Family and Home Archives

The Cost of Independence – #1

There is an old saying that suggests a person’s worst difficulties begin when he is able to do what he likes.

I think there is wisdom within those words.

America will celebrate her 234th birthday on Sunday with its usual grand and glorious traditions. Don’t you just love all the pomp and pageantry, along with the flags and fireworks that accompany family and community gatherings?

What a day! Thank God for the United States of America.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, religious liberty July 2, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are You Afraid to Die?

As a subject of conversation, death is an uncomfortable topic. Should it be?

Some of us are more intimately familiar with it than others, but it’s ultimately a reality that touches everyone. Having just survived a harrowing motorcycle accident and been spared serious injury, I’m sure you can appreciate the fact that this topic is on my mind.

In that context, let me take you back to something written by John Donne (1572-1631). Donne was both an English preacher and a prolific writer who lived at a time when church bells would regularly peal out across cities as part of funeral proceedings.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 28, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Your Money and Abortion

Would it shock or anger you to learn that your tax dollars have been paying for abortion, albeit indirectly, for years? Wait until you read some new figures just out this week in a report published by the Government Accountability Office (GAO).

During this past winter’s highly controversial debate over the universal health care bill, Focus on the Family and CitizenLink, along with other numerous other pro-life groups, fought passionately, though ultimately unsuccessfully, to prohibit the legislation’s inclusion of federally funded abortion coverage.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: policy, pro-life June 17, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

No-Fault Parenting

One of the treats about being a father and having children is the chance to watch yourself grow up all over again. Have you ever thought about it that way? I certainly have. Admittedly, life in 2010 is drastically different than it was in 1960s America when I was a boy, but the essence and wonder of childhood are primarily the same. Or is it?

There are many days when I catch a glimpse of Trent and Troy doing something that ushers me back 40 or so years.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: discipline, kids, parenting, pop culture June 15, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Is the Good Life Good Enough?

Are you living a fulfilled life? Are you content where you are?

Those always seem like good questions to ponder, but I think they’re especially relevant in light of the recent news concerning Al and Tipper Gore’s marital separation. Please stay with me here. I don’t read the gossip columns nor do I spend time reading the tabloids. But I do try and make sense of the times in which we live and, as such, I’m always processing what I see and hear.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: divorce, faith, family, parenting June 14, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Rest of the Story

Does this scene sound somewhat familiar?

A young, married, pregnant woman is admitted to a hospital. She is in pain, but not quite sure what is happening. Early labor? Perhaps. Complications associated with the pregnancy? Maybe. After some tests are conducted, the diagnosis is made: Appendicitis.

The frightened woman is relieved and treated. But at the end of the surgery the doctor advises that her baby is likely to be born with a disability. Why? A consequence of the treatment which had been necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: pro-life June 11, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

John Wooden’s “Woodenisms”

I offered some reflections in yesterday’s blog on the life and legacy of the late John Wooden, college basketball’s most celebrated and successful coach. Today I’d like to share with you some of Coach Wooden’s most memorable and pithy sayings.

What I appreciate most about them, however, is that I know they’re not simply borne of clever or creative thinking. Rather, they’re the product of the coach’s daily Bible reading.

Each one of these is worthy of memorization.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, pop culture June 10, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

My Greatest Need

What’s your greatest need today? Is it finding a job? Avoiding foreclosure? Getting married? Identifying one friend who cares enough to listen? Hitting a deadline? Learning how to corral an incorrigible two-year-old? Loving a spouse who is emotionally distant? Perhaps having faith that God will return your prodigal son or daughter safely home?

There’s a fascinating story in the Bible about a man who was paralyzed who thought his greatest need was to be healed. As you’ll see in a moment, in a way his story is our story, too.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family June 8, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Tackle Tough Times

I recently heard a story that was pulled from the pages of Australia’s history books. It struck me as a good lesson on how to approach and handle modern-day struggles.

In the late 1790’s the common belief throughout the Australian colony was that the region beyond the imposing Blue Mountains was lush and fertile. As such, numerous explorers set out to try and to conquer the area. While planning their trips, as conventional wisdom would suggest, they steered clear of the steep ridges and deep gorges of the terrain.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 7, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Update on Ethan

If you’re new to my blog, let me point you to the touching and inspiring story of my nephew, Ethan. I blogged about Ethan earlier this year (see A Picture of Perseverance).

In short, our sweet little relative has endured far more than most adults. He’s undergone three open heart surgeries, all to reconstruct his entire coronary system. Throughout the long ordeal he has maintained an amazing attitude.

Since many of my readers were so kind to pray for Ethan, I thought I’d give an update on his condition as well as share some exciting news from within his family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, staff May 27, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura