faith Archives

Walking Through the Healing Process

Pain has been called “the gift that no one wants.” And with good reason. Pain is a very real part of life – for all of us.

Many of you know my story. My mom died when I was nine years old. My stepdad abandoned me and my siblings within hours of her funeral. A few years later, my biological father died of alcoholism, and I spent several years in foster care. I got through it all mainly because of Christians like my football coach, who inspired me to turn to Christ and walk a path of hope and healing.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Bracelet That Can Change Someone’s Life

Bracelets as a form of fashion go back thousands of years, whether as jewelry made of gold, silver or even wood.

In recent years, though, bracelets have been used to help communicate a message or champion a particular cause.

My friend, Randy Hatcher, co-founder of Explore Your Faith, recently alerted me to a neat bracelet his organization is distributing. Here is how they describe it:

The bracelet is intended to be a relational, live, Gospel conversation starter.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 9, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Using Your Unique Personality to Share Your Faith

What do you feel when you read this Scripture? “Then he said to his disciples, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest’” (Matthew 9:37-38).

What about this one? “And he said to them, ‘Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation’” (Mark 16:15).

Do verses like these about evangelism excite you? Or do they strike fear into your heart?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith April 5, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Examining the Evidence of Easter

Author Lee Strobel is a skeptic by nature. As legal editor for the Chicago Tribune for many years, he was trained not to accept anyone’s word at face value. Every fact was confirmed by at least two sources before it was printed. They even hung a sign in their newsroom which said, “If your mother says she loves you, check it out.”

Lee’s skepticism eventually became cynicism … and then atheism. “If there is no God,” he reasoned, “if there is no heaven, and no ultimate accountability, then the most logical way for me to live is as a hedonist, someone who only pursues pleasure.” And that’s what he did.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: easter, faith April 2, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Four Reasons You Can Believe With Confidence that Jesus Really Rose from the Dead

The essence of our Christian faith rests on the reality of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead on Easter Sunday.

Although C.S. Lewis is often credited with the succinct summary that Jesus Christ was either a liar, lunatic or Lord, it was the Scottish Christian preacher “Rabbi” John Duncan who once observed in 1859:

“Christ either [1] deceived mankind by conscious fraud, or [2] He was Himself deluded and self-deceived, or [3] He was Divine. There is no getting out of this trilemma.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: easter, faith March 31, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus

I love meeting new believers in Christ. Their faith is so alive and vibrant that it bubbles over into every area of life, and they want to serve and worship Him at every opportunity.

Do you remember feeling that way?

Unfortunately, we can lose passion for our faith over time. We get busy with work, children, and household responsibilities, and the fire that once burned bright for Christ begins to fade.

If you’re wondering how to keep your passion alive or to reignite it if it’s gone dull, tune in to our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Reigniting Your Passion for Jesus.” We’re speaking with Kim Meeder, author of the book Revival Rising: Embracing His Transforming Power.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family March 11, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Your Faith as a Family

Is your home a lighthouse?

The purpose of a lighthouse is to shine brightly through the darkness so that people on the open water can make it safely to shore.

That imagery illustrates the profound nature of the Christian life. In Matthew 5:14-16, Jesus says, “You are the light of the world” and then encourages us to let our “light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in Heaven.”

A Christian’s home ought to shine with God’s love and grace and be welcoming to the neighborhood around it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family March 10, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Journeying from Tragedy to Triumph

Would you be able to forgive the person who shattered your life?

In a recorded message on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Journeying from Tragedy to Triumph,” Bryan Koch shares how a drunk driver turned a pleasant Sunday afternoon motorcycle ride into a horrendous tragedy for his family.

After a lovely summer afternoon drive, Bryan and his wife, Lynn were less than a mile from their home when their motorcycle was run off the road by a driver whose blood alcohol level was four times the legal limit.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith March 3, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sudden Cardiac Arrest: A Survivor’s Story

Give her an opportunity, and Pamela Christian will gladly tell you about the day she died.

It all began during an afternoon of tennis with girlfriends. She had been battling stomach problems all morning, a problem she dismissed as indigestion. But after a few practice swings, she started feeling short of breath and lightheaded, too much for the amount of exertion her warmup required.

In a matter of minutes, she began vomiting and collapsed to the ground.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith February 22, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Using Your Love Language to Grow Closer to God

What is God’s love language?

I’m sure your familiar with Dr. Gary Chapman’s take on the five love languages:

AffirmationActs of serviceQuality timeReceiving giftsPhysical touch

Understanding the concept helps us strengthen our relationship with our spouse and with our children by expressing love to them in the specific ways they feel that love. The five love languages are how we feel love from others as well.

Because we were created in God’s image, we each feel God’s love and presence primarily in one or two of these ways.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith February 9, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura