Jim Daly

Loved from the Inside Out

At an orphanage in Guatemala, author Dave Willis saw how deeply love can change a person’s life. Most of the children at the facility had been rescued from sex-traffickers or abusive families. Like Margarita, who had been abused by her father and uncle. Everyone who should have protected her wounded her instead.

When she arrived at the orphanage, she hardly spoke and didn’t trust anyone – especially men. John and Jessica, the couple who ran the orphanage, did their best to love Margarita and to help her feel safe in every way that they could.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family

Invisible Things

When Albert Einstein was a little boy, his father gave him a compass. The moment changed his life. No matter what direction he faced, the needle always pointed north. It was the first time he realized that something invisible influenced the universe.

You and I are so used to invisible things that we rarely give them a second thought. We can’t see air, but we experience its influence every time it fills our lungs or blows through our hair.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family

Discovering the Secrets to a Lifelong Romance

Why did you get married?

To work a job?

To do laundry?

To pay bills?

Of course not. Yet, many couples wind up with marriages in exactly that kind of “ho-hum” condition.

After the euphoria of the wedding ceremony fades, life settles into a daily routine of often-mundane activity. Careers are chased, children are born, and ever-larger homes are purchased requiring greater amounts of time and money to maintain. Before long, a relationship once nourished by hours on the phone together becomes two people who only talk when they’re discussing something practical, like finances or the kids’ schedules.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage

Cultivating a Mentally Healthy Family

Since COVID has it been more difficult than you expected for your family’s emotional well-being to “get back to normal”?

It has been for a lot of families. That’s why I’ve invited my colleague, Dr. Danny Huerta, to join me on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Cultivating a Mentally Healthy Family.” Dr. Huerta is a speaker, author, and vice president of Parenting and Youth here at Focus. He oversees our initiatives that equip mothers and fathers with biblical principles and counsel for raising healthy, resilient children.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: family, parenting

The Ol’ Ball and Chain

There’s a satirical video on social media that highlights a common marriage stereotype. It begins with a young woman accepting a surprise marriage proposal. The moment she says yes, the footage switches to clips of her toiling away in domestic drudgery. One moment, she’s enraptured by the beauty and romance of marriage. The next, she’s buried beneath dishes, laundry, and buckets of soapy water.

Negative stereotypes about marriage don’t end there. Some people refer to their marriage as a life sentence with no chance for parole.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting

Using Your Unique Personality to Share Your Faith

What stirs in your heart when you read Matthew 9:37-38? “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”

What about Mark 16:15? “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’”

Do verses about evangelism like these excite you? Or do they fill you with anxiety?

For extroverts like me, connecting with people about the Christian faith is somewhat natural.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith

The Empty Nest Years

If your children have launched into adulthood recently, congratulations! You’re entering a new chapter of life called “The Empty Nest Years.” On the horizon ahead of you are obstacles to overcome and exciting new opportunities to take advantage of. The question to answer in this season of life is, “How do I move forward with purpose?” To that end, allow me to offer a few suggestions.

Start putting your kids’ childhood behind you. Letting go of the parenting phase of life isn’t always easy, but it’s important to do.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting

Earn, Save and Give All You Can

If your boss offered you a big raise, can you think of a good reason to turn it down? Coach Tony Bennett, the University of Virginia men’s basketball coach, had the best reason of all: to bless other people.

In 2019, Coach Bennett’s team won their first NCAA Championship title in program history. As a reward, the university offered Bennett a substantial raise. Although he was grateful for the offer, Coach Bennett rejected it. “I have more than I need,” he said.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family

Inviting God into Your Dating Relationship

In order to stand at a wedding altar and say, “I do” with confidence, couples must first understand who they are as individuals. Only a person with a healthy sense of “I” can give to the marriage as much as he or she receives.

A thriving marriage doesn’t erase individuality. It celebrates it. It puts one’s individuality to work in service of the relationship, molding two people into one while encouraging each person’s individual flames to burn bright.

Continue ReadingTopics: Uncategorized Tags: family, marriage

Finding Hope for Lasting Relief from Depression

Author Dr. Gregory Jantz can personally relate to those who suffer from depression. Not only is he founder of the Center: A Place of Hope, a clinic for treating depression and other mental health challenges, but he has also experienced depression himself.

At one time, he struggled to get out of bed in the morning, and life seemed dull and hopeless. He worked too much, ate poorly, adopted a sedentary lifestyle, and struggled with caffeine addiction, insomnia, and low spiritual interest.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith

Loved from the Inside Out

Invisible Things

Discovering the Secrets to a Lifelong Romance

Cultivating a Mentally Healthy Family

The Ol’ Ball and Chain

Using Your Unique Personality to Share Your Faith

The Empty Nest Years

Earn, Save and Give All You Can

Inviting God into Your Dating Relationship

Finding Hope for Lasting Relief from Depression

Daly Focus

Jim Daly Blog

Connect with Me