faith Archives

Trump and Pelosi, Time to Turn the Other Cheek

Note: This article by Focus on the Family President Jim Daly originally appeared on CNN.

Inside the Washington, DC Hilton’s International Ballroom on Thursday, it was a scene straight from a script of a highly dramatic film.

Fresh off his acquittal in the Senate impeachment trial and seated at the head table before an overflow crowd for the 68th annual National Prayer Breakfast was President Donald J. Trump. Seated several seats over was Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi — the very woman who led the House of Representative’s impeachment proceedings against him.

Topics: Current Events Tags: current events, faith, prayer February 12, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Becoming a Messenger for Life

We live in a culture of contradictions.

When it comes to issues of race and sexual orientation, society shouts the virtues of human dignity from the rooftops. But when it comes to preborn babies, the terminally ill, or the severely disabled, society’s tone changes. Suddenly, ideas like “choice” and “quality of life” trump human dignity.

The Bible says we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). We all have tremendous worth and value to God from the moment of conception to natural death.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, pro-life February 10, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are Your Five Core Needs Being Met?

Human beings are designed with five core needs – five desires of our hearts that must be met for us to live lives of wholeness.

Security – who can I trust?Identity – who am I?Belonging – who wants me?Purpose – why am I alive?Competence – what do I do well?

Each of those is in their correct order, by the way. If you feel safe and secure, you’ll feel empowered to discover your identity – your deepest passions and strengths.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith February 4, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Adorable Child Warms Hearts and Reminds Us How to Pray

There are a lot of things we can learn from children.

Often, we can become so busy with the hustle and bustle of life, that we forget to take time for what matters most. For Christians, spending time in prayer and reading Scripture can too quickly become an afterthought.

I was reminded of this recently when I came across a video of an adorable schoolboy leading his fellow classmates in prayer before breakfast.

The boy folded his hands, bowed his head, closed his eyes and, with furrowed eyebrows, devoutly prayed:

“Father God, we thank you for this food.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: children, faith January 21, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Reaching Across Cultural Divides

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his iconic I Have a Dream speech on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C. in 1963. Dr. King spoke of his hope that America would one day live out its creed that all men are created equal, that men and women of diverse ethnicities would join together as brothers and sisters.

My guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Reaching Across Cultural Divides,” author and pastor Dr.

Topics: Current Events Tags: broadcast, faith January 20, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding Strength in the Midst of Disappointment

Genesis says that we were created perfect in the Garden of Eden. Revelation 22 describes the end of the age when God will create a new heaven and new earth, and our perfection will be restored.

There lies the rub: Between Eden and eternity, life is filled with disappointment, and we don’t always know how to handle it well. We push disappointment aside. We ignore it. We numb it. We bury it. We doubt God’s love for us.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith January 14, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Answering Your Kids’ Tough Faith Questions

Would you know how to answer these questions if a co-worker or a neighbor asked them?

Do all religions point to the same truth?If Christianity is the only true religion, why are there so many denominations?Why did Jesus die for our sins?

Would you know how to answer your children if they asked those questions? Answering in ways children can understand isn’t always easy.

You may feel like author Natasha Crain when she gave her four-year-old son his first swimming lesson.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, parenting January 13, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

My Journey to Salvation

Today’s guest on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “My Journey to Salvation” is Adolph Coors IV. In this presentation recorded at a prayer breakfast, Mr. Coors shares what it was like to grow up in the family that founded the Coors Brewing Company, one of the largest breweries in the world.

His story is a fascinating tale of wealth, privilege, and tragedy – and the lessons he learned along the way are thought-provoking.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith January 7, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Discovering God’s Freedom from Pornography

Nick Stumbo grew up in a loving, Christian family, gave his life to the ministry as a 3rd generation pastor, and was married to the love of his life. From the outside, his life was perfect.

But Nick had a secret.

He learned at a young age that anything sexual should be hidden. Sex was exclusively for marriage, and anything outside of that was wrong – even talking about it.

So, when things of a sexual nature started infiltrating Nick’s life – like exposure to pornography at a friend’s house, the school bus, or sporting trips – he didn’t believe he could share it with anyone.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage, pornography December 12, 2019 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: In a Generation that is Staying Single, Here’s Why I Got Married

By: Kathryn Andersen

My name is Kathryn, and I’m a statistical anomaly.

I’m one of the 27% of millennials who are married.

Student debt, cohabitation, and the “failure to launch” phenomenon have all been blamed for the plummeting marriage rates for people my age.

While those may certainly be factors, I think there’s one, huge, underlying issue that is mostly to blame. The best way I can explain that issue is through my story of cliff jumping.

Ever since I can remember, just the sight of a place called the “Hole in the Rock” — a tall cliff jumping spot on the lake my family frequently visited — was enough to make my heart pound and my hands sweat.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, marriage November 14, 2019 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura