williams, on her wedding day in 2003. (She married country singer Brad Paisley.) Her mom was acting irrationally that day, and uncharacteristically struggled through a reading during the ceremony.

Two years later, at age 61, Williams was diagnosed with a rare and incurable form of early-onset dementia called primary progressive aphasia.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, pro-life

Trusting God in the Barrenness of Life

Writing about a time of deep struggle in her life, Sara Hagerty described her experience this way:

“My awareness of my infertility was as variable as the rain. Some days it was a drizzle on the backdrop of my story. Other days it was a downpour altering my whole day.”

That captures so well the emotional upheaval that often accompanies life’s difficulties.

We all go through seasons where we’re overwhelmed, the answers to our problems are hard to come by, and our faith in God is tested.

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Educational Options for Christian Families

As many Christians have observed, the impact from the Supreme Court’s redefinition of marriage last year will be felt for generations and across many aspects of our daily lives.

Our children’s education is one of those areas affected by the government’s legal recognition of same-sex marriage.

A few months ago here in the blog, Focus’ Education Analyst Candi Cushman helped us consider the impact the redefinition of marriage might have on public schools and students’ rights in those schools.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: events, kids, pop culture, religious liberty

Dr. Karyn Purvis, a Champion for “Children from Hard Places,” Dies at 66

Focus on the Family and many parents from around the world lost a dear friend to cancer yesterday.

Dr. Karyn Purvis, one of the most respected child advocates in the nation, developed effective research-based ways to help children with histories of trauma, abuse and neglect. She co-authored “The Connected Child: Bringing Hope and Healing to your Adoptive Family,” a best-selling book on adoption that’s one of the first resources our orphan care team recommends to families considering adoption.

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Practical Ways Moms Can Build Friendships

Motherhood feels like the loneliest job on the planet for many women – especially for young moms who live far away from close family. They go through their days as a one-woman army, balancing work, children, and a never-ending list of responsibilities around the home.

Generations ago, it wasn’t often like that. Daily life for women happened largely in community. Female friends, neighbors, and moms and daughters used to quilt, cook, and do their laundry together.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, friendship, wives

The Doorway to Happiness in Marriage

People get married for a lot of reasons.

They want someone to spend time with them. They want to feel appreciated. They want someone to love them. They want someone to serve them … at least occasionally (of course, no one likes to admit this one).

Do you notice what each of those ideas has in common? They’re all about what someone else can do for us.

But what if marriage isn’t primarily about any of those things?

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Loving Others Without Sacrificing Conviction

“Christians hate gay people.”

That succinct message defined most of Caleb Kaltenbach’s childhood. He learned it from his lesbian mother … and from religious people whose behavior seemed to confirm her declaration.

While in elementary school, he marched with his mother in a gay pride parade. Along the route some protestors held up signs conveying hateful messages against homosexuals. They also sprayed water and urine on the marchers as they passed by.

When Caleb asked why people would do something like that, his mom said, “They’re Christians.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, homosexuality, pastors

Cultivating a Life of Character

Character has been on my mind a lot lately.

As a father of two teenage sons in the final stretch of my parenting journey, I wonder how I’m doing instilling my boys with character. Am I creating conversations that teach them what’s important in life?

And as the president of a Christian ministry, I wonder how the Christian community is doing in communicating the need for character to a culture that operates largely without it.

To answer those questions, I sat down with David Brooks in Washington, D.C., for a conversation we aired a couple of days ago on our radio broadcast.

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The Good News of the Gospel Brings Hope and Success for African-American Men (Guest Post)

The struggles that Africa-American men, in particular, face in our culture have been well-documented. But recent research offers some helpful signs.

Here to share some explanation and insights about these findings is husband, father and lawyer Timothy Allen. Timothy works in Focus’ public policy area analyzing state legislation and also serves as a member of Focus’ Employee Resource Inclusion Council, which I’ve previously shared about. He’s also a Fellow with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Blackstone Legal Fellowship.

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