broadcast Archives

Conquering Peaks and Valleys Through Friendship

Imagine hiking 500 miles across mountains, valleys, and seemingly endless prairie all while pushing your best friend in a wheelchair and rediscovering God – and yourself – along the way.

That may sound like a compelling movie plot, but it’s a true story for Justin Skeesuck and Patrick Gray.

Justin has a progressive neuromuscular disease called multifocal acquired motor axonapathy. It’s a genetic predisposition similar to ALS that was triggered by a car accident Justin survived when he was 16 years old.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, friendship June 1, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How Birth Order Affects Your Parenting

Children are unique, but they also fall into some fairly predictable categories.

One child is a reliable, conscientious, perfectionistic, opinionated, list-maker who likes things done well. Another child is more rough and tumble, but loyal and hangs tough through thick and thin. Yet another child is outgoing, relational, charming, and can persuade others to listen to their opinions – a good negotiator.

On our broadcast today, Dr. Kevin Leman says you can almost predict according to birth order which child will fit those descriptions.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, kids, parenting May 29, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Remembering the Fallen and Their Families on Memorial Day

Freedom comes at a high cost.

Today we want to pause and reflect with gratitude on all the brave servicemen and women who have died defending freedom. We honor those who have fallen and offer a humble and heartfelt “thank you” to every family who has lost a husband or a wife, a mom or a dad, a son or a daughter, or even a friend or a neighbor.

Thank you for your loved one’s sacrifice … and for yours.

Topics: Current Events/ Family and Home Tags: broadcast, events, faith May 28, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Focus on the Family Best Seller List

Week ending May 22, 2018

Swipe Right ( by Levi Lusko)
Through the Eyes of a Lion (by Levi Lusko)
Our Newlywed Kitchen (by Laura Schupp)
The Perfect Dad (by Rob Stennett)
Grace Based Discipline (by Karis Kimmel Murray)
Raising Kingdom Kids (by Tony Evans)
The Antelope in the Living Room (by Melanie Shankle)
A Lifelong Love (by Gary Thomas)
Kingdom Marriage (by Tony Evans)
The Marriage Builder (by Larry Crabb)
Love and Respect in the Family (by Emerson Eggerichs)
The Focus on the Family Guide to Talking with Your Kids about Sex (by J.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage, parenting May 25, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

God’s Grace for Those Trapped in Addiction

Gary Morland believes families are like a river – good and bad choices alike flow downstream across generations. Gary’s family of origin was an unhappy one. There was a lot of arguing and disharmony. His dad was an alcoholic. So was his grandfather, who left the family as a result of his addiction. Gary learned to accept dysfunction as normal and unchangeable. The influence of his past sent him on a 15-year journey down what he calls the “Rocky Rapids of Addiction.”

When Gary turned 21, his dad took him drinking, and for the next 15 years, three quarts of beer a day became his habit.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: addiction, broadcast May 24, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What to Do When You and Your Spouse Are Different

When Jean and I entered premarital counseling, we were goo-goo-eyed and knew that we were meant for each other. We enjoyed most of the same things and were alike in almost every way.

When we finished our last session a week later, that had all changed. We were both thinking, “Wow, we are nothing alike,” and we were wondering, “Are we going to be okay?”

At some point, every couple begins to recognize their differences. And something strange happens when they do: The whole idea of “two becoming one” gets turned into, “My spouse should become more like me.”

How do couples manage their differences effectively?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, husband, marriage, wife May 22, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Thriving in Your Role as a Dad

Do dads have to be perfect?

The answer to that question seems obvious: No.

But what if the answer is yes?

Nobody’s perfect, of course. We all fall short in word, thought, and deed every day. That’s why we need God’s grace.

But hold on. Even if the goal isn’t literal perfection, can’t every dad improve somewhere? This isn’t condemnation, this is a call for men to rise up and thrive as fathers. After all, being a dad is one of the most important jobs a man will ever have.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, kids, parenting May 21, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Recipe for Cooking Up a Happy Marriage

Some of the best influence on my boys’ future marriages takes place in our kitchen. That’s where Jean, I, and our sons gather to prepare the evening meal and catch up on our day.

Okay, Jean does most of the cooking, but the rest of us help out where we can. Most importantly, we’re all together. We talk about life. We talk about goals. We talk about success and failure. We laugh a lot. We’re doing more than fixing and eating dinner – we’re immersing our boys in relationship.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, marriage May 18, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Returning to a Godly Perspective on Sex and Romance

One of the most powerful forces God created for humanity exists in the realm of love, sex, and romance. The potential for both pleasure and blessing is virtually immeasurable. So is the potential for destruction.

As a group, Millennials and younger generations don’t tend to believe that. A significant percentage see sex as a purely physical experience. That shouldn’t surprise anyone. From an evolutionary standpoint, there isn’t anything sacred about sex. If there is no God, then sex is strictly biological.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, intimacy, marriage, wife May 17, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Disciplining Your Kids with Grace

It wasn’t the first time that Karis Kimmel Murray was confronted with how to discipline her young daughter, Riley, properly, but it was one of the more memorable.

At the end of a shopping trip at Walmart, Karis stopped by the shoe aisle for a new pair of flip-flops. Her daughter decided she’d sat patiently in the cart long enough. Karis allowed Riley down, but Riley didn’t just want out of the cart, she wanted out of the store … and Karis stood between her and that goal.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, discipline, family, kids, parenting May 15, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura