Jim Daly

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.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events

The Super Bowl Ad That Saved This Girl’s Life

It was 2010 when Focus’s pro-life commercial featuring Pam and Tim Tebow aired on Super Bowl Sunday.

It’s an ad ABCNews.com recently called one of the most controversial of recent history, but for one woman, it’s a lot more than that.

For Susan Wood, it’s a big reason her 4-year-old girl, Avita Grace, is alive today.

When Susan told her boyfriend she was pregnant on Super Bowl Sunday 2010, he insisted she end her pregnancy. That night, Wood went to a Super Bowl party where she saw Focus’ ad featuring Pam Tebow sharing her heartfelt story of the survival of her “miracle baby,” Tim.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events

New Video Shows the Power of “The Drop Box”

What the latest promotional video for Focus’ newest movie, “The Drop Box,” shows is almost unbelievable.

It was a cold night when Pastor Lee Jong-rak stumbled on a newborn who had been abandoned in an alley in Seoul, South Korea. He quickly takes the infant, and goes on to build a “baby box” at the front of his church – a warm, safe place where desperate mothers can leave babies who would otherwise be abandoned.

Since then, Pastor Lee, his wife Chun-ja and a small team of volunteers have rescued more than 600 babies.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: entertainment, kids, news, pro, pro-life

This Is the No. 1 Way to Improve Your Marriage

You’ve probably noticed that you and your spouse don’t always see eye-to-eye. Maybe he talks too much – or not enough. She feels hot while you’re shivering cold. Or maybe leaving early is rare because your spouse is always running late.

If you’re not careful, those differences can drive you apart. Petty disagreements can easily turn into full-grown battles that bleed a relationship dry.

Financial expert Dave Ramsey, our guest on today’s program, says the turmoil those differences cause are most apparent when it comes to finances.

Continue ReadingTopics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, marriage

Super Bowl Ads Promise to Break Dim-Witted Dad Stereotype

After a few years of Super Bowl commercials featuring Dad as the butt of too many jokes, it seems like this year may be in for a refreshing change. There are two pre-released game day ads that show fathers in a positive light.

First up is Dove Men + Care’s 60-second spot, “#RealStrength,” which shows children of various ages calling their dads and ends with the tagline “Care Makes a Man Stronger.” It’s so well-made it’s likely many viewers will be left with tears in their eyes.

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

Why This Doctor and Widower Opposes Physician-Assisted Suicide

For many of us, the issue of physician-assisted suicide was brought to our attention last year with the very public illness and death of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old woman who chose to end her own life with a lethal prescription after receiving a diagnosis of an aggressive form of cancer.

This pains me in so many ways, not the least of which is that it compounds the heartbreak of a horrible, terminal illness with the tragic choice of a young woman to take her own life.

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

Should Parents Reason with Young Children?

I think almost every parent can relate to this scenario:

You give your 6-year-old a clear instruction to follow. But instead of doing what he’s told, he looks at you and, with a straight face asks, “Why?”

Believe it or not, how you respond to that question as a parent is more crucial than you might think.

There was a time in our society when a “Why do I have to?” from a child would get an immediate “Because I said so” from the parent.

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