Daly Focus Blog
Toss a pebble into a lake, and the resulting ripple impacts the entire body. In the same way, you have the ability to positively influence your family by taking small steps that create big impact.
I know I’ve seen this principle in my own life.
My childhood story is not a pretty one. It involves divorce, death, and a lot of dysfunction.
I was only 5 when my father, who was an alcoholic, abandoned the family.
Do you ever feel spiritually stuck?
If so, you’re not alone. Research suggests that 80 percent of North American Christians spend three to four months of the year feeling disconnected from God. As a result, they might become frustrated with the church and they might stop growing in their faith.
If we’re being honest, we’d admit that this spiritual malaise can be an easy place to get to. We’re so easily distracted and overwhelmed by our technological gadgets and our busy lives that it’s all too easy to stop reading the Bible.
About 90 percent of today’s school-age children attend public schools – and they’re discussing a lot more than reading, writing and arithmetic in their classes.
Conversations on controversial topics like homosexuality, transgenderism and same-sex marriage now form a surprising part of a teen’s school life. Part of it can’t be avoided – these topics dominate the national conversation as courts hear case after case devoted to homosexual rights and same-sex marriage.
However, it’s also becoming apparent that an increasing number of schools are actively promoting views that are contrary to biblical teaching.
Since its founding in 1950, World Vision has put the teachings of Jesus Christ into daily practice around the world by feeding and caring for those in dire need. As a ministry, it’s been one the great gems of evangelical Christendom. The organization has made – and is making – a dramatic difference in the lives of countless individuals.
Which is why I was so perplexed and concerned after learning of their policy change allowing their employees to live in homosexual marriage.
Today the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments for two cases that will have far-reaching implications for our religious freedom: Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. Sebelius.
I’d like to ask for you to please pray about these cases – but before I go into specific prayer requests, I want to share a bit about why they’re so important.
Both cases have to do with objections the families who own these for-profit companies have to certain requirements found in the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare).
I’ve always been fascinated by the story of Peter cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest. It’s by no means a major part of the Passion, but it communicates quite a bit in just a few short sentences.
According to John’s Gospel (18:10), the servant’s name was Malchus.
But that’s all we know about this man, except that Jesus stepped in and miraculously healed him.
We don’t know anything about his family, his background or what happened to him after that fateful Thursday night.
Speaker and author Ann Kiemel comforted others with the comfort she herself received from the Lord (2 Corinthians 1:3-5). Now this woman with the soft voice and strong faith is in heaven, receiving her eternal reward.
Ann passed away Saturday after a difficult battle with cancer – but most of you know her because she so openly and bravely shared about her battle with infertility.
Through her books (she sold more than 20 million of them) and her numerous times on our broadcast, she told her story of multiple miscarriages.
This past weekend at the National Religious Broadcasters event in Nashville, I had the pleasure of meeting with a wide array of Christian leaders, executives and creatives, all looking to help spread the Good News.
Among those I met with were two very good friends, Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, who we’ve had the opportunity to work with on various occasions. These committed Christians were behind last year’s hit miniseries, “The Bible,” which helped make faith part of the national conversation and compelled many people to dust off their Bibles and read them again.
Chief Financial Officer.
The job title alone can be a little intimidating. It might conjure images of a serious, somewhat gruff individual who’s more interested in numbers than people.
I’m happy to say that Focus’ CFO, Dan Mellema, is nothing like the caricature would suggest.
Dan is a warm and friendly man with a real heart for our ministry and the people we help. He’s been with Focus since 1994 and has headed up our finances since 2011.
In various countries around the world, homosexuals are being beaten and even killed with their governments’ approval.
For example, in Nigeria, a recent law criminalizing homosexuality provides punishments, like whippings, to men who are caught having homosexual relations. The New York Times reports that crowds in the African nation are demanding their local officials to go even further, because local Islamic law requires the penalty for such an act to be death by stoning. In many places these same types of punishments are also meted out for other nonmarital sexual behaviors.
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.