Family and Home Archives

Leaving a Legacy of Love

Bill Butterworth had something of an awakening when his father died.

At the funeral, Bill stood behind the lectern and spoke as the family representative. As important as what he shared about his father is what he didn’t share about his father.

Bill didn’t mention his father’s career or his real estate holdings. He didn’t talk about his father’s bank account or his stock portfolio. Instead, he shared about what his father believed and valued, and recounted some of the meaningful life lessons his father had taught him.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: family July 6, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Going on Mission in Your Front Yard

Kristin Schell discovered the value of community during a summer immersion program in France. Although she was a stranger in a foreign land, she had never felt so welcomed, loved, and connected before – and she couldn’t even understand the language. Many European countries are like France: community takes place around the table. Family and friends join together to celebrate food, life, and each other.

That sense of community came back to Kristin years later. By then she was a wife and a mom who spent more time with her children in her minivan than she did around the kitchen table or the fire pit talking about life and God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: evangelism July 5, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Midnight Ride

How would you like to eavesdrop on the events leading up to the Revolutionary War?

Imagine witnessing the dumping of nearly 350 crates of tea into Boston Harbor – or searching for lanterns in a church tower while riding a horse at full gallop to warn colonists about a British invasion.

You and your family can experience the drama of the American Revolution and Paul Revere’s midnight ride on a special edition of our Focus on the Family Broadcast featuring an episode of Adventures in Odyssey called “The Midnight Ride.”

If you’re new to Focus on the Family, Adventures in Odyssey is a radio drama for children (check out our website for more information).

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adventures in odyssey July 2, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Marriage in the Stressful World of NASCAR

Darrell Waltrip was one of the most successful drivers on the NASCAR circuit in the 1980s.

Together, he and his wife, Stevie, are chairpersons for Motor Racing Outreach, a Christian organization that holds chapel services for the drivers, crews, and their families. They also distribute Christian literature and offer other support for those in the NASCAR community. I appreciate the work they perform at NASCAR tracks on weekends.

I got the opportunity to speak with Darrell and Stevie on our Focus on the Family Broadcast “Marriage in the Stressful World of NASCAR.” We recorded at the Darrell Waltrip Museum in front of a live audience of Focus friends right before a race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 30, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Taking Steps to Live Out Your Dreams

The death of a dream can be painful and disorienting, but it can also open the door for even better ones to come along.

Over a decade ago, author Kathi Lipp went through a painful divorce and became a single mom. She felt disillusioned, believing that her dreams of someday becoming an author and a speaker could never happen. But God taught her that He could do more than she ever thought possible. Through what seemed like insignificant choices at the time, God opened doors and brought her dreams back to life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 29, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Timeless Truth of Christ

God wants to help you become an overcomer.

Like Joni Eareckson Tada. At 17, she dove into shallow water and surfaced a paraplegic. For nearly 50 years now, Christ has worked through her story to encourage others with disabilities similar to hers.

Or like the late Louis Zamperini. As detailed in Unbroken, the book and Hollywood movie about his life, he was shot down in World War II and barely survived 40 days adrift at sea.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith June 24, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Fathers Need to Possess in Order to Man Up in an Increasingly Feminized World

In our current era of woke politics and a blurring and morphing of the differences between males and females, are we losing sight of distinctly manly qualities? We believe we are, and these are very different than mere male characteristics.

Being male is a function of distinct body parts and DNA. Being a man is wholly a question of character—about what a man chooses to do and how he does it. It’s incumbent on fathers of sons to exhibit and teach their boys what it takes to grow up and assume their unique role in society.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: father, parenting June 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are Your Children Your Mission Field?

Are you a mom wanting to do something big for God, but you don’t have the energy or the time?

Maybe God has already given you your greater purpose.

Author and mom Shontell Brewer recalls feeling guilty every time her pastor talked about making a difference through mission work. She was the mother of five children and struggled with feeling like she couldn’t get to the real work of missions until she completed the childrearing phase of her life.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: mothers, parenting June 23, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Fighting for Your Marriage No Matter What

Matt Hammit was the lead singer of the Christian rock band Sanctus Real for 20 years. In the early years of the band, performing at a music festival, he noticed a beautiful girl in overalls dancing like no one was watching. The next day, at another worship event over three hours away, he saw her again.

Her name was Sarah. Raised in a Christian home, she became a “party girl” in college. When she saw Matt onstage at the music festival leading worship, she felt drawn to him and prayed, “God, I’ll quit drinking if you let me marry that guy.” They began dating and quickly fell in love.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: marriage June 21, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Encouraging Dads to Be Heroes

You remember Clark Kent. He was a mild-mannered man … until he pulled open his shirt and revealed the superhero outfit underneath that announced his true identity. Then he was Superman, faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.

Dads don’t wear a superhero’s outfit under their clothes, but don’t let that fool you. They have true heroic power. Their mere presence has a dramatic influence in the lives of their children.

Topics: Family and Home June 17, 2021 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura