Daly Focus Blog
Do you remember the dreams you had for your life when you were finishing up high school and about to step foot into adulthood?
Dan Miller had a list of them. He wanted to be a physical education teacher, a pilot, and he dreamed of playing guitar in a band.
But all of that was nearly stolen away from him in the summer of 1955 when his life changed overnight.
After Dan graduated from high school, he had one foot firmly planted in his future.
The stories and scenes from Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon, have become tragically familiar. Once again, a calm and peaceful setting is disrupted by violent gunfire, a massacre wrought by an individual targeting people of the Christian faith.
From Columbine High School and New Life Church here in Colorado, to churches in Charleston, South Carolina, and Fort Worth, Texas, and now, a school in Roseburg, Oregon, a chilling pattern has emerged. Innocent and unassuming people, many of them young students for whom their love of God frames everything else in life, are increasingly becoming the casualties of a red-hot abhorrence of Christianity.
If you’ve just recently discovered our ministry, welcome to Focus on the Family.
As our longtime friends will agree, if you explore our websites, read our magazines, or listen to our radio programs, you’ll find a wealth of practical, everyday advice for parents – things like strategies for effective discipline and tips for helping kids thrive with their siblings or at school.
But there may be no more important wisdom we share with parents than the kind of topic we’ll be talking about on our broadcast today.
We’re deeply saddened by the tragic news of the shooting at Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, Oregon. News reports indicate the shooter, who later committed suicide, was asking those he captured to state their religion. If they identified as Christians, they were shot in the head. All others were shot in the leg. In total, 12 people have been reported killed and eight others have been wounded. Today’s massacre, which appears to have been religiously motivated, is reminiscent of the Columbine High School shooting where several students were specifically targeted and murdered because of their Christian faith.
Yesterday and today’s broadcast features an interview with Kevin Palau, president of the Luis Palau Association, and Sam Adams, the mayor of Portland from 2008 to 2012. As some of you may be aware, Sam was one of the first openly gay mayors in the United States.
Kevin and Sam’s unusual friendship began when the Palau organization went to city hall and said, “How can we help you address critical needs in the community that are going unaddressed right now?”
Sam and his administration were wary.
The line that separates the heights of success from the depths of despair is often razor thin.
Take our guests on today’s and tomorrow’s programs, for example.
Darryl Strawberry was a power hitting, eight-time All-Star outfielder who earned four World Series rings. In 17 seasons, he played for a number of Major League baseball teams, including the New York Mets and the New York Yankees.
But his career, and his life, were derailed by substance abuse, prison time, and dysfunctional family relationships that cost him two marriages and estranged him from his children.
Christians desire to serve God. We read His word and seek His will. Maybe we even pray, “God, break our hearts for the things that break Your heart. Give our hearts joy for the things that give Your heart joy.”
But our guest on today’s program, Pastor Eugene Cho, wonders, “Are we more in love with the idea of following Jesus than actually following the teachings of Jesus?”
That question isn’t some thoughtless accusation he levels against the church.
During a recent trip to Pennsylvania, I had the pleasure of meeting Amanda Pietrocola. Ms. Pietrocola and her family are friends of the ministry, and last summer she attended our Boundless conference. Amanda shared with me that she and her family had recently fostered two young girls. Their story provides a good snapshot of the realities associated with foster care. It’s rarely the neat and tidy Hollywood screenplay. While we enthusiastically champion foster care, we also think it’s important to paint an accurate picture of the challenges associated with the ministry.
I used to think successful people achieved great things because they faced less adversity than those who fail. But when I became an adult, I realized everybody encounters challenges of one kind or another. What matters is how we respond to the obstacles we face.
Probably no one communicates the truth of that concept better than best-selling author Malcolm Gladwell, our guest on today and tomorrow’s programs we’ve titled, “Battling Giants in Everyday Life.” His latest works tell the stories of people who not only overcame adversity, but in many ways those challenges became the catalyst for their success.
Today, on the 14th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, I want to share some thoughts I wrote during at the 10-year mark. So much of what I said then is, sadly, still applicable now at a time when our nation and its people remain divided among many lines. As we remember those we lost on 9/11, I hope we also remember the unity and brotherhood of that day. -JD
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“Ten Years Later”
On Sunday, our nation will mark the ten-year anniversary of 9/11.
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.
