Daly Focus Blog
Last night’s Democrat-led Senate filibuster of the Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that would make it illegal to abort a baby after 20 weeks, is an egregious and cowardly case of radical ideological politics coming at the expense of innocent life.
The Senate needed 60 votes in order to advance the bill. In the end, 51 senators voted for it and 46 against. Three Democrats crossed the aisle to support life – Joe Manchin (West Virginia), Bob Casey Jr.
Several colleagues and I were in Washington D.C. last week for our Evangelicals for Life Conference along with the annual March for Life.
A few observations:
Last week’s massive March for Life rally on the Mall unfolded in familiar fashion. Just before noon, pro-life stalwarts from every state convened to stand in solidarity, many of them carrying signs declaring life as the better choice. It was the 45th consecutive gathering and the longest-running demonstration of its kind.
Nobody yet knows why a 15-year-old student opened fire today in Benton, Kentucky, at Marshall County High School.
The latest reports suggest this morning’s horror resulted in the death of two 15-year-old students, one boy and one girl, along with more than a dozen wounded students.
Over the years, school shootings have become an all-too-familiar tragedy.
At an afternoon press conference, Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin remarked, “These children belong to this community, and to specific families in this community.
Two-hundred and thirty-two years ago yesterday – January 16, 1786 – the Virginia General Assembly passed the Virginia Statute of Religious Freedom, legislation ensuring that no citizen would have to choose between their personal faith and the law of the land.
Prior to the American Revolution, Baptists were being harassed and arrested for worshipping in their own homes. Pastors were even being incarcerated.
It was amid this atmosphere that led Thomas Jefferson to pen, in part:
“All men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.”
Over two centuries later these foundational principles, which are enshrined in the First Amendment, are now tenuous and under assault.
Focus on the Family and The Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) are once again co-hosting Evangelicals for Life, the only major prolife conference for evangelicals in conjunction with the March for Life, the flagship pro-life event.
The Evangelicals for Life event debuted in 2016, and was designed to help invigorate the evangelical pro-life community to greater service and involvement in the pro-life cause.
This year’s event will take place on Jan. 18–20 at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C.
I didn’t have a dog (no pun intended, Georgia fans) in last night’s national championship college football game, but an exclamation point was put on the dramatic finish when Alabama’s winning quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, spoke with the press following the overtime victory.
“My parents would be mad, so excuse me,” he began, “but first and foremost I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with Him, all things are possible and that’s what happened tonight.”
When asked what the victory meant to him, he talked about being overwhelmed by the win but also went on to say,
“All glory goes to God.
According to billionaire Richard Branson, the secret to making and keeping your New Year’s resolutions is a pen and piece of paper.
“It’s time to get your New Year’s resolutions down on paper,” he recently wrote. “The simple act of writing it down will help you stick to it. Share your goals with your family and friends but ultimately it’s down to you to make your resolution happen in 2018.”
Goal-setting can be very effective, but as we head off into an uncharted new year, I want to ask you a related question, but with a twist:
What if you made a commitment this year to STOP doing so many things?
In 2017, Focus on the Family celebrated 40 years of strengthening marriages, equipping parents, speaking on behalf of those who can’t speak for themselves and addressing public policy issues affecting the family.
“It’s an honor to be part of 40 years of strengthening millions of families,” Focus on the Family President Jim Daly expressed. “Our work in helping couples in crisis has contributed to over 170,000 marriages saved in 2017 alone. There are similar stories about people’s lives changed for the better through our efforts in evangelism, parenting, advocacy for children and engaging the culture, as well.
Our spirits are uplifted when we see ordinary men and women who overcome amazing obstacles in their lives through unwavering faith.
Like Corrie ten Boom. Almost 34 years after her death, she is still a spiritual giant for millions of Christians around the world. We’re drawn to her because she was a common person who had moments of doubt, but who also had tremendous faith in God.
While imprisoned in a German concentration camp, her barracks were overrun with lice.
Some are calling it a “Christmas Miracle”!
I’m talking about Chick-fil-A’s decision to open yesterday (Sunday) in order to deliver thousands of meals to stranded passengers inside Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport.
A nearly 11-hour power outage crippled the world’s busiest transportation hub – and at the start of the busy Christmas travel season, no less.
The popular restaurant chain saw the need and worked with Atlanta’s mayor to help bring some timely and tasty relief.
My family jokes about wishing we could stop at Chick-fil-A on the way home from church, but honestly, I’m not at all surprised by their decision to break with their long-held tradition.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
