faith Archives

A Conversation with an Atheist

Comedian and illusionist Penn Jillette amazes audiences with his slight of hand tricks and such routines as the “Magic Bullet.” For more than a decade, he’s worked his magic six nights a week in Las Vegas with fellow magician Teller. Both members of the Penn & Teller duo are gifted performers who also happen to be advocates of atheism—the belief that there is no God.

For his part, Penn would be the first to admit that he can be crass, vulgar, and unapologetically opinionated about his lack of belief in God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pop culture September 22, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Civil Discourse Should Be Our Aim

Back in July I became a regular contributing panelist for The Washington Post/Newsweek blog “On Faith.” Yesterday I was asked to weigh in the need for more civility in our public discourse. Far too often I’ve observed what resembles a verbal “smackdown” between those who hold opposing points of view.

While exchanging heavy blows with an opponent might be expected in the land of World Wrestling Entertainment, my view is that something is desperately wrong when we resort to throwing verbal jabs.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 16, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Heavens Are Declaring, Are We Listening?

When I was a kid, I loved to stargaze.

Late at night I’d head outdoors to lay down on my back and lose myself in the canopy of the midnight blue sky. I still enjoy doing that, although it’s been a while. Over the years I’ve learned how to identify a number of the eighty-eight constellations. Of course, the naked eye can only see so much. That’s why I’m always fascinated when the Hubble telescope snaps new pictures of deep space which has a way of transporting me to worlds beyond ours.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 12, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Life-Changing Adventure in Odyssey

I don’t know about you, but Jean and I found the Adventures in Odyssey (AIO) radio drama a real lifesaver this summer. Whenever we were on the road for a long trip, we found AIO a perfect way to entertain our boys, Trent and Troy, while also immersing them in a number of important life lessons.

The first AIO aired November 21, 1987, about two years before I joined the staff of Focus on the Family and long before we had kids.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, kids, promos September 5, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Myth of Green Pastures

A number of years ago, Focus on the Family Films released an eye-opening video series entitled That the World May Know, hosted by historian and scholar Ray Vander Laan. Ray does a masterful job transporting us to the actual places where the stories of the Bible took place. Filmed on location in Israel, Ray offers “faith lessons” from the Holy Lands.

One of the things I like most about Ray is how he challenges my Western way of viewing the metaphors and events of scripture.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith September 5, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

God is Back

Prior to assuming the role as president here at Focus on the Family, one of my most exciting assignments within the ministry was leading and guiding our international division. As a vice president, I watched our broadcast spread into over 150 countries, garnering millions of new listeners over the course of several years. Additionally, our printed resources were beginning to be translated into dozens of different languages, reaching untold numbers of new believers. It was both humbling and incredible to see—not to mention exciting!

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith August 14, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Silence is Golden

A couple of days ago I blogged about our recent family vacation in which the four of us went completely “dark”—we exchanged the television, the radio, and the Internet for some serious peace and quiet. Even if we had wanted to use our cell phone, there wasn’t any coverage. All of the electrical umbilical cords tethering us to the frazzled pace of life had been cut.

This was by design. Jean and I planned the trip to have no contact with the outside world which, for five glorious days, allowed our family to pull inward.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, technology August 7, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Fun and Fear

Sometimes, a little fear can wind up being a lot of fun—instructive, too.

Jean and I took the boys camping last week up to beautiful Mueller State Park, a picturesque spot located just outside the town of Woodland Park, Colorado.

Our site was perfectly situated; a cozy corner of land nestled among towering pines and an Aspen tree grove. It was great not to have the pressure of keeping a schedule. To borrow a phrase, we had “gone dark” once arriving in the park.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family August 4, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

40 Years Ago Today

I’ve enjoyed the coverage these last few days revolving around the 40th anniversary of men landing and walking on the moon. If you’re in your mid-40’s, I suspect you can recall something about that special week in the otherwise tumultuous summer of 1969. You might even remember where you were when those famous words of Neil Armstrong echoed back to earth: “That’s one small step for man,” he said slowly and deliberately, “one giant leap for mankind.”

What a wave of nostalgia swept over Jean and me as we watched those grainy images again, this time with our own boys by our side.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, technology July 20, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Lure of Fictional Legends

Somebody once suggested to me that the majority of successful entrepreneurs usually have two things from their past in common: The loss of a parent at a young age—and a paper route.

I was reminded of that while reading the Wall Street Journal recently. Douglas Belkin’s piece this past Saturday titled, “Superman Birthplace is Restored,” offers some interesting background information on the creation of the famous comic strip-turned television-turned movie character. And it actually has a lot to do with what we’re trying to do here at Focus on the Family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting July 16, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura