church Archives - Page 2 of 16

This Quote Can Change Your Life and the Lives of Those You Love

The quote has been attributed to several people:

Plato.

Socrates.

Reverend John Watson.

Ian MacLaren.

As it turns out, Ian MacLaren is actually the pen name for the aforementioned Reverend John Watson, a Scottish author and theologian who lived the majority of his life during the second-half of the nineteenth century. He passed away in 1907 at the age of 57.

Ten years earlier, in 1897, the Reverend Watson was invited by the popular religious newspaper, the British Weekly, to submit a Christmas message.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, family, friendship December 13, 2017 by Jim Daly

Escaping the Prison of Your Past

“Why should I focus on my past? It’s over. I can’t change anything about it.”

Answer: If your past still affects your present, it’s not really in the past.

Wounds from our past can imprison us within ourselves. Satan is a master at dredging up old hurts and using them against us. Sinful and dysfunctional behavior today is often in reaction to the pain that litters our yesterdays.

Guilt, shame, bitterness, resentment, and anger are a long, slow path to destruction.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, church, faith November 16, 2017 by Jim Daly

In Honor of Veterans Day

John Murphy was on a routine training jump at Fort Bragg when it happened.

He’d just gotten home from a deployment to Afghanistan a couple of months before. John was a proud soldier who was so eager to serve, he dropped out of a full Army ROTC scholarship at Michigan State so he could go straight into active duty.

John grew up with godly parents who loved the Lord and who loved him. But he was a nominal Christian at best.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, church, faith November 10, 2017 by Jim Daly

Are “Thoughts & Prayers” Enough?

Do you get the feeling that we’ve crossed a line in this country?

I do.

As I mentioned yesterday, the most recent outburst of bloodshed and mayhem – the tragic gunning down of twenty-six worshipers at the First Baptist Church of Sutherland Springs, Texas – has left most of us breathless and reeling.

It’s dawning on us that, somehow or other, senseless violence has become the “new norm” in America.

Again and again celebrities, news anchors, and politicians have responded to this unthinkable situation with a familiar refrain:

“We’re sending thoughts and prayers to the victims and their families.”

Most of us appreciate their sentiments.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith November 8, 2017 by Jim Daly

Who is the Author of Your Faith?

When was the last time you drove by a beautiful building and marveled, not at the architecture, but at the foundation?

I remember years ago when Focus on the Family added a new building to our campus right outside my office window.

I got to watch the construction process unfold from the first shovelful of dirt until the final brick was mortared into place nearly a year later. It was fascinating to see crane operators swing steel beams through the air and skilled craftsmen, day by day, transform the structure’s “bare bones” into a beautiful addition to our ministry complex.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, church, faith December 2, 2016 by Jim Daly

Who Can You Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?

A great Thanksgiving-related story out of Phoenix this week, where an accidental text message from a grandma to a young man who wasn’t her grandson resulted in an unlikely inter-generational friendship.

The viral tale reminded me of another story some might call happenstance… but I know was God’s providence. I first shared this entry in 2013… and I think it’s worth reposting today. Hope you enjoy… -J.D.

***

She first saw the elderly gentleman at a cemetery on Thanksgiving morning.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, family November 22, 2016 by Jim Daly

Why I am Encouraged by the Prospect of a Trump Presidency

The unprecedented presidential election of 2016 has ended and we have witnessed a watershed moment in American political history. The most optimistic of assessments were exceeded for the Republican Party, and as a result America will have a GOP-dominated White House, House and Senate, and the majority of state houses and governorships as well.

We congratulate and offer our heartfelt prayers for President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence and all the winners. We pray for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and all those who were defeated.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, news, policy November 9, 2016 by Jim Daly

“Love One Another” – Even During Election Season

Many of my conservative friends don’t see eye-to-eye on this year’s election, and I suspect I’m not alone.

Scroll through social media, go to churches across the country – goodness, go to a family dinner table! – and you might see good, sincere Christians with differing opinions on who to elect for president and how to think through the voting process.

For some evangelicals, it might be the first time they’ve faced this level of disagreement with their family or church community over a presidential election.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, policy, relationships October 19, 2016 by Jim Daly

New Study Shows Religion is Good for the Economy

A new study puts a dollar value on faith in the United States – and it turns out religion is good for the economy. $1.2 trillion good.

Father-and-daughter researchers Brian Grim and Melissa Grim examined how much of an economic contribution religion makes in America, and provided conservative, mid-range and high estimates.

On the low end, looking only at the revenues of faith-based organizations, the figure adds up to $378 billion annually.

That’s a bigger amount than the global annual revenues of tech giants Apple and Microsoft – combined.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith September 23, 2016 by Jim Daly

The Epidemic Plaguing the Elderly

It’s a problem so big that some experts are calling it a public health concern. It impacts both a person’s emotional and physical wellbeing.

And while it can affect most anyone, this condition especially targets the elderly.

The problem I’m talking about?

Loneliness.

Complicating the issue of loneliness is that there’s a stigma around it. Some people might think loneliness is due to a “social weakness, or an inability to stand on one’s own,” according to a recent New York Times article on the topic.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, pro-life September 21, 2016 by Jim Daly