Jim Daly

A Focus on the Family Friend Has Gone Home

Speaker and author Ann Kiemel comforted others with the comfort she herself received from the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Now this woman with the soft voice and strong faith is in heaven, receiving her eternal reward.

Ann passed away Saturday after a difficult battle with cancer – but most of you know her because she so openly and bravely shared about her battle with infertility.

Through her books (she sold more than 20 million of them) and her numerous times on our broadcast, she told her story of multiple miscarriages.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, broadcast, faith, news, parenting

Guest Post: Oscar Season Reminds Us That Entertainment Shapes Us

It was the late Ingmar Bergman, arguably one of the world’s most accomplished Hollywood directors in history, who once suggested that “No art passes our conscience in the way film does, and goes directly to our feelings, deep down into the dark rooms of our souls.”

He was right.

Film is an incredible medium that shapes us individually, and as such, shapes culture. This Sunday’s Academy Awards celebrated this power and, in doing so, highlighted priorities and passions of a world-famous industry for both good and bad.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, kids, parenting, pop culture

VIDEO: The Best Social Media Product of the Year?

Coca-Cola is rolling out a new product sure to help those of us who might be dedicated enthusiasts of social media.

Well, not really. The giant soft drink company actually debuted a new tongue-in-cheek commercial that nevertheless sends all of us who have a smart phone always-at-the-ready a worthwhile message:

Put down the phone. Look up. Connect with your loved ones and share a “real” moment with them.

What a great reminder to take into the weekend.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting, technology

“Son of God” Jesus Epic Opens Tomorrow

This past weekend at the National Religious Broadcasters event in Nashville, I had the pleasure of meeting with a wide array of Christian leaders, executives and creatives, all looking to help spread the Good News.

Among those I met with were two very good friends, Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, who we’ve had the opportunity to work with on various occasions. These committed Christians were behind last year’s hit miniseries, “The Bible,” which helped make faith part of the national conversation and compelled many people to dust off their Bibles and read them again.

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

Loving the Prodigal Home

Chief Financial Officer.

The job title alone can be a little intimidating. It might conjure images of a serious, somewhat gruff individual who’s more interested in numbers than people.

I’m happy to say that Focus’ CFO, Dan Mellema, is nothing like the caricature would suggest.

Dan is a warm and friendly man with a real heart for our ministry and the people we help. He’s been with Focus since 1994 and has headed up our finances since 2011.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, kids, parenting

What’s the Best Christian Response to the Mistreatment of Homosexuals?

In various countries around the world, homosexuals are being beaten and even killed with their governments’ approval.

For example, in Nigeria, a recent law criminalizing homosexuality provides punishments, like whippings, to men who are caught having homosexual relations. The New York Times reports that crowds in the African nation are demanding their local officials to go even further, because local Islamic law requires the penalty for such an act to be death by stoning. In many places these same types of punishments are also meted out for other nonmarital sexual behaviors.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, homosexuality, news, pro-life

Are Some Christians Really Supporting “Homosexual Jim Crow Laws?”

It should come as no surprise that sometimes well-meaning, sincere Christians can disagree with each other on how to best live out their faith. Sometimes, those differences can run deep.

For example, in Jesus’ time, we see an example of two disciples who had vastly different political views. There was Matthew, a former tax collector – he was a Jewish representative of the Roman government. There was also Simon the Zealot – he was part of a group that actively sought to violently overturn that same Roman government.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, news, policy, religious liberty

VIDEO: This Pastor Forgave the Man Who Killed His Wife, Son in Crash

Sometimes, God’s biggest miracles are what He does in our hearts. Just ask Erik Fitzgerald and Matthew Swatzell.

Swatzell, then 20, was on his way home after working a busy 24-hour shift as a firefighter and EMT. He had slept only 30 minutes during his shift, and had fallen asleep at the wheel two miles from his house. What awoke him was the sound of his vehicle crashing head-on into a car driven by 30-year-old June Fitzgerald.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, pastors

What the Historically Low Abortion Numbers Mean

You may have heard the news: abortion rates are at the lowest they’ve been since Roe v. Wade legalized the act in all 50 states 41 years ago.

Two separate sources confirm this statement: the most recent report by Planned Parenthood’s research arm, the Guttmacher Institute, and the government’s Center for Disease Control 2010 report.

It’s actually not a surprise we’re at these “lowest ever” abortion numbers, because we’ve been seeing years of declining trends.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: adoption, news, pro-life

Disney’s Two Mommies and Teaching Kids About Marriage

The Disney Channel recently introduced a subplot involving a lesbian couple to its popular children’s show, “Good Luck Charlie.” The storyline involved Charlie’s parents trying to remember the name of their daughter’s friend’s mom. The father remembered the mom’s name as Cheryl, and the mother remembered the name as Susan.

Turns out they were both right, because the little girl coming over to play had twomommies. (You can watch the minute-long scene online.)

The Disney Channel is immensely popular with its target demographic, children.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, homosexuality, news, pop culture