Family and Home Archives

Cal Thomas: An Extraordinary Life

Excerpts from a touching and poignant reflection on the dignity of life from columnist Cal Thomas:

My Brother’s Valuable Life

How does one measure whether a life was a success, or a failure?

Some would measure it by recognition, that is, how many knew the person’s name. For others, the measure of a successful life would be the amount of wealth accumulated, or possessions held. Still others would say a life was successful if the person made a major contribution to society — in medicine, sports, politics, or the arts.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family January 11, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tebow Makes Kids’ W15Hes Come True

We’ve all seen the ads: Pro sports star wins a huge game, and in the ensuing celebratory bedlam encounters a camera and a voice behind it that says, “You’ve just won the biggest game of your career. What’s next?”

The answer, a stroke of marketing genius by the House That Walt Built: “I’m going to DisneyWorld.”

But Tim Tebow – if we’ve learned anything at all about him by now – is not your typical NFL star.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pastors, pop culture January 11, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Six Steps to a Fulfilling Day

More and more, the desire grows in me simply to walk around, greet people, enter their homes, sit on their doorsteps, play ball, throw water, and be known as someone who wants to live with them. It is a privilege to have the time to practice the simple ministry of presence.

Still, it is not as simple as it seems.

My own desire to be useful, to do something significant, or to be part of some impressive project is so strong that soon my time is taken up in meetings, conferences, study groups, and workshops that prevent me from walking the streets.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family January 10, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Will You? Do You?

I will do more than belong – I will participate.

I will do more than care – I will help.

I will do more than believe – I will practice.

I will do more than be fair – I will be kind.

I will do more than forgive – I will forget.

I will do more than dream – I will work.

I will do more than teach – I will inspire.

I will do more than earn – I will enrich.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith January 9, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What John Piper Learned from His Father – Part II

In yesterday’s post I shared six things that John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision of Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota, learned from his late father, Dr. Bill Piper.

Here are six more:

1. It is a sin to do less than your best. Best always involves the whole thing and several decisions.

2. It is wrong to be yoked to one who has refused the yoke of Christ.

3. The part of your character that is deficient is the part that needs attention.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith January 6, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What John Piper Learned from His Father – Part I

I’m on my way to New York this morning to record a radio program with Dr. Tim Keller, senior pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church and author of the excellent new book, The Meaning of Marriage.

I’ll let you know in the coming days when the discussion will air.

For now, I wanted to share with you a powerful list of poignant lessons. They come from the pen of pastor and author, John Piper. They are among the top things he learned from his father, Dr.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith January 4, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

This is Why Children Make You Laugh

It’s common to get caught up in the serious side of life, and how can we not? It’s a rare day that we don’t encounter somber circumstances of one sort or another. There’s illness, relationship dysfunction and the struggle to make the mortgage payment on the very day when the car’s transmission goes up in smoke.

A friend of mine refers to the normal vicissitudes of life as “The Tales of the Never Ending.” Indeed, it would seem that if we’re not careful, there is almost always something going on that threatens to suck joy out of an otherwise happy situation.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family, humor January 4, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

As we look expectantly and excitedly toward 2012, I’d love to share with you some ministerial highlights from this past year. I am humbled and grateful to report the following:

Focus on the Family helped strengthen or save 1.2 million marriages in 2011. This figure is part of the 90 percent of projects and commitments Focus was able to fulfill in spite of the year’s economic downturn, which significantly impacted the organization.

The ministry, through licensed professional counselors on staff, provided counseling to nearly 52,000 individuals since January.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, pro-life, staff December 30, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Mark of a Champion

The Champion’s Warrior Creed

If I have the Courage to face my fears;

Honor, which I show to God and my fellow man;

the proper Attitude concerning myself and my circumstances;

the Mental Toughness required to make hard decisions;

Purity of heart, mind and body;

Integrity to stand for what I believe in, even in the most difficult situations;

effective Ownership of all that is entrusted to me;

and focused Navigation to successfully chart my course in life;

I will live as a true Champion Warrior, committed to battling evil, and imparting my world for His glory.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith December 29, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Solution to All Your Problems – #2

I shared with you yesterday a popular email that’s been going around, and here is another. While I’m certainly no animal behaviorist and so can’t vouch for the specifics here, I do appreciate the principle it illustrates:

THE BUZZARD:

If you put a buzzard in a pen that is 6 feet by 8 feet and is entirely open at the top, the bird, in spite of its ability to fly, will be an absolute prisoner. The reason is that a buzzard always begins a flight from the ground with a run of 10 to 12 feet.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith December 28, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura