Even if you consider yourself an atheist, protecting religious freedom is still in your best interest because religious freedom is foundational to every other freedom you enjoy.

Among the freedoms our forefathers protected in the Constitution, religious freedom is first on the list. The freedom to worship – or not to worship – is ours simply because we exist. It is given to us by our Creator – that is, God himself.

That’s an important detail because if a freedom is given to us by the government then the government can also take it away.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 17, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Has reality crushed your dreams yet?

It will, you know.

Not all of them, of course. But enough. Maybe you never had children, the career you hoped for, the marriage you dreamed of, or you never attained certain goals. We all have our lists.

Author Chrystal Evans Hurst understands that struggle. Like you and me, she’s also walked the road of discontentment. In college, she didn’t handle her new-found adult freedom very well and became a teenage mom.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 15, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

For my latest podcast out this week, I sat down with bestselling author and thought leader, Arthur Brooks. Arthur is president emeritus of the American Enterprise Institute.

For over an hour, we discussed a variety of topics centered around a popular topic of worldly conversation: 

Happiness.

When I think of the subject matter, I think about an unforgettable trip I took to Jakarta, Indonesia, many years ago for a speaking engagement. If you’ve never been there, it has some of the worst smog of any city in the world.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 10, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

According to a World Health Organization bulletin, more than 300 million people are now living with depression, an increase of more than 18% between 2005 and 2015.

Author Dr. Gregory Jantz can personally relate to those who suffer from depression. Not only is he founder of The Center: A Place of Hope, a clinic for treating depression and other mental health issues, but he has also experienced depression himself.

At one time, he struggled to get out of bed in the morning, and life seemed dull and hopeless.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 10, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Does belief in God really help us survive tough times?

Millions of believers around the world say yes. And so does research out of Notre Dame and Ohio State University, which examined the role of faith in overcoming life’s hardships. The study drew a strong correlation between a lack of religious faith and what is known as “death by despair” – death caused by suicide or by drug or alcohol overdose. Researchers found that people who claim no religious faith are much more likely to seek an escape from life’s hardships through unhealthy means, sometimes tragically so.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 26, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Longtime friends and readers will remember a book I wrote and released back in 2012 titled, “ReFocus: Living a Life that Reflects God’s Heart.”

The offering was motivated by a desire to encourage Christian believers to engage the culture in both a convicting and loving manner. The hostility facing followers of Jesus Christ is real and rising, and it’s tempting to respond in kind. Our faith calls for us to do the opposite.

In that same spirit, I’m delighted to announce that I’ve decided to launch a new podcast echoing many of these same themes – and I have the privilege of talking with individuals who have a lot to say about the subject.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 24, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If you’re unfamiliar with Christianity, or your passion for your faith has cooled, you’ll want to join us for our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Reasons to Believe in Jesus.”

We’re sharing a recorded message by author and British evangelist J.John. With plenty of humor, he explains why he is certain that the teachings of Christianity are absolutely true and reminds us why only Christ can fill our lives with real hope in the midst of the problems of this world.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 24, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Parenting is the toughest job in the world.

Why?

For one thing, you never truly master parenting. By the time you make sense of one stage of your kids’ lives, they’ve already moved on to the next. One minute you’re a Ph.D., the next minute you’re starting from scratch in “Parenting 101.”

Parenting is also tough because you can never resign or retire. From toddlerhood to adulthood, your role as a parent will change, but parenting itself never really ends.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 17, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Forgiveness is one of the most powerful forces in the world.

So, why is it so hard to do?

Because, while we want mercy for ourselves, we want others to be held accountable.

Jesus told a story about a servant who owed the king a substantial debt of 10,000 talents.  For reference, one talent was roughly equivalent to a year’s wages. A debt of 10,000 talents, then, meant the servant was hopelessly trapped in his miserable circumstances.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 13, 2023 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura