Family and Home Archives

The Confrontation of Evil

I hope you’ve been tuning into our three-day program with best-selling author, Eric Metaxas. We’ve been discussing his biography of Nazi resistance leader Dietrich Bonhoeffer, titled Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy.

Monday’s program is available by clicking here; Tuesday here and today, here. For now, I’d like to share with you a review of Eric’s book that was originally published in Citizen Magazine.

The Road to Freedom

Paul J. Batura

From beginning to end, the life of Dietrich Bonhoeffer reads like something of an implausible if not impossible script:

A dashing young German genius receives his Ph.D.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith May 4, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Steve Martin on Atheism

Are you in the mood to laugh?

My last post dealt with a recent request by atheists to obtain chaplaincy roles within the United States Military. To be sure, that’s no laughing matter. We know salvation of the unbeliever, even an atheist, is an important situation. However, did you know that the legendary actor and comedian, Steve Martin, is now out with a new bluegrass song about atheists and music?

The song is part of the album, Rare Bird Alert, which he produced with his bluegrass band, The Deep Canyon Rangers.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: pop culture May 3, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Atheist Chaplains?

A colleague forwarded me a news article the other day written by James Dao of The New York Times. My friend kept his own comments brief. “This is not a parody,” he wrote. I was intrigued. After all, this was the Times, not the Onion, why would he need to qualify it in that manner?

The piece was titled, “Atheists Seek Chaplain Role in the Military.”

I quickly understood the context of my friend’s note.

“Strange as it sounds,” Dao wrote, “groups representing atheists and secular humanists are pushing for the appointment of one of their own to the chaplaincy, hoping to give voice to what they say is a large — and largely underground — population of nonbelievers in the military.”

Existing chaplains are generally opposed to the idea, for obvious reasons.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith May 2, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Death of Osama Bin Laden

The news of Osama Bin Laden’s death last night came suddenly and without warning. After nearly ten long years, many had wondered if the world’s most wanted man would die of old age. Instead, he died as he lived, violently, shot and killed by highly trained special forces of the United States.

It is appointed once unto man to die, but few people actually know how or when their end will come. Still, Jesus’ warning in Gethsemane regularly rings true when it comes to despots, dictators and terrorists.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news May 2, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Bishop’s Sermon

The Bishop of London’s Sermon at the Royal Wedding

Westminster Abbey

29th April 2011

“Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire.”

So said St Catherine of Siena whose festival day it is today. Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.

Many are full of fear for the future of the prospects of our world but the message of the celebrations in this country and far beyond its shores is the right one – this is a joyful day!

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, marriage April 29, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Royal Wedding

Come April 29th, the marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be televised by every major network and cable news channel. It will be viewed all over the world. Over one million people are expected to travel to London, if only to catch a glimpse and play their part.

Why? What is it about the royal wedding that pulls so many people in?

To some degree, it is, of course, the substance of the classic fairy tale: beauty, romance, nobility and prestige, not to mention the hope and expectation of a happy marriage and life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage, news April 29, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Snowflakes in April

You may remember the name Hannah Strege, a delightful girl who has appeared on Focus on the Family radio several times. Her mom and dad, Marlene and John, have the distinction of being the first couple in the world to have given birth to a baby through embryo adoption.

Hannah, thus, is forever known as “Snowflake #1.”

Why a “snowflake”?

After Mr. and Mrs. Strege approached the Nightlight Christian Adoption Agency (for info on embryo adoption with them, click here.) to facilitate the complicated embryo adoption process, the pioneering couple was at a loss as to how to describe what they were doing.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, family April 28, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Public Library Pornography

Have you ever been to the New York City Public Library?

It’s been in the national news this week after its spokesperson announced they’ll be making pornography available to any and all of its patrons. This comes as a shock on many levels, especially since adults and children share the same space inside its walls.

This national landmark sits at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 42nd Street. Even if your travels haven’t brought you there, you’ve probably seen it on television or in the movies.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, pop culture April 27, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Best Place for Children

Dr. Brad Wilcox, a friend and the Director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia, recently offered an analysis of federal research that confirms what you and I already know through faith and tradition: children do best when raised in a home with a married mom and dad.

But where do they fare the worst? Or more precisely and practically, where are they in the most danger? The answer might surprise you.

According to Brad’s analysis of the new federal study:

“…children living with their mother and her boyfriend are about 11 times more likely to be sexually, physically, or emotionally abused than children living with their married biological parents.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting April 26, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Every Father Should Know

On today’s and tomorrow’s Focus radio program, you’ll hear something you’ve never heard before. Dr. Juli Slattery and I will be turning the tables on our co-host, John Fuller, as we talk with him about his excellent first book,

Topics: Family and Home Tags: parenting April 25, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura