faith Archives

Seeing God’s Image in All Men

Racism is a problem in America.

That much is obvious. What isn’t so obvious is what to do about it. Nothing society has dreamed up has eradicated it. In fact, one could argue that certain movements seeking positive change have deepened the cultural divide rather than bridged it.

Inadvertently or intentionally, the underlying cultural message has often been “choose your side.” Stand against the black community or stand for the black community. Stand against the white community or stand for the white community.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith September 10, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Two Lessons I Learned from Richard DeVos

How does one possibly sum up a life as full and as fruitful as businessman and philanthropist Richard DeVos, the Amway co-founder and friend and supporter of many evangelical Christian efforts and organizations, including Focus on the Family, who died yesterday at the age of 92?

“The Lord was good to me and I gotta go out and try and tell how good God is,” Mr. DeVos recently reflected. “I’d like to be remembered by enjoying the time we were given here by loving what the good Lord gave us, and we did the best we could with it.”

I was honored to spend a very small fraction of Richard DeVos’ time with him, shortly after I had become president of the ministry.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith September 7, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Finding Family as a Single Adult

The Bible begins with marriage and ends with marriage.

That ought to tell us something about the importance God places on it. He’s infused it with profound meaning, both as a cultural institution and as one of the most significant relationships we can experience. It’s the bedrock of God’s design for families.

So where does that leave singles?

Throughout the Bible we’re reminded that God created us for community. No one is meant to be alone.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage, relationships September 6, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Being Seen By God

“What do you do?”

That’s one of the first things people ask when they’re getting to know you. Or it’s one of the first things we offer to others to describe ourselves. We define who we are by what we do.

But the “dark side” to a lifestyle ruled by opportunity, hard work, and prosperity is that we get caught in a performance trap. We believe our value and worth as people is measured solely by what we achieve, what we acquire, or what we produce.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith August 31, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

It’s Legal to Bring This to School

It’s that time of year again when parents and kids are checking their back-to-school lists twice before heading out the door:

Three-ring binder? Check.

Pencil sharpener? Check.

Lunch bag? Check.

The Bible?

Yes.

The Bible is now a must-have school supply for students like Ethan, who considers it essential for surviving the school day.

“When you have the Bible right out in front of you … when it’s sitting out on the corner of your desk, or in your backpack,” said Ethan, a 16-year-old student in Colorado, “it’s a constant reminder of what God has in store for you and to do what God wants you to do, rather than doing things off of your own selfish ambitions.”

Ethan was just one of the half a million students who participated last year in Bring Your Bible to School Day—an annual, religious-freedom event for students sponsored by Focus on the Family.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, religious liberty August 29, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Preparing for the Empty Nest Years

Marci Seither and her husband owned a sawmill in Northern California. A customer hired them to remove a huge tree from the spot where their new home would be built. The homeowners thought it a shame to lose such a beautiful tree and planned to recycle the lumber by using it in the house’s construction.

Once the tree was cut down, however, they discovered that the wood was too weak to be used. The tree rings were too far apart.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, parenting August 27, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest Post: Five Questions & Answers About Today’s Schools

My colleague, Public Policy’s Director of Education, Candi Cushman, recently answered some questions about the public schools that were posed to her from Decision Magazine. I thought you would find her answers both enlightening and interesting.

On a related note, if you are a parent of a school-age child, I hope you’re aware of our upcoming, Bring Your Bible to School Day. It’ll be on Thursday October 4th. It’s not too early to register and participate in some of our pre-event promotion.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, religious liberty August 24, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Sharing Jesus’ Love Through Food and Fellowship

Have you ever noticed how much of Jesus’ ministry on earth was centered around meals? Among others, there was the wedding at Cana, a dinner with the reviled Zaccheus, and the beautiful symbolism of the Last Supper. Jesus was even criticized for eating with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 12:16).

As one scholar put it: “Jesus ate his way through the Gospels.”

For Bri McKoy, Jesus’ ministry through meals became a model through which she created community and shared God’s love with the people He placed in her life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, entertainment, faith, relationships August 20, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Guest blog: My Summer at Focus on the Family

Every summer we have the privilege of recruiting a group of young adults for our internship program here at Focus. We believe it’s important to invest in the next generation of men and women who will carry the torch for faith and family! Rebecca Wirth was our 2018 intern in the Master Writers department. These are her reflections on her experience in the internship program. – Jim Daly

On any given Tuesday morning this summer, you could find me with five of my fellow interns sitting at a table at Focus on the Family, chatting about everything from the weather to biblical truths.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, relationships, staff August 17, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The State of Colorado is Harassing Baker Jack Phillips

Here we go again.

Despite the fact that the United States Supreme Court ruled this past June that the state of Colorado had violated Masterpiece Cakes owner Jack Phillips’ freedom of religion, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission has once again notified the beleaguered baker that he has violated Colorado law for declining to create a cake symbolizing a gender “transition.”

We’re finding out that it all started in June of 2017 when a transgender activist attorney began a series of communications with Masterpiece Cakeshop asking for certain kinds of cakes: one celebrating the attorney’s “transition” from male to female (with blue icing on the outside, pink on the inside), others celebrating Satanic messages or containing graphic sexual imagery.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, pro-life, religious liberty August 16, 2018 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura