Family and Home Archives

Showing Love in Everyday Relationships

Author Dave Willis saw the life-changing power of love on a visit to an orphanage in Guatemala called Casa Shalom, which means “house of peace.”

The privately-run Christian orphanage serves about a hundred kids at a time in a place where most orphanages are government-run and fraught with corruption. Some of the children have been sex-trafficked, exploited by the very people who should have been protecting them.

On his first visit there, Dave was introduced to a young Guatemalan girl named Margarita.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, relationships March 20, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Growing Closer Through Family Devotions

The question we get from a lot of moms and dads as the spread of the coronavirus dominates the news is, “What’s the best way to do family devotions, practically speaking?”

Could it be that for all the uncertainty and fear associated with this pandemic, it also presents you with an opportunity to make the most of this unanticipated extra time together?

My wife Jean and I have done devotions with our boys all their lives.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, children, faith, family March 18, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Dose of Faith in the Midst of Fear

The worsening outbreak of COVID-19 has left many scared about what an uncertain future may hold. For many, especially children, it can be a frightening time.

But for those of us who are Christian parents, let’s remember that our children are watching how we respond. We have an opportunity to help our kids learn to practice their faith in the midst of fear. And sometimes, our kids have something to teach us.

One adorable video in particular has warmed the hearts of many across the nation.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: current events, family, fear March 18, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Understanding the Two Different Sides of Love

Skyscrapers are amazing feats of engineering. They have to be strong enough to resist the forces that come against them, like gravity and wind. That’s why skyscrapers are built with steel.

They also need to be flexible enough to withstand the forces that come against them … like gravity and wind. That’s why architects design skyscrapers with a certain amount of sway.

Strength and softness. The two sides of a superstructure. The two sides of love as well.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, marriage, relationships March 17, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Filling Your Marriage with God’s Best

Do you have a “barely enough” marriage?

Would you like to have one that is “filled to the brim”?

John 2:1-11 tells the story of the wedding at Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. A marriage celebration was underway, and the host ran out of wine. At the urging of his mother, Jesus instructed the servants to fill six stone jars, each holding twenty to thirty gallons of water.

The passage says that the servants filled the pots “to the brim.” Those three words offer a revealing insight into the approach God wants us to take in our relationships.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, husband, marriage, wife March 13, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Embracing God’s Grace for a Past Abortion

When Duck Dynasty’s Lisa Robertson was 16 years old, an abortion provider promised her that she was dispensing with a glob of tissue, would leave the clinic that day as good as new, and would never think about that moment again.

None of that was true.

Lisa immediately felt guilt about her decision. She sensed deep inside that something profoundly significant had just happened.

Years later, after she and Al married, she became pregnant with their first child.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: abortion, broadcast, faith, pro-life March 12, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Would You Do if You Lost Everything?

I’ve grown accustomed to interviewing guests on the Focus on the Family radio program, a daily treat for me now for over 10 years. But it’s always an honor to have the tables turned and be on the receiving end of the questions.

Late last month, I had the pleasure of being a guest on a podcast called “Beyond the Crucible.”

The show is hosted by Crucible Leadership founder Warwick Fairfax and my longtime friend and former Focus colleague Gary Schneeberger.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: crisis March 11, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helping Children Understand How They Feel

The Bible encourages us to manage our emotions.

Proverbs 15:18 says, “A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.”

Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.”

Identifying and managing emotions can be challenging for adults. How much more difficult is it for children?

Kids experience big feelings inside little bodies and can easily be overwhelmed and confused by their feelings.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, children, faith, parenting March 10, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Redeeming Life, Finding Forgiveness

For over 40 years, our society has promoted the idea that abortion is as simple as a woman’s choice. Abortion affects her. No one else.

Pro-abortion activists never mention the babies, the men, and the families who are impacted forever by an abortion.

They also never talk about situations like Melissa’s. Her 19-year-old mother was in her third trimester when she was given a saline abortion. The procedure injects a toxic salt solution into the amniotic fluid surrounding the womb.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: abortion, broadcast, pro-life March 6, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Championing Your Son Through His Battles

Remember the days when your boys climbed jungle gyms and went up and down slides? That’s where they cultivated friendships and learned to navigate their world.

Now they’re teenagers, and the playground is social media. That’s where they connect, form relationships, and shape their identity, much of it around how well they feel they measure up – or not – with “influencers.”

Their online presence could also be summarized by “more accessibility, less accountability.” Back in the day, things like pornography and dangerous worldviews were “around,” but they weren’t finding their way into a child’s life through every Wi-Fi signal in the house.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, parenting, technology March 4, 2020 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura