Daly Focus Blog
My 30 year-old nephew, Bobby, is dying. He has cancer. Wicked cancer. A tumor is pressing against his lungs and heart and breathing has become extremely difficult. I have had the opportunity to see him these last few days. I’ve hugged him and told him how much I loved him.
There is such sorrow and such grief. It is so difficult to watch a loved one suffer and feel helpless beyond offering comfort and prayer. I really lost it yesterday and found myself crying deep tears from places unknown.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, staff by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
The Breakpoint commentary by Chuck Colson last Friday was exceptional. I thought you’d appreciate his compassionate yet biblically-based perspective in the following transcript:
Sacred Heart of Jesus School in Boulder, Colorado, recently informed the parents of two students that their children wouldn’t be re-admitted for next fall’s term. Normally, that would be a matter between the parents and the school and not the stuff of national news. But not this time. That’s because the parents in question are a lesbian couple.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, homosexuality, marriage by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
About a year ago the Lord impressed upon my heart the need to pray more often with my boys. That’s when I got the idea to start a family tradition called The Prayer Road. When Jean or I drive the boys to their charter school in the morning, we follow a road that cuts through a somewhat rural neighborhood. That’s our “prayer road.” As we drive, we intentionally don’t turn on Adventures in Odyssey, the radio, or listen to music.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, parenting by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
The latest Focus on the Family ad featuring our “Celebrate Family. Celebrate Life” message was banned last week by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Here’s what happened. In short, our agreement with CBS Sports to run the Tim and Pam Tebow ad in the Super Bowl included the placement of banner ads on various Web sites which the network maintains. One of those outlets was a Web site for the NCAA basketball tournament.
I should point out the banner ad had nothing to do with the topic of abortion or sexuality or any other “hot button” issue.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, news, pop culture by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Over the last several weeks I’ve been putting the finishing touches on my new book entitled, Stronger, which is scheduled to be released this fall. I realize the title might be a bit misleading. After all, it’s not a workout manual, a primer on pumping iron, or getting fabulous abs of steel. While I do have a treadmill in the basement and believe in physical fitness, the idea here has to do with building strength of character.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, promos by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
It’s true, isn’t it, that our best laid plans often go astray? Just looking back over this past week, I’m struck by how events have unfolded. Life is full of surprises! To be sure, we anticipated there would be interest in our first-ever Super Bowl commercial featuring Pam and Tim Tebow. If not, we wouldn’t have done it. But never in our wildest dreams did we think it would become the most “buzzed”-about spot leading up to the big game.
Topics: Focus Events Tags: faith, news by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
On January 1, 404 AD, thousands of spectators crowed into the Roman Coliseum itching to see a good fight—a fight to the death, that is. While the bloodthirsty fans took their seats in the stadium, dozens of Roman gladiators steeled themselves for the afternoon battle.
This was a kill or be killed contest.
Wearing colorful body armor, the gladiators marched around the perimeter of the battlefield. They raised their weapons of choice—a war chain, a three-pronged trident spear, a dagger, a net or lasso—to the cheers of the throng.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pro-life by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
I just read a letter from the Focus mailbag that convicted me of sometimes being shortsighted. It was written in response to a recent Focus broadcast by a woman I’ll call Maria.
About thirty years ago, Maria and her husband relocated to California with their one-year-old child. Not long after the boxes were unpacked, Maria decided to get plugged into her new community by volunteering with a number of Christian ministries. She was enjoying her new life and friends when a rather unexpected turn-of-events occurred: Maria discovered she was pregnant .
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, parenting by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
If you toss a pebble into the still, glass-like water of a pond, what do you get? Ripples scurrying across the surface of the water constantly moving in an outward, circular fashion from the point of impact. These gentle ridges of water form an ever expanding ring of motion as each wavelet multiplies the reach of the initial splash.
Since we’re in the middle of the Sanctity of Human Life week, let me apply that pebble-in-the-pond phenomenon to our pro-life work here at Focus on the Family.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, pro-life by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
When I, as a parent, hear about a disaster on the scale of what’s happening in Haiti, I immediately think about the kids affected by the largest earthquake recorded in Haiti. My heart goes out to the three-year-old who suddenly doesn’t have a mom or a dad. For reasons he cannot comprehend, one minute his parents were caring for him, the next minute they’re just gone. Now what?
Or the ten-year-old who, having lost her parents, finds herself becoming the parent to her younger siblings out-of-necessity.
Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, news by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
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.