faith Archives

Four Essential Questions for Being Wise with Your Words

When we talk to people who believe differently than us, do we think before we speak? Author and internationally known public speaker Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is joining me on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly to share practical ideas for speaking the truth in love.

Being nice is easy. It’s how we act toward someone with whom we share common ground. Kindness requires something deeper. Kindness engages in civil dialogue with others even though they hold different religious beliefs, social values, or political viewpoints.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family October 9, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Bringing Home the Prodigals

Few things are as painful for Christian parents as a child who turns away from his or her faith. Often mixed with that sadness is the parents’ guilt. In their minds, they’ve failed in their efforts to lead their child to Christ.

But effective parenting isn’t black and white. We can’t be perfect parents any more than we can be perfect human beings. We all fail. In addition, as children grow older, they become more independent and make their own choices.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family October 8, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Build a Winning Game Plan for Your Marriage

Marriage is a unique gift from God. He takes two people – who are often complete opposites – and puts them together with the task of moving forward in unity.

But what happens when times get tough and circumstances change?

Well, couples who have a purpose, a direction, and a plan work through their struggles together and overcome their difficulties as a team.

Couples who don’t have a purpose, a direction, and a plan drift.

And what’s the solution for couples who begin to drift?

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, marriage October 2, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Bringing Good News to Kids in Public School

For more than 45 years, elementary students across America have had a legal right to attend elective offsite Bible classes during their public-school day. “Released time” laws allow students to attend religious training opportunities of their choice.

Bible2School (B2S) is one such program. Located in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho and Texas, B2S isn’t extracurricular; it takes place during the school day and, according to the Supreme Court, is a protected Constitutional right in all 50 states.

Topics: Uncategorized Tags: faith, family September 29, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Teach Your Children to Have Meaningful Conversations

Maddie and her 13-year-old son, Justin, heard Jim Daly while in the car together. They heard me say that junior high kids want their parents to listen to them. Right there in the parking lot, Justin said, “He’s right, Mom. I’d love it if you’d just listen to me sometimes.”

Good listening is a skill. Teenagers don’t open up very often, so when they do, take advantage. When my son, Trent, was younger, he got chatty at night.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 19, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Living for Others

Entitlement is a lie. It deceives us into believing that we deserve reward without effort. The trouble is, we’re not given a good life. We earn it through commitment, dedication and sacrifice.

That profound truth was beautifully captured in the movie Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks’ character, Captain John Miller, leads a group of men on an extraordinary mission behind enemy lines: find Private James Ryan, whose three brothers have died in combat. The men succeed in their mission but at a steep cost.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 17, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Making the Most of Time with Your Grandkids

My two boys are grown and live on their own, but fatherhood is probably still a few years off, which means grandparenting for Jean and me is also a few years off. We’re looking forward to it.

In the meantime, I’m thinking about the kind of grandfather I hope to be and how God might want to use me as a loving and positive influence in my grandkids’ lives. I have some questions. And I bet you do, too.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family September 8, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Creating a Strong Foundation for a Healthy Marriage

When you’re driving and approach an intersection, a traffic light communicates how to proceed:

A green light means move forward.

A yellow light means slow down and prepare to stop or move forward with caution.

A red light means stop immediately.

Author and marriage and family pastor, Scott Kedersha, advises dating couples to approach marriage the same way. Through the wisdom of friends, family, or a pastor or counselor, you can discern whether it’s safe to move forward, whether you ought to slow down and reconsider aspects of your relationship, or whether you ought to stop altogether instead of proceeding into an unhealthy marriage.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage September 4, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

When Change is Inevitable

Author John Maxwell says, “Change is inevitable. Growth is optional.” He means that we have two choices in life: embrace change and discover new potential, or avoid change and risk stagnation.

An example of the latter is the film company Kodak, once synonymous with photography. For nearly 100 years, the Eastman Kodak Company was the largest film and camera manufacturer in the world. It dominated the industry so completely that memorable snapshots were once referred to as “Kodak moments.”

But change is inevitable.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 3, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Transform Your Parenting with These Eight Powerful Tips

What strategies are most effective for raising kids with good character?

We get that question a lot here at Focus on the Family. Our answer is that there is no one size fits all, but one thing is required: intentionality. Setting our families on “auto pilot” and hoping everything turns out okay is not a fruitful parenting approach.

Every Christian parent wants happy and healthy kids who love the Lord and who have a good relationship with their mom and dad.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family September 2, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura