faith Archives

Don’t Give Up!

A colleague was recently telling me a story of a man whose son years ago was growing weary of balancing the rigors of college with two part-time jobs.

Here was a typical day for this 19-year-old student:

His mornings would begin in the pre-dawn dark, in the middle of the night, really, delivering newspapers out of his beat-up 1977 Chevy Malibu. After the final paper was tossed, he’d race home, shower, change and grab a Pop-Tart or bagel on the way out to class.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 12, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What If the Church Shut Down?

As you know, the United States federal government narrowly avoided a shutdown on Friday night. The impact would have been significant. In fact, nearly half of the 1.9 million civilian government employees could have been furloughed by today, complicating or delaying everything from Social Security filings to a class field trip to a national park.

This situation is not without precedent and larger budget battles still loom. But all the drama and dire talk has made me think:

What if the Church shut down?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith April 11, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Serendipity, Spagnuolo Style

Life is interesting.

I recently accepted an invitation to speak to a pregnancy resource center in St. Louis. It’s always an honor to meet these modern-day heroes. A few weeks prior to my visit, a member of the Focus team received a telephone call from a very kind Focus listener named Lory. Apparently Lory had been listening to a local Christian radio station in Missouri and heard an advertisement promoting the upcoming event and my participation.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, faith April 8, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tim Keller: Grace and Truth

As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, today and tomorrow’s Focus on the Family radio program features my conversation with Dr. Tim Keller of Redeemer Presbyterian Church. I hope you’ll tune in by clicking here.

Tim is obviously a very gifted man on many levels, but I am especially appreciative of the graciousness by which he conducts his ministry. He is not just an intellectual, a theologian or a best-selling author, but also a Christian gentleman.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, church, faith April 7, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would You Donate Your Kidney?

According to recent statistics, approximately 6,000 people in the United States donated a kidney last year – 3,000 to a blood relative and the other half to a friend. Just over 100 donated anonymously to a stranger.

Assuming you were a viable match and physically capable, would you donate your kidney?

I’ve been pondering that question ever since I learned that my brother, Mike, is donating his to a friend. The surgery is scheduled for next Friday.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 5, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

As I noted in Friday’s post, for baseball fans, the long wait is over. But one of the more endearing aspects of sports in general is that in the grand scheme of life, it’s all just a game. Play provides an escape, a chance to renew ourselves and spend leisure time with people we enjoy.

Sports can also serve up powerfully teachable moments. The other night someone forwarded me “one of those emails” – you know, the kind that is sweet and tender, but that you wonder if it’s true.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids April 4, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Golden Rules of Living

We’ve all heard of the “Golden Rule” – that ethic of reciprocity which instructs us to treat others as we might want to be treated. Someone recently sent me a list inspired by Jesus’ words in the Book of Matthew. The logic is simple and refreshingly blunt. You might tack this up on your refrigerator. It applies to young or old. Isn’t it true that very often the best advice is the most basic, too?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family March 31, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Day of Dialogue

If you have children in high school, I hope you’ll do two things:

Circle April 18th on your calendar.
Consider registering your school for the upcoming “Day of Dialogue,” which is being sponsored by Focus on the Family.

Let me tell you about it.

The Day of Dialogue dates back to 2005. It was conceived with a straightforward goal, mainly to encourage honest and respectful conversation among students about God’s design for sexuality. This is especially important during events like GLSEN’s Day of Silence.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, homosexuality March 29, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Last Survivor of World War I

When Army Corporal Frank Buckles returned from World War I in 1920, he was just another face in the crowd. Nobody stopped him to talk. He gave no interviews. He wasn’t invited to ride in any parades. He received no honors nor fanfare. In the icy cold of the January morning he simply stepped off the transport ship and slipped back into the quiet of civilian life.

What a difference 91 years can make.

Frank Buckles was laid to rest with full military honors yesterday at Arlington National Cemetery, the last surviving veteran of the “War to end all Wars.”

He was 110.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, policy March 16, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Great Advice

What’s the best parenting advice you’ve ever given – or received?

When Theodore Roosevelt was a young boy he asked his father for counsel on charting a career. Here is how he remembered the incident:

He gave me a piece of advice that I have always remembered, namely, that, if I was not going to earn (much) money, I must even things up by not spending it. As he expressed it, I had to keep the fraction constant, and if I was not able to increase the numerator, then I must reduce the denominator.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, faith, family March 11, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura