Daly Focus Blog
Serving as a pastor is no easy task. In fact, I can’t think of many more challenging callings in life.
Consider:
A lot of people think pastors work just one day a week. The reality is quite the opposite. Most pastors are fortunate to get one day off per week. Most are on-call 24/7. When it comes to an erratic schedule, a pastor is like a firefighter or a police officer, except he has to stop at red lights, often in a very used car or truck that’s seen better days.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pastors by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
To borrow and adapt a phrase from the late Mark Twain, reports of the Church’s death have been greatly exaggerated.
Christianity Today recently ran an article by Pastor Ed Stetzer, the president of LifeWay Research, that drives home this point. In “The State of the Church In America: Hint: It’s Not Dying,” Stetzer corrects this false narrative that the Evangelical Church is on an irreversible downward trajectory.
In doing so, he makes an important distinction – and I’ll quote Stetzer here: “Christianity is represented by people who live for Christ, not check ‘Christian’ on a survey form.”
As he fleshes out this idea, Stetzer separates the 75 percent of Americans who identify with one of three categories – those who say they are Christian because of their family history or heritage; those who do nothing more than attend church every now and then; and, finally, those who acknowledge a personal relationship with Jesus and have experienced a real life-change.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors, religious liberty by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
The Gospel Coalition blog recently ran a vulnerably written post where a father described what he and his wife experienced when they lost their child in the womb.
It’s something no one wants to think about, let alone live through. And often, those of us who surround a couple walking through this intense grief feel at a loss as to how to best respond and help.
That’s why I want to share with you John Patton’s post, “How to Mourn with the Parents of Stillborn and Miscarried Children.” It not only explains the pain parents go through, it also provides six wise thoughts on how to help in this heartbreaking situation.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, pastors by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
Dr. Greg Smalley, son of popular author and speaker Dr. Gary Smalley, serves as Focus’ Vice President of Family Ministries. Greg’s office is just steps from mine, and I enjoy our regular interactions. Not only is he a marriage expert and popular author with a doctorate in psychology, but he also has a great sense of humor. He’s a fun guy to be around. Greg and his wife, Erin, have been married for 21 years and have four children.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, husband, pastors, wife by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
October is Clergy Appreciation Month, a time when Christians are encouraged to express gratitude to their pastors, ministers and leaders.
But the subject gives rise to a question:
What makes a pastor a leader you can trust and follow and ultimately appreciate, not just every October but the other eleven months of the year?
I’m sure we all have our “non-negotiable” characteristics. I’ve come up with a list of five things (based on Scriptures found in Titus and 1 Timothy 3) that I think Christians may want to look for in a pastor.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
One of my passions is to encourage believers to engage the culture with a Christ-like spirit. It doesn’t matter what you do for a living, you can bless the people around you when you’re open to letting God use you in your sphere of influence.
Brad Silverman is one of those Christians who “gets” that. He’s a writer and director of movies. Some may consider Silverman to be something of an anomaly in Hollywood, but he is faithful to that calling.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, entertainment, pastors by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
As you know, yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s famous speech, “I Have a Dream.” You might have heard him deliver the familiar lines last night on the news or online – “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”
It’s always moving to listen to the passionate conviction with which King delivered those words.
Topics: Current Events Tags: church, pastors by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
By now you’ve heard that pastor and bestselling author Rick Warren returned to the pulpit this past Sunday for the first time since his son’s suicide in April.
Matthew Warren, 27, struggled with mental illness since childhood. According to the Warrens, Matthew received the best medical care and counseling available. He had good days and very bad ones, but it was unpredictable and naturally very difficult. In the midst of this decades-long ordeal, the Warrens led and built up a church congregation of over ten thousand people.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting, pastors by Jim Daly with Paul Batura
It may not have garnered the hype or the headlines of last night’s Academy Awards, but the death last week of Dr. Howard G. Hendricks, the longtime professor of Dallas Theological Seminary, marked the promotion of one of God’s great saints to Glory.
Dr. Hendricks, known as “Prof” to his students, taught for over sixty years. John Fuller, my friend and colleague and co-host of our radio program, has fond memories of his old professor.
Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, pastors 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
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.