Jim Daly

How to Pass Along a Faith that Lasts to Your Kids

A few weeks ago, I blogged about the misperception that millennials are losing their faith. In that post, I mentioned two facts that will springboard us to today’s topic of faith retention:

1. Young people are not leaving the church in droves.

2. Of all young adults that do leave the church, only 11 percent came from homes where a consistent/serious faith was practiced, whereas 89 percent came from lukewarm or no-faith homes.

In other words, what parents do to build faith into their kids matters.

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

Guest Post: Curse God and Die

A few years ago, our public relations team welcomed a spirited young woman as a summer intern. Whitney Williams immediately threw herself into her role, learning to coordinate interviews and write news releases. She even met her husband, Mix, while serving at Focus.

After her stint here, Whitney went back to Texas, finished college and got married.

Those who worked with Whitney were happy to follow her pregnancy on Facebook – and shocked to discover, along with her and Mix, that their baby boy was born with a rare congenital skin condition.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, husband, kids, wife

Guest Post: What I’ve Learned About Adoption Since Adopting

November is National Adoption Month, so I want to do something special in this space to observe the occasion. Throughout the month, I’ll be highlighting adoption stories – the experiences of real-life families who have taken that leap of faith of welcoming someone new as their own.

Through these first-hand accounts you’ll see God supernaturally moving in the lives of very normal people. These are men and women just like you and me – people who might have feared the prospect of adoption.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, faith, family, kids, wife

VIDEO: Faithful Heart

God is sometimes more glorified when He walks us through something rather than when He delivers us from something.

Such is the case for Julie Manning, a young mom who lives with a chronic heart problem that could result in cardiac arrest at any moment. “There are hundreds of times a day,” she explains, “that I’m reminded that my life is not my own, and Jesus can take it.”

God could heal her – but He hasn’t.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith

What Haunts Me this Halloween

Halloween is a volatile topic with many Christians, and for good reason. Its origins are pagan and disturbing. And yet, it seems to be growing in popularity on all fronts. From plastic front-lawn tombstones to inflatable monsters (and all the candy), Americans are expected to spend nearly $7 billion this year on the holiday.

Seven billion!

Nevertheless, when it comes to Oct. 31, as a Christian, you probably fall into one of three camps.

1. Enjoy It

You grew up trick-or-treating and wearing the Superman costume.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: faith, family, humor, pop culture

How Shoeboxes Help Spread the Gospel

It’s hard to believe the holiday season is right around the corner. In an effort to combat the overly materialistic hue Christmas has taken on, some commentators will bemoan the tradition of gift-giving.

I won’t be one of them.

Don’t get me wrong – I agree that, far too often, we’ve allowed Christmas to become what it’s not. It’s obviously not about running over fallen shoppers to get the “it” toy for a son or daughter.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, kids, relationships, religious liberty

Could You Do Without This for 24 Hours?

Have you ever noticed how culture glorifies multi-tasking and busyness? Lately, it seems we’re trying to accomplish more than ever in shorter and shorter periods of time. We buy faster and more efficient technology and install apps on our phones in the hopes of getting ahead.

In fact, some will even admit to a rush that comes from simultaneously answering emails, talking on the phone and scanning Facebook.

But what happens when we do all of this from the kitchen countertop as we serve our children their morning cereal?

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pop culture, technology

Help “The Bible” Miniseries Win “People’s Choice Award”

Remember “The Bible” miniseries that was broadcast on The History Channel last spring?

Well, it’s now up for a People’s Choice Award in the category of “Favorite TV Movie/Miniseries.”

Nearly 100 million people tuned in to see it, and it’s the top-selling miniseries in Blue-Ray history. But that’s not the greatest success producers Mark Burnett and his wife Roma Downey achieved through their cinematic telling of major biblical stories.

From the beginning, Mark and Roma were very open about their big hope for the miniseries: to “affect a new generation of viewers and draw them back to the Bible.”

The Burnetts were inundated with stories from viewers who were blessed and encouraged to dust off and read their Bibles as a result of watching the five-part series.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, events, family

Jerry Jenkins’ Secret to Good Parenting

Chances are you’ve probably read a book by Christian author Jerry Jenkins. He’s written more than 180 books, 16 of which have landed on the New York Times bestseller list. His books include the Left Behind series, which has sold more than 63 million copies. His writing has appeared in Time, Reader’s Digest, Parade and Guideposts. In addition, Jenkins owns a filmmaking company, the Christian Writers Guild and he owns a publishing company.

Well, Jerry Jenkins sure seems like a busy man – most top professionals are.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, kids

Guest Post: Gosnell and the Danger of False Thinking

By: Kneeland C. Brown, Ed.D.

In my role as the executive director of the Focus Leadership Institute, I try to impart practical life principles to college students. These young men and women enroll because they want to learn how to best serve their families, churches and the culture.

Each semester, we discuss a myriad of things, but if I had to boil it all down, I’d say most of our discussions revolve around two main themes:

You can’t serve well if your thinking isn’t right
Right thinking starts with using Scripture as the singular authoritative truth for how we live.

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