Jim Daly

Dave Barry: Dining with Babies Causes Stressful Ambience

Does the columnist Dave Barry make you laugh?

Here are a few select excerpts from a column titled, “Dining with Babies Causes Stressful Ambience.”

Can you relate?

If you’re a new parent, there will come a time when either you or your spouse will say these words: ‘Let’s take the baby to a restaurant!’… It’s like saying: ‘Let’s take a moose to the opera!’”

It’s best to pay your bill as you enter the restaurant, adding a little extra (say, $800) to compensate for the fact that after you’re finished, your table may have to be burned.

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

My Free First-Class Ticket

Before the railroad, Americans on the move traveled by stagecoach. Given the relative ease of modern-day transportation, it’s difficult to imagine just how uncomfortable it must have been to be jammed inside a small open-air compartment and bounced along an unpaved rocky road on wooden wheels. We can get a sense of the atmosphere, though, by some of the “rules” that were posted inside each coach.

Here’s a sampling:

Abstinence from liquor is requested, but if you must drink share the bottle.

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

What Do You Think About The Hunger Games?

The family and I are on spring break this week, but I’m curious for your feedback surrounding Suzanne Collins’ bestseller-turned-Hollywood-thriller The Hunger Games.

Have you gone to see it?

Would you permit your son or daughter to watch if they wanted to?

Why – or why not?

Given the young age of our boys, we haven’t paid attention to the book or the movie. Their minds are focused on much tamer fare, including Legos and other books and games.

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

Andy Rooney: The Following Things Are True About Housework

What does spring cleaning look like in your home?

According to the late Andy Rooney, the following things are true about housework:

Vacuuming a large rug is the easiest housekeeping job. Anyone doing it gets more credit than he or she deserves. This is partly because the vacuum cleaner makes so much noise it gives the illusion that someone’s working hard.

Putting away the vacuum cleaner is harder than vacuuming.

The single easiest thing to do in exchange for the most credit, is mopping the kitchen floor.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, parenting

Tim Keller: 8 Tips for Marriage Seekers

The following is a condensed excerpt from my friend Tim Keller’s excellent new book, which I strongly endorse, The Meaning of Marriage: Facing the Complexities of Commitment with the Wisdom of God:

Practical Counsel for Marriage Seekers
Recognize that there are seasons for not doing marriage-seeking:

When you are going through a significant transition — starting a new job, starting a new school, death of a parent, or some other fairly absorbing time or event — it might not at all be a good time to begin a relationship.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: intimacy, marriage, relationships

Peyton Manning Deserves Prayers Not Vengeance

Is it ever right to wish ill upon someone?

I don’t think so.

The Denver Broncos newly minted quarterback, Peyton Manning, doesn’t need me to come to his defense. But his arrival in Denver has spawned something of a backlash in a few select places, with some actually suggesting that it would suit the Broncos and Manning well if he were to reinjure his neck this coming season.

A thirst for vengeance is an ugly human emotion.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: faith, pop culture

A Dose of Pouty Magic

I mentioned the other day that my colleague and Tim Tebow fanatic, Sue, was pouting over the arrival of Peyton Manning to the Denver Broncos and the subsequent trade of Tim to the New York Jets.

Thankfully, her poutiness was rare and short-lived. But I’m not so sure I can say the same thing about my son Troy who’s been known to pout to either make a point or get his way.

His brother calls it “pouty magic.”

The act doesn’t usually work, but that hasn’t stopped him from trying!

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, kids, parenting, pop culture

What U.S. Marines and Christians Have in Common

The United State Marine Corps has launched its latest recruitment campaign and it touts a single theme:

Chaos.

“We’re going to have a chaotic future in front of us,” said Brig. Gen. Joseph L. Osterman, “which also portends a potentially busy time for the Marine Corps.”

The campaign was launched after research indicated Millenials, their target, strongly resonate with the idea that the military exists to serve those in need.

“Most people hear the sounds of chaos and run in the opposite direction,” intones the ad’s narrator.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, news

Could Manning Be Good For Tim Tebow?

A collective groan went up around the office yesterday when news of Peyton Manning’s anticipated signing with the Denver Broncos was first reported by ESPN. It’s not that the folks around me dislike Peyton Manning, who in addition to being a certain future Hall of Fame quarterback, is also a very good guy.

It’s just that, to quote Sue McFadden, a colleague on my team, “I love my Timmy.” In fact, her Facebook status summed up the sentiments of many, I think:
“I’m allowing myself 24 hours to be pouty over this Peyton Manning thing, then I’ll move on.

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

When Women Do Brave Things

On Saturday, thirty-nine young women, each one representing a year of legalized abortion nationwide since 1973, began a walk of 250 miles in southern Texas. Over the course of the next 19 days they’ll cover the distance between the nation’s largest abortion center in Houston to the courthouse in Dallas where the case of Roe v. Wade was first heard.

The journey is being sponsored by an organization called Back to Life, whose founding mission is to stir America’s conscience to the injustice and tragedy of abortion.

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