pop culture Archives - Page 2 of 33

The Gospel on the Gridiron

I didn’t have a dog (no pun intended, Georgia fans) in last night’s national championship college football game, but an exclamation point was put on the dramatic finish when Alabama’s winning quarterback, Tua Tagovailoa, spoke with the press following the overtime victory.

“My parents would be mad, so excuse me,” he began, “but first and foremost I’d like to thank my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, with Him, all things are possible and that’s what happened tonight.”

When asked what the victory meant to him, he talked about being overwhelmed by the win but also went on to say,

“All glory goes to God.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, pop culture January 9, 2018 by Jim Daly

Focus on the Family Celebrates 40 Years of Inspiring Families Worldwide

In 2017, Focus on the Family celebrated 40 years of strengthening marriages, equipping parents, speaking on behalf of those who can’t speak for themselves and addressing public policy issues affecting the family.

“It’s an honor to be part of 40 years of strengthening millions of families,” Focus on the Family President Jim Daly expressed. “Our work in helping couples in crisis has contributed to over 170,000 marriages saved in 2017 alone. There are similar stories about people’s lives changed for the better through our efforts in evangelism, parenting, advocacy for children and engaging the culture, as well.

Topics: Current Events/ Family and Home/ Focus Events/ Uncategorized Tags: church, entertainment, events, faith, family December 29, 2017 by Jim Daly

The Sexual Assault Scandals are a Consequence of the Sexual Revolution

Time Magazine unveiled its “Person of the Year” today, and its choice is at once unconventional but not at all surprising.

In a tradition dating back to 1927, the publication has historically selected a person who makes significant news during the past year. As a result, past winners have run the gamut. Recipients have included Adolph Hitler (1938), the Ayatollah Khomeini (1979), the American Soldier (2003) and the Ebola Fighters (2014). President Donald Trump won last year, an acknowledgment of his surprising electoral victory.

Topics: Current Events/ Uncategorized Tags: events, news, pop culture, relationships, sex December 6, 2017 by Jim Daly

Four Things We Learn from Immigrants

I didn’t want Hispanic Heritage Month (which is celebrated between Sept. 15 and Oct. 15) to end without recognizing the many Hispanic men, women and families in the U.S., and the contributions they make to our country.

Recent stats put Hispanics and Latinos at about 17 percent of the total U.S. population, or 56.5 million. They’re a varied group of people: Hispanics can come from any of the 21 Spanish-speaking countries around the world, and each country has its own culture, cuisine, and customs.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, pop culture, relationships October 11, 2017 by Jim Daly

Exclusive: Sadie Robertson’s Important Message to Students

We’re fast approaching the fourth annual Bring Your Bible to School Day, when tens of thousands of public school students across the nation will celebrate on Oct. 5.

I’ll share more about it in the coming weeks, but in case you’re not familiar with Bring Your Bible, let me give you a quick explanation: it’s a student-led event sponsored by Focus on the Family where children and teens from all 50 states will share God’s hope and celebrate religious freedom by bringing their Bibles to school and talking about it with their friends.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: events, kids, pop culture, religious liberty September 8, 2017 by Jim Daly

One Dad’s $2 Million Sacrifice for His Daughter

Would you give up a potential $2 million payday to see your daughter graduate from high school?

Professional golfer Phil Mickelson is doing just that.

Because the opening round of the U.S. Open falls on the same day as his oldest daughter’s high school graduation, Phil has announced plans to withdraw from this year’s event.

It’s not the first time Mickelson has chosen family over work.

Back in 1999, Mickelson was competing at the U.S. Open in North Carolina just as his wife, Amy, stayed in their home back in Arizona.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, news, pop culture June 7, 2017 by Jim Daly

Download Your Free ‘Parents Guide to 13 Reasons Why’

Last week I blogged about “13 Reasons Why,” the controversial television series from Netflix that, while rated TV-MA, targets the teen demographic.

As you may know, “13 Reasons Why” tells the story of a teen girl who commits suicide and blames others for what happened.

I explained that our parenting team and counselors here at Focus on the Family agreed with the experts who are concerned the show glamorizes suicide and might influence copycat behavior – and that our recommendation to parents is to not allow their kids to watch this series.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, parenting, pop culture May 19, 2017 by Jim Daly

Why We Don’t Think Teens Should Watch ‘13 Reasons Why’

It’s a new series on Netflix that’s causing a lot of controversy – and if you have a teen in your life, you need to know why so many mental health professionals are concerned.

The series is called “13 Reasons Why,” and it tells the story of a 17-year-old girl, Hannah Baker, who commits suicide – and who blames others for what happened. The story unfolds through the cassette tapes Hannah posthumously leaves for the 13 people she blames for her decision to end her life.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, kids, parenting, pop culture May 10, 2017 by Jim Daly

Sadie Robertson: “Be confident in who God is through you.”

If you haven’t already heard, in just a few days, Focus on the Family is officially re-launching Brio Magazine, our publication for teen girls. It’s a positive, godly alternative to most of the influences out there today for teenage girls.

Our “Brio girl” for the inaugural issue is Sadie Robertson. Many of you know her from the A&E reality show Duck Dynasty and from Dancing with the Stars a few seasons ago.

She’s just 19, but she’s an impressive young lady, and we’ve asked her to join us in the studio today to share how she is fearlessly living out her faith and using her public platform to be an excellent role model for girls.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, entertainment, faith, kids, pop culture April 28, 2017 by Jim Daly

WATCH VIDEO: Focus Flashes Back to 1977!

Monday I shared how the staff celebrated Focus on the Family’s 40th anniversary with a time of prayer and singing during our usual Monday morning stand-up meeting.

But I didn’t tell you the whole story.

Turns out, a few of us wanted to commemorate the milestone – and surprise the staff – in a very 1977 sort of way.

And what’s more 1977 than disco?

That’s right. Our preparation for Monday’s standup meeting included a disco ball, costumes… and a short, choreographed number to “Stayin’ Alive” for Focus on the Family Daily Broadcast co-host John Fuller and me.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, events, pop culture March 29, 2017 by Jim Daly