Jim Daly

Skipping or Plunking Along

In Russia, it’s called “baking pancakes”, in Poland, “letting the ducks out,” in Ireland, “skiffing” and in the Ukraine it’s known as “letting the frogs out.” But in our house, and I suspect in yours, too, it’s simply called “skipping rocks.”

A few nights ago, after a long day at the office and an hour or so before the sun set behind the mountains, I took our boys, Trent and Troy, over to Monument Lake to teach them the fine art of skimming stones.

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

The Lure of Fictional Legends

Somebody once suggested to me that the majority of successful entrepreneurs usually have two things from their past in common: The loss of a parent at a young age—and a paper route.

I was reminded of that while reading the Wall Street Journal recently. Douglas Belkin’s piece this past Saturday titled, “Superman Birthplace is Restored,” offers some interesting background information on the creation of the famous comic strip-turned television-turned movie character. And it actually has a lot to do with what we’re trying to do here at Focus on the Family.

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

The Lessons Money Can’t Buy

Every now and again, I’m struck by how relevant the popular author Ken Blanchard’s managerial adages are to family life.

Probably best known for his blockbuster book, The One Minute Manager, the sought-after business guru is regularly reminding his audiences to “Catch people in the act of doing something right.” It’s a tactic I try to employ around the office of Focus on the Family, but it’s not a bad habit for parents to use at home as well.

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Get Your Game On

Former NFL Head Coach Joe Gibbs knows a thing or two about football, having taken the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl eight times, winning three. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this champion expanded his playing field to include the creation of his own NASCAR team. Driven by the pursuit of excellence, his Joe Gibbs Racing team captured three NASCAR Championships.

Joe stopped by Focus on the Family Monday to record a broadcast in which he tackled a different topic: doing life God’s way.

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When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

By now you’ve heard about the murder of a wealthy Pensacola couple named Byrd and Melanie Billings. They were found shot to death inside their nine-bedroom home this past Thursday night, the apparent victims of a robbery gone bad. Late Sunday night, police investigators announced the arrests of two suspects, though more are expected.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said, “We are very anxious to share this story … it’s going to be a humdinger, I’ll tell you that.”

Actually, it already is.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: adoption, events, faith, family, news

Hogging the Highways and Byways

In 2007, I took up a new hobby: crusing the countryside on a rented Harley. That foray into Harley riding and leather duds has turned into an annual gathering of guys. Last year ten of us hit the trail to Vail. About a week ago, five of us took off for Estes Park. This time out, retired Major Leaguers Dave Dravecky (Padres, Giants), Frank Pastore (Reds, Twins), Tim Burke (Expos, Mets, Yankees), joined Mark Stapleton, a businessman from Nevada, and myself for a ride to remember.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith, friendship

More Families Like the Obamas

Several months ago, during the news conference at which Dr. Dobson announced he was stepping down as Chairman of the Board of Focus on the Family, the media were on hand in full force. I was there to support him in that watershed moment. After Dr. Dobson was finished with his remarks, I had a few minutes to speak with the reporters who had come to our campus.

The first question I received was this: ”How does this move change the future of Focus?” I said that the media is often critical over our efforts in the public square which can, at times, overshadow our core mission, namely, strengthening marriage and families.

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

Help Me, Hillary

A remarkable event happened recently which was largely ignored by the media. Earlier this year Secretary of State Hillary Clinton accepted the 2009 Margaret Sanger Award, the highest honor offered by Planned Parenthood, named after their founder, a noted eugenicist. If you’re unfamiliar with eugenics, it’s an approach to “improving” the human race through the process of “selective breeding.” Yes, for those who know about World War II, this was one of many theories embraced by the Nazis.

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

I’ll Make a Note of It

The other day there was an issue that required parental attention in the Daly household. Trent was upset that he had been disciplined. I can’t remember whether the offense warranted a spanking or a timeout. Either way, Trent’s reaction was to run to his room and plop down into his soft, oversized-bean bag chair.

One of the things Jean and I try to do after we discipline the boys is to reaffirm our love for them.

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

Dinner: the Antidote for Risky Behavior

Ken Windebank, a colleague of mine, likes to ask a question of people, and I have begun to do it myself. The question is simple, “What’s one thing you did well as a parent?” The other day, for instance, I was meeting with a very successful financial manager in Southern California. I’ll call him Gary. I asked Gary that question and, after a brief pause, he said, “The best thing we did was to have dinner together as a family every night.”

Eating dinner together?