Family and Home Archives

Great Advice

What’s the best parenting advice you’ve ever given – or received?

When Theodore Roosevelt was a young boy he asked his father for counsel on charting a career. Here is how he remembered the incident:

He gave me a piece of advice that I have always remembered, namely, that, if I was not going to earn (much) money, I must even things up by not spending it. As he expressed it, I had to keep the fraction constant, and if I was not able to increase the numerator, then I must reduce the denominator.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, faith, family March 11, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Does Facebook Cause Divorce?

Do you use Facebook?

There’s a new survey out this week suggesting that the popular social networking site is a major factor in 1 out of 5 U.S. divorces.

Are you surprised?

Before going any further, let’s be clear:

Facebook doesn’t cause divorce – people do.

But …

Over the years, the evolution of technology has always facilitated marital infidelity, at least for those so inclined. When the telephone was first invented, people were suddenly able to talk instantly with another person in a different locale.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: divorce, marriage, technology March 10, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

As Seen in The Washington Post

As many of you know, I am honored to serve as a panelist on the Washington Post’s On Faith blog. I thought I would share this week’s contribution with you.

Here is the question that was posed to me:

The U.S. House of Representatives voted last week to eliminate federal funding for Planned Parenthood, which provides abortions, along with a variety of health care services for women. The Virginia General Assembly last week approved legislation that requires abortion clinics to be regulated as hospitals, and providers say the stricter regulations will force many of them out of business.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, policy, pro-life March 8, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Startling Photo

I received an email today from a Christian friend who lives in China. Attached to the note was the photo you see, which he took while walking on a busy city sidewalk.

Ironically, my friend is visiting the United States, and the photo was taken not on a Beijing street but in Washington, D.C.

The $50,000 bus billboard campaign is the work of a group called the Center for Inquiry. On their website they purport that they’re not arguing the existence of God in this ad, just His relevance in our lives.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, news March 7, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Charlie Sheen is My Neighbor

Admittedly, we don’t have much in common.

We were born years apart, he to parents of great means and me to parents grasping to make ends meet and an alcoholic father in search of meaning itself.

We’ve been going our separate ways ever since.

I’m happily married. He’s not. I enjoy a warm and loving relationship with my boys; the courts dictate when he sees his.

I attend church. He doesn’t. It’s not that he doesn’t believe in God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, faith, pop culture March 4, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Bounced By BYU’s Honor Code

On the brink of March Madness, college basketball’s high season, we learn that Brigham Young University’s star forward, Brandon Davies, has been removed from the team for an “Honor Code” violation. According to last night’s Salt Lake City Tribune, Davies admitted to engaging in premarital sex.

BYU is currently ranked #3 in the nation, and the Davies suspension deals a severe blow to the Cougar’s chance at competing for a national championship.

Across the sports spectrum, from ESPN to talk radio to the blogosphere, the debate has begun:

Is it fair to kick a guy off a winning team for a violation of this nature?

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

Will Christian Adoption Be Banned?

I want you to meet Eunice and Owen Johns.

Mrs. Johns, 62, and Mr. Johns, 65, live in the United Kingdom. They’ve raised four children and have been foster parents to a total of 15. By every measure they’ve done a terrific job. From the beginning of their fostering adventure, they’ve seen their noble calling rooted in Christian conviction. They have epitomized and embraced the words of James: “to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, homosexuality, news, policy March 2, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Ideal Age to Marry

I first met Jean Stephens in the summer of 1985 at a wedding in California. People often say that weddings are great places to meet people (for good reason!), but at the time I wasn’t interested in finding a girlfriend. It would be nine months before our first date, but we were married in August of 1986.

I was 25 years old.

According to the social science research, is that a good age to marry? It was for me – but how about the population at-large?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, marriage March 1, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Praying For What You Have

Dr. E. Stanley Jones was a 20th century Methodist Christian missionary. A prolific author, he spent a considerable amount of his life in India laboring to spread the good news of the Gospel. He was a bold man whose actions earned him the nickname, “The Billy Graham of India.”

In one of his many books, Dr. Jones made a powerful observation regarding contentment.

“I don’t know of a thing that I want that I haven’t got,” he wrote.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith February 25, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Is This Billboard Offensive?

Take a look at the picture of this billboard.

Do you find it offensive?

Not surprisingly, the Reverend Al Sharpton, a flashpoint figure and known agitator, does, saying it “demonizes women.” He demanded it be taken down. Planned Parenthood agreed, calling it a “condescending effort to stigmatize and shame African-American women.”

The controversy surrounding the billboard created a predictable circus like atmosphere in New York, with Reverend Sharpton threatening a protest in front of the building.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: news, policy, pro-life February 25, 2011 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura