faith Archives

What a Boy Taught This Pastor

January is Sanctity of Human Life month, so it’s very fitting that I share with you some more about a film project Focus has been working on called The Drop Box. I’ve highlighted this touching documentary in this blog before, and you’ll be hearing more about it in the weeks to come. The documentary highlights the work of Pastor Lee Jong-rak who leads Jusarang Community Church in Seoul, South Korea.

The hallmark ministry of Pastor Lee’s church is its care for children that are left in its “baby box,” a warm, safe receptacle where an infant can be left anonymously instead of being discarded in a cold alley or a dumpster.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: events, faith, kids, news, pro-life January 6, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

An Unwanted Dog and the Woman She Rescued

Sometimes life’s pain can be so deep we lose ourselves in a fog of uncertainty and confusion. We struggle to see things that were once crystal clear – things like who God is and who we are in Him.

That was Laurie Sacher’s story. Broken dreams had stripped her of hope, leaving behind heartache and nagging questions about God’s character and His love for her.

But then a dog wandered into her life … literally. It was scraggly, blind, and homeless.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith December 26, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Break Free from a Troubled Past

We’ve all suffered heartache.

Even if we grew up in a loving home, we were raised by imperfect people who made mistakes, no matter how well-intentioned they may have been. So none of us escapes completely unscathed. It’s the reality of being born into a fallen world.

That’s a truth I know all too well.

I’ve openly shared about my troubled childhood. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s enough to explain that my mother died when I was nine years old.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith December 18, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Who’s the Better Christian?

Let’s try to guess which of these two men is doing more to expand the Kingdom of God.

We’ll call the first guy Kevin. Kevin gets up every morning at 5:30 a.m. and gets ready for a long commute into his downtown office where he works in middle management in the banking industry. He works hard because he has a family to support: a wife, three kids and a dog.

Calvin is our second guy – “Pastor C,” as the kids in youth group call him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, church, faith, pop culture December 3, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Spiritual Side of Dogs

Pick up any Christmas catalog this season, from L.L. Bean to Orvis, and you’re bound to see images of cute puppies and family dogs.

There sits a friendly retriever by the crackling fireplace, snuggled up on his tartan-plaid dog bed. Or there’s pajama-clad junior, hugging his new canine friend, a red bow around his collar.

There’s a reason the late Peanuts creator Charles Schulz once suggested that “Happiness is a warm puppy.”

Just see how many advertisements include a dog or a cat.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family December 2, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Gold Medalist Scott Hamilton, Wife Adopt Two Children

Gold-medal-winning Olympian Scott Hamilton and his wife, Tracie, recently doubled the number of children in their family. The couple, who already have two biological children, adopted a brother and sister from Haiti, reports The Today Show.

The Hamiltons first learned of Evelyne, 11, and Jean Paul, 13, two years ago in the wake of the devastating earthquake that hit the island nation through Tracie’s volunteer work. Tracie quickly fell in love with the pair after visiting one particular Hatian orphanage.

Topics: Current Events Tags: adoption, faith, pop culture November 28, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

WATCH: How This Church’s Gift Saves Lives

This Thanksgiving, I’m grateful for a small country church and its big-hearted members.

We first learned of Silver Lake Church of the Bible (Silver Lake, Oregon) from a simple letter. The story Pastor Leon Baker shared in that letter started in 2006.

After listening to a Focus broadcast, “The Lord laid it upon my heart to begin collecting for the purchase of an ultrasonic machine,” he wrote.

And for eight years, that’s what Pastor Baker and his congregation did.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: church, faith, pro-life November 26, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

14 Different Faith Traditions Agree on This

You may have heard of the recent interfaith conference on marriage at the Vatican. The three-day event brought together 14 faith traditions from 23 countries, and included the participation of prominent evangelicals such as Dr. Russell Moore and Rick Warren. Focus marriage expert Glenn Stanton also attended the event.

“The Complementarity of Man and Woman: An International Colloquium” served to gather leaders and scholars to examine marriage “in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society.” It reaffirmed the centuries-old belief shared by the different faiths that vital to marriage is the complementary nature of man and woman.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, marriage November 25, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Teaching Kids to Be Grateful

Isn’t it strange that in a nation nicknamed the “land of opportunity” that so many struggle to find happiness?

I think, in part, that’s because we haven’t learned the discipline of gratitude. I’m not talking about the brief moments here and there where we acknowledge God’s blessings. I’m talking about living a life of gratitude.

Maybe gratitude is difficult because cynicism is too easy.

By nature, I’m an optimist. But it’s easy to turn pessimistic from time to time.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith, parenting November 24, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why We Share the Blame for the Redefinition of Marriage

Facts are stubborn things,” wrote John Adams. “Whatever may be our wishes, our inclinations, or the dictates of our passion, they cannot alter the state of facts and evidence.”

And so, by that measure, there’s been a lot of conjecture and spin surrounding the push to redefine the sacred institution of marriage.

But what are the facts? Where does the issue concerning same-sex marriage currently stand?

Consider:

Same-sex marriage is now legal or nearly so in 35 states.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, marriage, news November 19, 2014 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura