faith Archives

Listen: Adventures in Odyssey Christmas Special!

I think both parents and children would agree that one of the best things we’ve ever come up with here at Focus on the Family has been Adventures in Odyssey, the radio drama for children ages 8-12.

When it first began, a lot of people were skeptical the venture could be successful in the age of television, movies, and other visual entertainment. But our Adventures in Odyssey team members are some of the most talented and creative in the business, and this little radio program that could has been capturing the hearts of young and old alike for almost 30 years.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith, family, kids, parenting December 23, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would You Eat With Sinners?

Today, we’re continuing with the “Best of” 2015 broadcasts. Over the next couple of days, we’ll be digging into the latest edition to the That the World May Know video series titled, Israel’s Mission: A Kingdom of Priests in a Prodigal World. God’s Word is always timely, but given the seismic shifts in culture in recent years the message for this film set is especially meaningful.

Using the parable of the prodigal son as the backdrop for his lessons, Ray Vander Laan explores God’s mission for His people to a lost and broken world.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, friendship December 22, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Do You Need a New Perspective?

Author and speaker J.John tells this story.

At the end of a long work day, an employee was leaving his factory, pushing a wheelbarrow through the gate to head home. Inside the wheelbarrow was a small box.

The security guard stopped the man and said, “What have you got in your wheelbarrow?”

“I’ve got a small box,” he said.

“I know you’ve got a small box,” the guard said. “What’s in the box?”

The worker replied, “The sawdust from the floor.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith December 15, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

One Man’s Dramatic Conversion From Islam

Have you reached the point where you’re afraid to turn on the nightly news or pull up your favorite news app on your phone?

Who could blame you? With every new headline, you risk being confronted with yet another report about an ISIS-led/inspired terrorist attack. Some days you may even hang your head low and wonder if the Lord’s light really is able to pierce through the darkness and change the hearts of people so committed to hatred and evil.

Topics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith December 14, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Where to Find Strength For a Terminal Health Battle

“Why do bad things happen to good people?”

It may be one of the most common questions we ask when we’re in pain. Maybe that’s because suffering is more than just an inconvenience. It shakes our lives to the core, leaving us so disoriented and confused that nothing seems to make sense.

Suffering is universal. At one time or another, all of us will have our world turned upside down. In fact, Scripture and life itself plainly teach that every one of us will take our last breath one day.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage December 11, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

To Honor Officer Swasey & Other Victims of Violence, We Must Pursue a Culture of Life

Our hearts have been heavy this past week with the tragic news of shootings in both California and Colorado. As I write, details of the rampage in San Bernardino are still coming in. We’ll be processing and evaluating the news in the coming days.

Garrett Swasey, the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs police officer who was murdered last week outside a local Planned Parenthood clinic, will be memorialized on Friday afternoon, just up the road from our ministry’s headquarters.

Topics: Current Events Tags: church, faith, news, pro-life December 3, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Listen to the 14 Most Popular Programs of the Year

Each December and January we re-air a selection of our best-loved broadcasts of the year. It gives our listeners a second chance to listen and benefit from the God-centered, practical marriage and family advice that has become a hallmark of the Focus on the Family broadcast. It also gives our friends an opportunity to recommend a favorite program to a friend.

The next few weeks will be busy for everyone. In order to make things easy for you, I wanted to list the upcoming broadcast schedule.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage, parenting December 2, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Liz Curtis Higgs and The Women of Christmas

Has it ever occurred to you that so many traditions of Christmas are actually sterilized versions of historical truth?

There are the lights and decorations; the smell of cookies, pies, and freshly cut Christmas trees; the music of choirs and carolers. The air is filled with the joy of the season.

It’s beautiful imagery that, in almost every way, stands in stark contrast to the dark, difficult circumstances surrounding the very first Christmas.

Case in point, let’s consider the lives of three women who lived it:

Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family November 30, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helpful Ways to Cope with Family Holiday Stress

This time of year is supposed to be the most joyous, but it’s often the most stressful.

A big reason for that is the amount of expectation we pour into the holidays.

Think about it.

We put expectations on ourselves and our family members, and they have expectations for how they want things to go as well. It’s a special time of year, and we want the house to be perfect, the gifts to be perfect, the meals to be perfect.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family November 27, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Five Tips for Making This Thanksgiving One of the Best Ones Ever

Thanksgiving is one of the great American holidays, a time dedicated to the deliberate expression of gratitude to the Lord for this country and our many blessings.

If you’re like my wife, Jean, you’ve been shopping and preparing the last few days. Perhaps you’ve cleared your house of extra clutter, wiped the fingerprints off the fridge and aired out the stuffy guest room. The serving platters are out of storage and your overnight guests might even be on their way.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, family, relationships November 25, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura