Jim Daly

Why Focus is Reviewing “Fifty Shades”

The movie “Fifty Shades of Grey” premieres this weekend. It’s ironic the film is being marketed as a “love” story, because it’s anything but.

Real men don’t denigrate, exploit and abuse women.

After much soul searching, Focus on the Family’s media discernment arm, Plugged In, decided to review this film. Paul Asay explains why in a post on the Plugged In Blog. Here’s some of what he had to say:

Religion News Service reports that advance tickets are selling particularly briskly in “the Bible Belt and the Midwest,” statistically the two most heavily churched parts of the country…

I don’t believe our primary mission at Plugged In is to say nice things about nice movies: It’s to shine that light in a sometimes murky world.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, marriage, pop culture, sex

How to Take Your Marriage from Selfish to Magnificent

Do you think of your marriage as a “magnificent obsession”?

Hopefully, you’re on the journey toward seeing your relationship in that light. But each of us – at different times in different ways – allows self-interest to tarnish our marriage’s potential.

Selfishness can creep into a relationship from the moment a man and a woman meet, even when they don’t mean for it to. In the initial months of dating, couples pursue a relationship because they like the way they feel when they’re together.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith, marriage

This Unromantic Notion Will Give Your Marriage a Boost

What would you say if I suggested that on this Valentine’s Day, you celebrate your “average” marriage?

It doesn’t sound too romantic, does it?

The suggestion certainly goes against the Hollywood notion of love, with its exaggerated portrayals of couples blissfully, breathlessly enraptured with each other.

But let’s get real here.

Real life isn’t like a jewelry ad in a magazine where everything looks picture-perfect. It’s not as exciting as the song on the radio praising the thrill of a brand-new relationship.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: marriage

Mom Abandons Her Baby with Down Syndrome; Thousands Give Help

A news summary on issues that matter.

“Dad Refuses to Give Up Son With Down Syndrome” and accepts his wife’s divorce instead. In response, thousands have donated almost $500,000 to his GoFundMe page to help the new single dad become his son’s full-time caretaker. Most recent reports provide a statement from the mother and show at least the possibility of reconciliation. With an abortion rate of about 50 percent for preborn babies diagnosed with Down syndrome, the bottom line is many refuse to care for such a child.

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It’s Good to (Literally) LOL

Who doesn’t enjoy a good laugh? I think we all do. As legendary comedian Bob Hope once said, laughter is an “instant vacation.”

My family can attest to that. We love to laugh together. It bonds us together and enables joy, love, and grace to flourish in our home.

Simply put, laughter helps make our house a pleasant place to be. The more we laugh the more we enjoy one another’s company, and that strengthens our relationships.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, entertainment, family

Praise Pours in for “The Drop Box”

The list of faith leaders endorsing “The Drop Box,” Focus on the Family’s second movie, is long and diverse.

Those who are enthusiastically throwing their support behind the film include both evangelical and Catholic. They’re known for advocating on behalf of the pre-born. They are proponents of adoption, special needs, and social justice.

It’s rare for a documentary to receive endorsements from such a wide array of sectors.

To us, it’s a confirmation that God’s in this movie.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: adoption, church, entertainment, pro-life, promos

Making Sense of the Measles Outbreak

Measles.

It’s not the sort of souvenir you’d expect to bring home from the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but that’s exactly what dozens of children took away from their visit to Disneyland last December.

Ironically, Jean and I were there with the boys the very week of the outbreak.

More than fifty children contracted the disease as a result of exposure to the infection at the California theme park. Some spread it to others, and by the end of January more than a hundred cases had been confirmed in the U.S.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: kids, news, parenting, policy

Why Are These Christian Women Reading Porn?

One of our nation’s leading Christian publishers conducted a survey asking respondents to name the most influential book they had read in the past year. A startling number of women – Christian women – said “Fifty Shades of Grey” was their favorite book of the year.

Why is that so noteworthy?

Because the “Fifty Shades of Grey” books are a written form of pornography, plain and simple. It’s a book series that’s become nothing short of a cultural phenomenon, having sold more than 100 million copies in just a few short years.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, entertainment, intimacy, marriage, sex

This Pastor Chose Against Acting on His Same-Sex Attractions

Allan Edwards is a pastor with the Presbyterian Church in America. He’s also married to Leeanne Edwards and the couple is expecting their first child in July.

Allan has also admitted to struggling with same-sex attraction.

In fact, he recently shared his story with National Public Radio. In the midst of the conversation, Allan said the reason he’s never acted on the attraction is because he believes homosexuality is a sin.

Some have suggested that Allan is denying his true identity and that he and his wife couldn’t possibly be happy.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, homosexuality, marriage, news

Last Night’s Super Bowl Ad Winner: DAD

After last night’s big game, everyone had a simple question on their mind:

Why didn’t the Seahawks try to just run the ball in from the one-yard line?

Every game is a drama with many actors, and it’s always easy to pin the blame on a single one. But your heart has to go out to Pete Carroll’s team. Thirty-six inches from back-to-back Super Bowl wins! But now everyone is talking about the untimely interception and the legacy of Tom Brady.

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