family Archives

Opening the Day with Enthusiasm

The sun had barely risen yesterday when Trent and Troy burst into our bedroom.

“You gotta open it, Dad! You gotta open it!” eight-year-old Troy and ten-year-old Trent repeatedly hollered.

I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. One of the boys was holding a small wrapped box.

It was Father’s Day 2011, my 11th year as a dad.

Troy had picked out the gift and so he was particularly excited to have me open the package.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting June 20, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would Your Friends Be Shocked?

The latest high profile sex-scandal surrounding the head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahan, brings to mind comments from a previous guest on the Focus on the Family radio program.

Steve Farrar, author of Point Man: How a Man Can Lead His Family, once wrote:

“If you were accused of sexual indiscretion, would your family, friends and co-workers fall down on the floor laughing because the charge was so ridiculous?”

It’s always shocking and sad when a person of influence is accused of a violent crime, as Strauss-Kahan has been for allegedly raping a hotel maid in New York City.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, pop culture May 23, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Life is all About Interruptions

Several years ago an enterprising individual began marketing a line of t-shirts. Printed in large bold lettering across the front of the shirt was a variation of this message:

“(Fill in the blank) Is Life. The Rest Is Just Details.”

They sold millions of them.

Largely, I think, because we tend to see our passions (family, sports, music, art, etc.) as the center of our life – and everything on the periphery is just the small stuff.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family May 18, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Key to a Good Day

The late Dwight Eisenhower, a five-star general and the 34th president of the United States, was once asked who he believed to be the greatest man he’d ever met. He replied in a snap:

“It wasn’t a man. It was a woman – my mother. She had little schooling, but her educated mind, her wisdom, came from a lifelong study of the Bible. One night we were playing a card game, mother, my brothers and I.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family May 17, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

If You’re Angry or Irritated

It’s challenging to tell someone you love that you’re angry with them. Even with the best of intentions, hurt feelings come easily.
Our counselors here at Focus regularly help with questions of this nature. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal dealt with this very issue, and so I asked them to review the author’s suggestions. They affirmed much of what was written, but offered a few other thoughts. I’d like to share their response with you now:

Slow Down.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family May 13, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

She Escaped From Planned Parenthood

If the producers of Hallmark Hall of Fame were looking for a thoughtful script that both inspires and convicts, they needn’t look any further than the story of Abby Johnson.

But for now, you can watch her tale of conversion this coming Tuesday May 17th, by clicking here.

After years of working for Planned Parenthood in Bryan, Texas, Abby experienced a dramatic change of heart regarding the morality of abortion and her participation in the ongoing tragedy of it.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, pro-life May 12, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Father’s Promise

I’d like you to meet Alice Ozma. She is 23 years-old and graduated as valedictorian of her class at Rutgers University with a degree in literature.

Impressive, to be sure, but that’s not the story nor the punch line. This is:

When Alice was 9 years-old, her mother left her father. Heartbroken and faced with the reality of being a single dad and raising a daughter alone, Jim became concerned that time and circumstance would pull him and Alice apart.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, parenting May 11, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Family By The Numbers

Do you like statistics? A recent issue of Parade magazine featured dozens of facts and figures, from the best sports city (Chicago) to the skinniest state (Colorado). Also included were some numbers and trends related to marriage and family.

I thought I’d share some of them with you here and invite your comment:

Marriage Figures

54.1 percent of adults reported being married in 2010
2.1 million marriages took place in 2009.
17% of people who married in the past three years met online.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, marriage May 10, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Snowflakes in April

You may remember the name Hannah Strege, a delightful girl who has appeared on Focus on the Family radio several times. Her mom and dad, Marlene and John, have the distinction of being the first couple in the world to have given birth to a baby through embryo adoption.

Hannah, thus, is forever known as “Snowflake #1.”

Why a “snowflake”?

After Mr. and Mrs. Strege approached the Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency (for info on embryo adoption with them, click here.) to facilitate the complicated embryo adoption process, the pioneering couple was at a loss as to how to describe what they were doing.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, family April 28, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

As I noted in Friday’s post, for baseball fans, the long wait is over. But one of the more endearing aspects of sports in general is that in the grand scheme of life, it’s all just a game. Play provides an escape, a chance to renew ourselves and spend leisure time with people we enjoy.

Sports can also serve up powerfully teachable moments. The other night someone forwarded me “one of those emails” – you know, the kind that is sweet and tender, but that you wonder if it’s true.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids April 4, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura