Jim Daly

Who’s Your Favorite TV Dad?

Although they’re fictitious characters, a good many people have been “raised” by fathers on TV, for good or bad. On the heels of Father’s Day this past Sunday, I thought it would be fun to ask you to share with me who your favorite television dad is – and why?

Here are some choices, in no particular order, but please feel free to write in a candidate of your choice:

Charles Ingalls (Michael Landon, Little House on the Prairie)
“Pa” was a man’s man, a rugged frontiersman who was as tender as he was tough.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, entertainment

Marco Rubio’s Great Lesson

Florida Senator Marco Rubio’s memoir, An American Son, was released this week. Born to Cuban refugees, his story is an inspiring and candid one. There is much to talk about concerning this rising star in the Republican party, but for now one specific reference in the book is worth noting.

Upon arriving in the Senate in 2010, Mr. Rubio forged a friendship with Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont. The elder Leahy counseled him on balancing his work with his family responsibilities.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: news, religious liberty

When it Comes to Immigration Reform, Numbers Have Names

Focus on the Family’s decision to endorse the National Association of Evangelical’s bipartisan proposal on immigration reform has ignited a spirited dialogue within Christendom. To be candid, this doesn’t surprise me.

Does it surprise you?

The issue is a complex one, especially when it comes to finding a practical solution to the stalemate over what to do with the 12 million plus individuals who are living without proper documentation within our country. It’s easy to reduce the issue to the numbers, but the numbers have names – and each name is a person created in the image and likeness of a loving God.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: news, policy

Father’s Day Ads Through the Years

To see a vintage advertisement is to get a brief peek into the past:

Wrisley – Father’s Day, Wrisley Spruce for Dad (1945)

Recognized Hatter – Father’s Day, Straw Hat (1946)

Studebaker– Car Craftsmanship, Father/Son Photo (1946)

US Steel – Father/Son Gardening Theme (1946)

Inter Woven Socks – Father’s Day (1951)

Anaconda Copper – Father & Son Workshop Art (1951)

Thermos Products – Father’s Day (1959)

Shulton Old Spice – Fathers Day Sailboats (1960)

A very Happy Father’s Day to all the dads and grandpas!

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: events, family

Gallup Reports Shift Toward Life

According to the Gallup polling organization more Americans are identifying themselves as “pro-life” and fewer as “pro-choice,” this year over last year.

As reported:

The 41% of Americans who now identify themselves as “pro-choice” is down from 47% last July and is one percentage point below the previous record low in Gallup trends, recorded in May 2009. Fifty percent now call themselves “pro-life,” one point shy of the record high, also from May 2009.

To be fair, these statistics have been bouncing around over the last decade, but when you consider that 56% of Americans qualified themselves as “pro-choice” in 1996, the trajectory toward a majority support of life is encouraging.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: news

How Would You Spend One More Day with Your Dad?

Here’s the scenario:

If you could turn back the clock and spend one last day with your father, what would you do? If your dad is still living, what would be the ideal way to enjoy his company?

Father’s Day, which is this coming Sunday, doesn’t receive nearly the same degree of attention as Mother’s Day. Nevertheless, millions of dads will still be hailed as heroes, and rightly so.

Not everyone has a happy story or good memories of their upbringing.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family

Immigration Reform is a Family Concern

Immigration reform remains a hotly contested issue that stirs up a great deal of passion from a wide range of perspectives. In fact, when it comes to the subject of how to manage the millions of individuals who have illegally entered the borders of the United States and assimilated into our culture, almost everyone has an opinion.

But mere opinions don’t solve problems, especially a conundrum as complex and layered as what to do with upwards of 12 million individuals living in the shadows of our society.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: news, policy

When it Comes to Genetics, God Doesn’t Make Errors

According to research that was recently published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, scientists will soon be able to screen pre-born babies for as many as 3,500 different genetic disorders.

Currently, the only conditions that are (occasionally) tested for prior to birth include Downs syndrome, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy and spina bifida.

News of this emerging technology raises a number of concerns, especially for anyone who respects and appreciates the sanctity and dignity of life. Case in point: 90% of pre-born babies who are diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted.

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

A Dying Father, a Grateful Son

John Strege is a friend and a talented author and writer for Golf Digest. He recently penned a moving story about a son’s last round of golf with his dying father at Pebble Beach.

John writes:

It began as a dream, a boy, 16, and his father, descending the steps behind The Lodge at Pebble Beach and gazing wistfully at Eden. Some day, the boy vowed on behalf of both of them, before life intervened, as inevitably it will.

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We Must Pray for Judges as Well as Outcomes

Whatever the pending Supreme Court case, you can be sure that people on both sides of the issue are praying for a decision in their favor.

But I wonder if instead of just praying for the outcome of the case, we should be spending more time praying for the justices who are making the decision.

Like many of you, I find it intriguing to follow the Supreme Court, especially during this timeof year. Over the course of the next four weeks, Chief Justice Roberts’ court will be wrapping up the year and issuing rulings on a variety of cases, including the all-important one on the Affordable Health Care Act.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: church, religious liberty