When you hear about teenage boys in the news, it’s usually because they’re in trouble. Boys who act out get all the headlines. Which is too bad because a far greater number of teenage boys exhibit good character. They make their moms and dads proud. They don’t take from their communities; they serve them.

How do we raise boys into men with that kind of character? Mentoring. Mentoring is when an older man comes alongside a younger man and guides him through the challenges of life with wisdom and grace.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family August 5, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How do kids grow up with a healthy sense of their own worth? There are a lot of ways for them to learn, from team sports and a good youth group to artistic ability and academic achievements. The best way of all is the influence of a loving mom and dad in everyday moments of life.

A colleague once told me about the time he took his young daughter with him while he ran an errand to the store.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 30, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

On Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, we’re commemorating the beginning of the Olympics in Paris by featuring a recorded message by Kim Hamilton Anthony, a world-class gymnast who overcame a rough start in life.

Kim’s mother grew up in a four-room house with 13 of her relatives. There were a lot of mouths to feed and a lot of bills to pay. She became pregnant as a teenager. Confused and scared, she was told that a self-induced abortion was the only solution.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 26, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Mom and dad, you may not think of your household as a business, but it’s true. You are the CEO of a mini empire. It’s your job to provide structure and order – like paying bills and doing laundry – but it’s also your responsibility to create a home where your spouse and children can thrive – spiritually, emotionally, and relationally. How do you do that? The same way you run a traditional business. You put your customers first.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 25, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Parenting can be frustrating!

Authors Amber Lia and Wendy Speake thought they were the only moms who struggled with anger and shame. Then they talked to a lot of other moms and discovered that they weren’t alone.

Anger catches many women off guard. Stress, helplessness, and feelings of inadequacy slowly build until some final straw pushes them over the edge. Shame quickly follows, which pushes women into isolation. For every brave mom who acknowledges a problem with anger, hundreds more wonder if they alone struggle.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 17, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

As the Republican National Convention kicks off this week in Milwaukee, and as I recently mentioned on my blog, political party platforms matter – especially when it comes to the sanctity of preborn life.

Many of us with pro-life convictions were disappointed last week when the GOP adopted a party platform that, while supporting the banning of third-trimester abortions, is silent regarding the first two trimesters. 

Meanwhile, the Democrat Party Platform endorses the codification of abortion rights and opposes any measure restricting the killing of preborn children. 

We can be grateful the GOP is unanimous that preborn life should be protected in the latter stages of a pregnancy, but 94% of all abortions occur in the first 15 weeks of development.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 16, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Critics of religion say it’s all make believe. They say the Bible is nothing but a collection of fairy tales. And people who profess faith in God may as well believe in magic and unicorns.

When I hear people talk about faith like that, I scratch my head. Some of the stories in the Bible are remarkable, but there’s nothing akin to fairy dust and houses made of candy.

The Bible doesn’t sugarcoat human suffering, corruption, or the consequences of evil.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 16, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Joni Eareckson Tada calls suffering a “splash-over of hell.”

Few people can talk about the intensity of suffering with Joni’s authority. A tragic accident fifty years ago left her a quadriplegic in need of 24-hour care. She has also survived a stage-3 breast cancer diagnosis, the removal of a three-inch tumor, and months of chemotherapy.

So when she talks about handling suffering in a way that enriches our lives and glorifies God, we all do well to listen.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family July 15, 2024 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura