Daly Focus Blog
Here are some reasons it was great:
Because it spoke respectfully and even reverently of others. We don’t do that so much anymore. We’re afraid of looking corny or naive, and we fear that to praise one group is to suggest another group is less worthy of admiration. So we keep things bland and nonspecific. Harvey wasn’t afraid to valorize, and his specificity had the effect of reminding us there’s a lot of uncelebrated valor out there.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: news by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Continuing on yesterday’s theme of Super Bowl commercials, I wanted to highlight the larger issue brought up by Kia’s ad.
Do you remember it? It’s the one where a dad creates a fantastical story about “Babylandia” to answer his child’s question of “where do babies come from?”
While we laugh at the desire of the father in the commercial to side-step the birds and the bees conversation, the truth is there’s a tendency to not proactively talk to our kids about sex and as a result, they’ll often hear it from someone else.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, pop culture by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
For good or bad, advertisements are a reflection and extension of the culture.
So, what did the commercials during last night’s Super Bowl communicate?
Just two observations:
1. The most popular ads lifted up noble ideals: Charles Revson was the founder of Revlon cosmetics. He once reflected that his company may make lipstick in a factory – but it is hope that they sell in the drugstores. Super Bowl XLVII’s highest scoring spots struck a similar hope-filled chord:
A trainer and his horse were reunited (Anheuser-Busch)
Hard-working farmers were lauded and honored (Dodge)
The sacrifices and demands facing military families were recognized (Jeep)
The everyday challenges of parent-child communication were noted(Kia)
2.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, pop culture by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
This Sunday’s Super Bowl between the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers is being dubbed the “Harbaugh Bowl” – or even better, the “Super Baugh.”
The designation stems from the fact that for the first time in the championship game’s history the teams are being coached by brothers. Jim Harbaugh is the head coach of San Francisco, and John is at the helm for Baltimore.
What are the odds of such a matchup between two brothers?
Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, news, parenting by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
To the shock and disappointment of many of us, the Boy Scouts of America released a statement yesterday indicating the possibility of changing its policy that prevents the participation of openly practicing homosexuals.
According to press reports, the 100-year-old organization’s board will meet next week at which time the matter will be debated and likely decided.
In an official statement, the Scouts stated:
This would mean there would no longer be any national policy regarding sexual orientation, and the chartered organizations that oversee and deliver Scouting would accept membership and select leaders consistent with each organization’s mission, principles, or religious beliefs.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: homosexuality, news, pop culture by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
At some point in our lives, most of us have wanted to achieve greatness and make a difference in the world. We dream about it as kids, and it’s a popular theme at almost every high school and college graduation.
But for every Billy Graham, William Shakespeare, or Abraham Lincoln, you need a Max Talmey.
My guess is Max Talmey (pictured left) isn’t a name you’re familiar with. Consider yourself in the majority. Most people don’t know he was an ophthalmologist and scientist in the early nineteen hundreds.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: news by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Do you ever get the sense that fewer and fewer people are willing to address the root cause of big problems?
Take for example the fiscal state of America. Instead of cutting spending and tackling the crippling national debt, lawmakers raise taxes.
When it comes to education and struggling schools, rather than examining the curriculum or expanding parental choice, the immediate response is usually a call to increase the school district’s budget.
Abortion or sexually transmitted disease rates rise – and there’s a chorus of individuals championing the free distribution of condoms in public schools.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, news, policy by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
At first glance it seems like a somewhat inconceivable notion: nearly 800,000 French citizens taking to the streets to protest the legalization of same-sex marriage.
Yet, that’s exactly what happened over this past weekend in Paris.
France’s socialist government plans to vote this year on a bill that would redefine marriage, but many of its citizens, both liberal and conservative, would rather the vote be put to the people, not left in the hands of a select few lawmakers.
Topics: Current Events Tags: events, news, policy by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
The controversy surrounding Pastor Louie Giglio’s invitation to pray at President Obama’s second inaugural sounds a familiar refrain in the ongoing and escalating debate about the expression of orthodox Christian faith in public life.
Yesterday, after a sermon surfaced in which Giglio referred to homosexuality as a “sin,” the spiritual leader to young people around the world “voluntarily” withdrew from the upcoming program. In response, the Presidential Inaugural Committee offered the following reaction:
We were not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his selection, and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and diversity of our country at this inaugural.
Topics: Current Events Tags: news, pastors, pop culture by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
People fascinate me.
The next time you’re in an airport or in a large public venue, take a moment to pause and just look around.
When I was a kid the television show Dragnet was a primetime hit. Each week the character Detective Joe Friday would open the show with the following observation:
There’s a million stories in the City of Los Angeles, and when politicians get themselves into trouble, I go to work. My name is Friday and I carry a badge.
Topics: Current Events Tags: family, news, pop culture by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.Home
About
Posting Guidelines
Terms & Conditions
Privacy Policy
FAQs
© 2025 Focus on the Family