Jim Daly

If the Supreme Court Legalizes Same-Sex Marriage…

This was the question posed to me by the editors of Christianity Today recently:

If the Supreme Court legalizes same-sex marriage, what next?

Hypothetical questions are not always productive, but in this case, I was privileged to participate in the panel, which featured answers from two other individuals. The panel of three also included Elodie Ballantine Emig, instructor of Greek at Denver Seminary and Timothy Dalrymple, managing editor at Patheos.com.

You can read the entire exchange by clicking here.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, marriage, news, policy

Thoughts on “42”

Growing up in Southern California in the 1960s and ‘70s, the Los Angeles Dodgers were my team. I can still hear the poetic Vin Scully calling the games on the radio. (Pictured below) His play-by-play was the soundtrack of my summers. Vin’s voice was a steady bright spot throughout my dysfunctional childhood. It was predictable, too, a quality I longed for in my life.

Attending Dodger games was a real and rare treat; my first game was a doubleheader against the Cincinnati Reds.

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

Why the Media Blackout Over the Gosnell Trial?

Yesterday’s USA Today ran a piece by Kirsten Powers, a columnist and political commentator, that questioned why the trial of Kermit Gosnell isn’t making front page news.

That’s a good question.

Mr. Gosnell is an abortionist who allegedly performed illegal and horrific late-term “abortions” in deplorable conditions that, in addition to killing the babies, also cost at least one women her life. The grand jury report can be accessed here.

I’m putting the word abortion in quotes because Mr.

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

Dare to Dream Again

“When it comes to a professional career, what percentage of people do you think are doing what they really want to do?”

A colleague of mine recently posed that question to Kurt Warner, the former NFL quarterback and host of a new reality show titled “The Moment.”

What would you guess was his answer?

According to Kurt, it’s between 25 and 30 percent. Put another way, nearly three-quarters of Americans would rather be doing something else for a living.

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

Four Things You Can Do to Preserve Traditional Marriage

Today’s Focus on the Family broadcast features two of the brightest minds in the country discussing the Supreme Court’s recent oral arguments on the matter of same-sex marriage.

Joining John Fuller and me is Dr. Helen Alvare, a professor of law at George Mason University, and Dr. Al Mohler, the president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

By clicking here you can hear the entire program, which includes audio clips from the actual proceedings inside the Supreme Court chamber.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, homosexuality, marriage, news, policy

A Football Video that Will Give You Goosebumps

April 22, 2011 was an ordinary day for Andy and Bri Hoffman until they found their five-year-old son, Jack, sitting nearly comatose in their kitchen. He was rushed to the hospital and eventually diagnosed with pediatric cancer.

Months of treatment followed along with many tears and sleepless nights.

“It just tipped our life upside down,” Andy’s father told the USA Today.

But through a series of conversations and connections little Jack was given an opportunity to meet some of his heroes on his favorite football team: the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

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

Six Things You Should Know About Edith Schaeffer

Edith Schaeffer, the wife of the late Christian apologist Francis Schaeffer, died a little over a week ago. She was 98.

Simply put, Mrs. Schaeffer was a remarkable woman. She lived in a turbulent time and ministered to thousands alongside her talented husband. The daughter of Chinese missionaries, Edith met Francis at a church event on a summer Sunday evening in 1932. From that day forward they were partners in both life and ministry.

Books have been written about Francis, a man who was brave and bold.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage, news, parenting

The Secret Parents Don’t Want their Kids to Know

Children, please turn away from the computer.

Here’s the secret: moms and dads aren’t perfect.

Sometimes we hurt our kids’ feelings with the things we say, often without even knowing it.

Authors Tim and Darcy Kimmel wanted to be sure to deal with any resentment their actions caused, so they did something brave. They created a safe opportunity for their children to be completely candid and to point out areas where mom and dad weren’t “practicing what they preached.”

It worked like this:

And this is how “What’s Your Beef?” nights began at the Kimmel home.

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

8 Lessons from the World’s Happiest Couples

The May edition of Reader’s Digest features a breezy article titled “Is Your Marriage Normal or Nuts?”

Don’t answer just yet.

But within the piece is a short list detailing eight lessons from the “World’s Happiest Couples.” I’d like to share them with you and ask if you might add to it:

1. Kindness Helps

74 percent of couples who said they were happy give each other back rubs.

2. It’s Not Necessarily about the Looks

20 percent of the happiest partners say they’re not physically attracted to their spouse.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: husband, intimacy, marriage, wife

How to Get a Great Idea

Have you ever wondered where great ideas come from? The simple answer to that question is, of course, people. But why do some people get them and others don’t?

If you ask me, God is constantly planting thoughts in our minds, or permitting us to cross paths with someone who will inevitably trigger a thought or do something that sets off the spark of creative energy inside of us. But what about those seemingly “dull days” when you’re feeling tired and uninspired?

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment