Daly Focus Blog
When I was 9 years old, I was put in foster care. In many ways, it was only another obstacle in a life full of hard knocks.
My parents divorced when I was 5, after Dad threatened to kill Mom with a hammer. My mom soon remarried a harsh man named Hank who loved Mom, but didn’t like us kids. Hank abandoned us after Mom died of cancer. His departure was what landed me in foster care.
Author Arlene Pellicane describes the average mom’s frenzied day like this: “We wake up, and we’re Mary Poppins. ‘Let’s do this thing!’ we say. But by the time we go to bed, we’re Cruella de Vil.”
A lot of moms might describe themselves with words like “busy,” “stressed,” or “tired.”
One word you don’t often hear from moms is “happy.” Maybe that’s because, by and large, mothers have settled into the notion that busyness, work, and falling into bed exhausted are “just the way it is.”
Arlene’s discovery of what a happy mom is began with a personal encounter that illustrated to her what a happy mom isn’t.
Child abuse is a very real problem here in the United States.
When we talk about abuse, most states recognize (and report) four major types: neglect, physical abuse, psychological maltreatment, and sexual abuse. Sometimes a child suffers from only one type of abuse, other times a child suffers from a combination of maltreatment.
In 2014 alone, the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services reported an estimated 702,000 children were victims of maltreatment. Of these, roughly 75 percent of victims suffered neglect; 17 percent were physically abused; and 8.3 percent were sexually abused.
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the publication of one of C.S. Lewis’ most important books, “The Screwtape Letters.”
Have you read it?
In this classic, Lewis re-imagines Hell as a gruesome bureaucracy where a senior demon, Screwtape, corresponds with his nephew and apprentice, Wormwood. The younger spirit’s assignment is to corrupt a newly converted Christian young man living in London during the tumultuous days of World War II. Through the letters, Lewis examines Christian morality, temptation, and good and evil.
This coming weekend in Richmond, Virginia, upwards of 200,000 NASCAR fans will gather at the Richmond International Raceway for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, and millions more will watch on television.
Detailing the event’s “play by play” for FOX Sports will be Darrell Waltrip. I recently had the opportunity to spend some time with Darrell and his wife, Stevie, and I’m excited to welcome them to our program as our guests.
Darrell was one of the most successful drivers on the NASCAR circuit in the 1980s.
Over a period of two nights in 1969, seven people were murdered in their homes in the Los Angeles area.
Several of the victims were bound, and strange messages were written on the walls in their own blood. The most well-known victim was actress Sharon Tate, who was 8 ½ months pregnant. Her baby boy died in her womb.
The crimes became known as the Tate-Labianca murders and were carried out by members of the “Manson Family” at the instruction of their leader, Charles Manson, who is considered one of the most notorious murderers of the last century.
Focus on the Family and many parents from around the world lost a dear friend to cancer yesterday.
Dr. Karyn Purvis, one of the most respected child advocates in the nation, developed effective research-based ways to help children with histories of trauma, abuse and neglect. She co-authored “The Connected Child: Bringing Hope and Healing to your Adoptive Family,” a best-selling book on adoption that’s one of the first resources our orphan care team recommends to families considering adoption.
The struggles that Africa-American men, in particular, face in our culture have been well-documented. But recent research offers some helpful signs.
Here to share some explanation and insights about these findings is husband, father and lawyer Timothy Allen. Timothy works in Focus’ public policy area analyzing state legislation and also serves as a member of Focus’ Employee Resource Inclusion Council, which I’ve previously shared about. He’s also a Fellow with Alliance Defending Freedom’s Blackstone Legal Fellowship.
“God’s Not Dead 2,” which debuts this Friday, is the worthy sequel to 2014’s “God’s Not Dead,” one of the largest-grossing faith-based films in history.
Here’s the premise (You can read a more in-depth review of the movie on PluggedIn.com.):
High school history teacher Grace Wesley is asked a question about Jesus and His teachings by a student during class. Ms. Wesley, a devoted Christian, responds accordingly.
The fallout from Grace Wesley’s biblically-based answer is significant.
Yesterday here at Focus, we enjoyed our Maundy Thursday chapel. It was a special time for our staff to come together and reflect on our Lord’s final hours before ascending Calvary to shed His blood on our behalf.
Today, our offices are closed in honor of the holy remembrance of Good Friday.
A few of my non-Christian readers may not understand what today represents. Even some Christians may not fully appreciate the deep, meaningful symbolism ascribed to Jesus and His sacrifice.
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.
