Daly Focus Blog
He’s 15 years old. Only a child when you think of it, but too old to be adopted in the eyes of so many.
His name is Davion, and The Tampa Bay Times introduced us to him this week in a must-read article, “An orphan goes to church and asks someone, anyone to adopt him.”
We learn a bit about Davion – his sad history, the bad decisions he has made. We discover that he has begun to turn his life around, but that his heart still bears the scars of years of not belonging.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, kids
Most Christians are familiar with Jim Elliot, one of five missionaries killed in the jungles of Ecuador in the 1950s. Fewer people know about Jim’s brother, Bert.
Bert Elliott and his wife, Colleen, were missionaries in Peru. Their work there included starting more than 150 churches, leading Bible studies, helping at a Christian school, leading drug addicts to Christ and even pulling teeth for those with severe dental problems.
There was nothing glamorous about what Bert and Colleen did.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, friendship, pastors
Serving as a pastor is no easy task. In fact, I can’t think of many more challenging callings in life.
Consider:
A lot of people think pastors work just one day a week. The reality is quite the opposite. Most pastors are fortunate to get one day off per week. Most are on-call 24/7. When it comes to an erratic schedule, a pastor is like a firefighter or a police officer, except he has to stop at red lights, often in a very used car or truck that’s seen better days.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pastors
Have you ever noticed that popular culture tends to see fathers as the “second-string” parent?
What do I mean by that?
Consider the familiar storyline in TV sitcoms or movies where the hapless dad can’t handle making his kids dinner or the house looks like a bomb went off because mom goes away for a weekend.
The insinuation is that mom is on the varsity and dad is still finding his way on the JV squad.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, kids, wife
To borrow and adapt a phrase from the late Mark Twain, reports of the Church’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Christianity Today recently ran an article by Pastor Ed Stetzer, the president of LifeWay Research, that drives home this point. In “The State of the Church In America: Hint: It’s Not Dying,” Stetzer corrects this false narrative that the Evangelical Church is on an irreversible downward trajectory.
In doing so, he makes an important distinction – and I’ll quote Stetzer here: “Christianity is represented by people who live for Christ, not check ‘Christian’ on a survey form.”
As he fleshes out this idea, Stetzer separates the 75 percent of Americans who identify with one of three categories – those who say they are Christian because of their family history or heritage; those who do nothing more than attend church every now and then; and, finally, those who acknowledge a personal relationship with Jesus and have experienced a real life-change.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors, religious liberty
God has given me the privilege of traveling the world. During my senior year of college, I studied in Tokyo. That experience gave me a glimpse of what I was to experience later during my early tenure at Focus, first as the international field director for Asia, Africa and Australia and later as the vice president of our international division.
All told, my travels have taken me to more than 70 countries. During each visit, I’ve had the honor of meeting with fellow believers.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, staff
The Gospel Coalition blog recently ran a vulnerably written post where a father described what he and his wife experienced when they lost their child in the womb.
It’s something no one wants to think about, let alone live through. And often, those of us who surround a couple walking through this intense grief feel at a loss as to how to best respond and help.
That’s why I want to share with you John Patton’s post, “How to Mourn with the Parents of Stillborn and Miscarried Children.” It not only explains the pain parents go through, it also provides six wise thoughts on how to help in this heartbreaking situation.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: kids, pastors
Dr. Greg Smalley, son of popular author and speaker Dr. Gary Smalley, serves as Focus’ Vice President of Family Ministries. Greg’s office is just steps from mine, and I enjoy our regular interactions. Not only is he a marriage expert and popular author with a doctorate in psychology, but he also has a great sense of humor. He’s a fun guy to be around. Greg and his wife, Erin, have been married for 21 years and have four children.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, pastors, wife
October is Clergy Appreciation Month, a time when Christians are encouraged to express gratitude to their pastors, ministers and leaders.
But the subject gives rise to a question:
What makes a pastor a leader you can trust and follow and ultimately appreciate, not just every October but the other eleven months of the year?
I’m sure we all have our “non-negotiable” characteristics. I’ve come up with a list of five things (based on Scriptures found in Titus and 1 Timothy 3) that I think Christians may want to look for in a pastor.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors
Over the past few days I’ve found my thoughts turning often toward 13-year-old Gracie Johnson, the sole survivor of a freak Colorado rockslide that claimed the lives of her parents, sister, and two other relatives while hiking this past Monday in Buena Vista.
As a Colorado resident this tragedy may be hitting me especially hard, but you don’t need to be a local or even an outdoorsman to be affected by this widely circulating story. The idea of the unthinkable happening and changing our lives in a moment may be a universal fear, and one most of us would prefer not to dwell on.
Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, husband
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.Home
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