faith Archives

An Officer and a Gentleman

Lt. Col. (Ret) Richard Korthals, a beloved Focus volunteer for over a decade and a decorated veteran of World War II, passed away this past Sunday morning. He was just one month shy of his 89th birthday.

From the fields of his family’s La Crosse, Wisconsin, farm, as a young boy Dick would look with wonder to the skies, dreaming of one day becoming a pilot. His dream came true. He went on to serve our nation in the Army Air Corps of Engineers, ultimately tasked with flying a C-47 transport plane in the Philippines between 1943 and 1945.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, husband July 21, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

VIDEO: Defending Marriage on Capitol Hill

Focus on the Family has been proudly and consistently defending the sanctity of marriage for decades. The institution was created by God Himself as a sacred covenant between one man and one woman for the benefit of the human race. And despite efforts by a vocal minority to redefine this multi-millennial institution, we will never tire or grow weary in our ministry of upholding God’s plan.

Many of you are familiar with my friend and colleague, Tom Minnery, who serves as our senior vice president of public policy here at the ministry.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, policy, religious liberty July 21, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Blog: FOTF Featured in Christianity Today

As a reader of this blog, you’ll probably recognize the face on the cover of this month’s Christianity Today. It’s none other than the guy who usually writes in this space – Focus on the Family President Jim Daly. Jim’s been gracious enough to turn this platform over to me – the PR guy – today so I can urge you to give the accompanying article in CT a look. It is by far the most in-depth examination of our ministry’s passions and priorities as we move into what I like to call “Focus 2.0” – the next generation of helping families thrive.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, news, pop culture, staff July 8, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Casey Anthony Verdict

Lost amidst the media frenzy surrounding the Casey Anthony trial and her surprising acquittal of first-degree murder is the obvious fact we all know to be true:

Three-year-old Caylee was innocent, as is every child who falls victim to abuse. The death of a child is always tragic beyond words, and the particulars surrounding this case are almost too difficult and inconceivable to digest.

When you look into those eyes, what do you see? I see the sweetness of a little girl whose life has only just begun, who has hopes and dreams and wants but one thing: to be as loved as she is loving.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, family, parenting July 6, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Practice Makes You Dirty

My friend and colleague, Gary Schneeberger, is Focus’ vice president of communications. His office is right down the hall from mine and includes, among other things, a 7-foot-tall statue of Superman (that’s a story for another time). But among the many things on his desk is this little glass vase holding a pair of golf balls.

Now, I’ve been in many offices that contain golf balls from courses all over the world – from the famed St.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage June 22, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Shoes and Faith

Relatively little is known about the life of James the Just, the author of the epistle of James, and thought by many to be the half-brother of Jesus. As the first bishop of Jerusalem, and a peer to Peter and Paul and many other giants of the faith, James is, nevertheless, revered as a hero of the early church, and for good reason.

Of course he affirmed the divinity, resurrection and redeeming power of Jesus, but he’s best remembered for not only preaching right doctrine – but for believing and teaching that living out our faith can transform a broken and battered world.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 10, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Win a Trip!

ATTENTION! I’m out of town today, but just wanted to make sure you were aware of a great contest here at Focus that will be wrapping up next week:

Tell us about a Courageous Parent you know…We’ve all come across people like this, difference-makers who go “above and beyond” to better the lives of kids and teens. We want to hear about these special men and women. To honor the Courageous Parent you have in mind, share your story with us.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, events, faith June 9, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

No Candy Cane For You!

America has become a peculiar place, especially for people of faith in general, and Christianity in particular.

Last week, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments involving a religious discrimination case out of Plano, Texas. Students of several elementary schools in that district have been strictly prohibited from referencing Christmas and even vague Christian references and symbols.

This means that red and green Christmas colors are banned from the classroom in December, and students who write cards to soldiers or shut-ins at retirement homes are not permitted to write “Merry Christmas” on any of the correspondence.

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

If You’re Angry or Irritated

It’s challenging to tell someone you love that you’re angry with them. Even with the best of intentions, hurt feelings come easily.
Our counselors here at Focus regularly help with questions of this nature. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal dealt with this very issue, and so I asked them to review the author’s suggestions. They affirmed much of what was written, but offered a few other thoughts. I’d like to share their response with you now:

Slow Down.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family May 13, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Confrontation of Evil

I hope you’ve been tuning into our three-day program with best-selling author, Eric Metaxas. We’ve been discussing his biography of Nazi resistance leader Dietrich Bonhoeffer, titled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.

Monday’s program is available by clicking here; Tuesday here and today, here. For now, I’d like to share with you a review of Eric’s book that was originally published in Citizen Magazine.

The Road to Freedom

Paul J. Batura

From beginning to end, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer reads like something of an implausible if not impossible script:

A dashing young German genius receives his Ph.D.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith May 4, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura