Jim Daly

Hollywood Makes the Case for Teaching the Bible in Public School

The following essay was penned for The Wall Street Journal by our friends, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.

As a friend of mine wrote on Facebook this morning, “All thoughtful, no thumping.”

But what do you think?

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Why Public Schools Should Teach the Bible

Westerners cannot be considered literate without a basic knowledge of this foundational text.

By ROMA DOWNEY AND MARK BURNETT

The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2013

Have you ever sensed in your own life that “the handwriting was on the wall”?

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, kids, pop culture, religious liberty

5 Faith-Building Apps for Children

Like it or not, our kids are growing up in a world of gadgets and gizmos. Before they can even walk, many little ones know how to turn the page on an iPad or even open up a favorite app on a smart phone.

Navigating technology can be challenging enough for adults, but many parents contact us wanting to know how much screen time is safe for their kids. Should Junior be allowed to use the iPad?

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

Exclusive Video Clip: The Bible

The highly anticipated five-week miniseries, The Bible, debuts this coming Sunday, March 3, on the History Channel.

Produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice) and his wife Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) the ten-hour presentation is a dramatic and ambitious project. It’s also a labor of love for the Burnetts, who began this endeavor with a noble and classically evangelistic goal: to encourage people to read the Bible.

Let’s face it – it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood.

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

What to Pray For – If You Want to Be Successful

What causes someone at the top of their profession to lose control of it all?

I think one person got it right when he said: “Success will take you further than character can keep you.”

Whether a professional athlete, the CEO of a company, or an employee looking to move up the ladder, character matters.

As you’ve likely realized, success doesn’t alleviate the demands upon us, it only intensifies them. To handle that stress, you need more than talent or intellect.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith

Ten Quotes that Can Change Your Life

It may not have garnered the hype or the headlines of last night’s Academy Awards, but the death last week of Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, the longtime professor of Dallas Theological Seminary, marked the promotion of one of God’s great saints to Glory.

Dr. Hendricks, known as “Prof” to his students, taught for over sixty years. John Fuller, my friend and colleague and co-host of our radio program, has fond memories of his old professor.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors

How Dredging Up the Past Can Help Your Marriage

We’ve all heard the warnings about “dredging up the past” when dealing with challenges in our marriage. But there are times, I think, when a little dredging is just what your relationship needs.

Morehead City, North Carolina, is home to one of the deepest ports on the East Coast. It’s a vital passageway for commercial and military ships. But the port developed a serious problem when Hurricane Sandy deposited sand in the channel — and lots of it!

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

VIDEO: Pep Talk from the “Kid President”

The following “Kid President” video is the creation of actor Rainn Wilson. It’s been making the rounds on the Internet and has become something of a sensation.

If you haven’t seen it, take three minutes and give it a look.

And then do something because, well, in the words of the Kid President, “The world needs you to stop being boring.”

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

For Those Married and Unmarried

A colleague recently shared with me about a medical situation her father once encountered. He suffered a transient ischemic attack (TIA) – commonly known as a mini-stroke. Her parents live far away, and she was on a video call with her dad when it happened.

All of a sudden, Dad kept asking me what day and what year it was. He kept asking when my children were born. “Wait a second,” he’d say… “I’m confused.”

After a couple of minutes of this, I asked Dad to put Mom (who was in the other room) on the phone.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, sex, wife

Are You a Prude?

A recent article in Relevant magazine, “Confessions of a Prude”, explored the role cultural relevance has for Christians.

The author writes:

We culture-savvy Christians recoil at the labels assigned to us by society… sheltered, out-of-touch, or prudish.

True?

Well, just think of how often we seek to be culturally relevant, watching every movie, keeping up with every popular program on TV and making sure we understand the references on “Saturday Night Live.”

After all, don’t we have an obligation against coming across as self-righteous?

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, relationships

5 Ways to Help Soothe the Sting of Valentine’s Day

I appreciated the fun response to yesterday’s post about Valentine’s Day. But I’m also aware that February 14th can be a difficult day for many people.

Every Valentine’s Day the world fairly explodes with flowers, chocolate, and the color pink. If love is abundant in your life, those trappings can be a joyful reminder. But for the lonely it can make for a long, difficult day.

For many people, Valentine ’s Day isn’t a celebration of love and romance at all.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: intimacy, technology