family Archives

Chick-fil-A Banned

Indiana University has banned Chick-fil-A from its South Bend campus.

Why?

It’s all because one of the popular company’s restaurants in Pennsylvania has announced plans to donate food to the Pennsylvania Family Institute and Family Life for The Art of Marriage: Getting to the Heart of God’s Design conference.

Translation: According to Indiana University, those who support (or even hint at supporting) traditional marriage are not welcome, and by association, neither are their chicken sandwiches, waffle fries or handspun milkshakes.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, homosexuality, marriage, policy, pop culture January 28, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Don’t Buy an Airline Ticket On . . .

Earlier this week we were talking with financial guru Dave Ramsey. Dave is an expert at helping families get – and stay – out of debt. In case you missed it, simply click here to listen to our discussion.

In the spirit of helping with family finances, the Wall Street Journal is out today with some interesting news.

Did you know that the very worst time of the week to buy airline tickets is over the weekend?

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, family, technology January 27, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

WANTED: Your Family Photos!

You probably know Focus on the Family’s motto is “Helping families thrive.”

What you may not know is that our Colorado Springs campus is a significant tourist destination – we’ve had more than 200,000 visitors come through our doors annually for many years running. They come to learn more about who we are and what we do and to share with us how our radio programs and resources have helped them. There is plenty for them to enjoy as they walk through our facility, but one thing is missing.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: faith, family, kids, marriage, parenting January 26, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Satisfaction

There was an interesting blurb in last Thursday’s USA Today’s “Snapshots” (Life Section, p. D1).

The Pew Research Center asked the following question:

Who is most satisfied with family life?

Married people reported the highest degree of satisfaction, followed by the widowed. Next came those who live with a partner.

In other words, those who are cohabitating are less happy than those who have lost a spouse to death.

Why?

There is a power and beauty (and satisfaction) in the act of commitment.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids, marriage, parenting January 12, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Looking for a Saturday TV Movie?

Tomorrow, Saturday, January 8th, Fox will air a movie on adoption, “Change of Plans” at (8pm ET, 7pm CT), as part of Wal-Mart and P&G’s Family Movie Night series.

What’s the movie all about?

Synopsis:

Up to this point, Sally Danville’s life has played out just as she hoped it would. A beautiful and free-spirited musician, she and her fighter-pilot husband, Jason, live life on the go, free of domestic responsibilities. But with a single phone call from Child & Family Services case worker, Dorothy (Phylicia Rashad, The Cosby Show), she learns that things don’t always go according to plan.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: entertainment, family, kids, staff January 7, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Key to Satisfaction

The subject of cohabitation has been in the news quite a bit lately. According to the United States Census Bureau, between 2009 and 2010, the number of opposite-sex cohabitating couples increased by 13 percent, from 6.7 million to 7.5 million.

New York’s newly elected governor, Andrew Cuomo, and his girlfriend, TV Chef Sandra Lee, are one of them.

According to the New York Times:

With 23 cookbooks and 2 television shows, Ms. Lee is arguably far more famous outside of political circles than the man she is dating.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage, parenting January 7, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Funny Things Kids Say

Happy New Year!

A colleague recently tacked up a sign above his door here at Focus that serves as a good motto for 2011:

Live Well (Philippians 1:27-28), Love Much (John 13:34-35), Laugh Often (Proverbs 17:22)

There is so much to say about each of these, but if laughter is truly good medicine, I thought I’d start the year by sharing something sweet – and comical, with you.

Riley is five years old. His father is on our team here at Focus, and he and his wife have made a habit of recording some of the more memorable comments the little tyke makes, especially at bedtime.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, kids January 5, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

I Like Keith Fitzhugh

You’ve never heard of him?

Neither had I until I heard what he did.

Keith Fitzhugh is a conductor for the Northern Southern Railroad just outside of Atlanta. He is 24 years old.

Prior to joining the railroad, Keith played football for Mississippi State and then chased his dream of playing in the NFL for the better part of two years. He spent time with the New York Jets and Baltimore Ravens, but never secured a steady spot on any roster.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, family, pop culture December 13, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Just Show Up!

The actor Woody Allen once wryly observed that “eighty percent of success is showing up.”

Would you agree?

I shared Dave’s story on Tuesday. He is a very successful business executive and found himself struggling with maintaining a healthy work and life balance. By God’s grace he happened to connect with our ministry at a very critical point in his life. He made some key adjustments. As a result, Dave was there when his son needed him most.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage December 9, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why We’re Here

I want to tell you a story.

What follows is an example of how the sacrificial funds invested in the Lord’s ministry called Focus on the Family manifest themselves in the lives of those who live far beyond our walls here in Colorado Springs.

I want to tell you a story about a father and his son.

The dad’s name is Dave, and his college-aged boy goes by Pete.

Dave is a great father who, along his wife, Wendy, regularly and deliberately invest in the lives of their children.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage December 7, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura