What’s the first thing you do in the morning?

Pray?

Read Scripture?

Scroll through your phone?

How we begin our mornings significantly impacts how we move through the rest of the day. That’s an important consideration given that so many of us reach for our phones first thing.Instead of positively orienting ourselves with prayer and biblical encouragement, our hearts and minds are flooded with conflict and discouraging news. Which means our hearts are being shaped by fear and distraction instead of peace and clarity.

Topics: Uncategorized March 17, 2026 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

God values listening.

James 1:19 says, “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear [and] slow to speak.” At the heart of that wisdom is listening well. Effective listening deepens a relationship by:

• Intimately connecting the person listening with the person talking, and vice versa.

• Creating safety within which partners can be vulnerable without fear of judgment, correction, or rejection.

• Fostering the mutual respect necessary for long-term stability.

• De-escalating conflict.

The problem is many of us spend a lot of time sharing our thoughts, our opinions, our stories – that is, talking or waiting for our turn to speak instead of truly hearing one another. We are more distracted than ever, bombarded by stimulation from every direction all day. As a result, we’re losing ourability to be fully present and attentive to each other.

Topics: Uncategorized March 12, 2026 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

At Focus on the Family, we care about all of your relationships but especially your relationship with Jesus. He is the One you can count on even when you don’t “feel” His presence.

The problem is not that God doesn’t speak to us. More likely, the problem is that we don’t stop to listen to His voice. When we are too busy to pray, we’re too busy to see God moving in our lives.

When we understand God’s invitation to a relationship with Jesus, every moment of life becomes an opportunity to experience Him.

Topics: Uncategorized February 27, 2026 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Focus on the Family receives thousands of calls every year from hurting people who live in despair because of circumstances beyond their control, like abuse.

I recently spoke with Dr. Erwin Lutzer on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly, and he says to free ourselves from the damage of abuse we must do three things:

Confront our past with Christ.

Commit our wounds to Him.

Receive healing over time.

Dr. Lutzer and I discussed numerous ideas for experiencing restoration and healing, including:

Identifying pains of the past and escape routes that God provides.

Topics: Uncategorized January 26, 2026 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, I want to share with you a powerful message on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly. It’s by my dear friend and brother in Christ, Carey Casey, about building racial harmony in our communities.

Carey was part of the real-life story captured in Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington, a movie about an African-American high school football coach who overcame significant challenges after being hired to coach the school’s first racially integrated team. 

Topics: Uncategorized January 19, 2026 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are you skeptical about Christianity?

I recently spoke with author Justin Brierley on Focus on the Family with Jim Daly about compelling explanations for the existence of God which, in turn, offer the best explanation for other facets of our existence, including:

• The Universe. Concepts like the Big Bang, the universe’s fine-tuning, and the law of entropy all point toward a Creator.

• Human Value. The inherent worth of human life is best grounded in a Christian worldview, not materialism.

• Consciousness and Purpose. The human quest for ultimate meaning is fully satisfied in the Christian story.

Topics: Uncategorized January 16, 2026 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The holiday season can be one of the most joyful times of the year. It can also be one of the most stressful.

Spending time with family during Thanksgiving and Christmas sounds enjoyable when you’re making plans in July and August. But once November and December arrive, you remember what it’s like to be in a house filled with people who have different interests, different traditions, even differing political and spiritual viewpoints.

Which begs the question: how can we navigate the holidays in a way that honors our families in a Christlike way?

Topics: Uncategorized November 25, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Ryan and Kayla North are co-founders of One Big Happy Home, an organization that offers practical strategies, guidance, and resources for caregivers whose adoptive children are dealing with trauma, behavior challenges and attachment issues.

Over the past 10 years, the Norths have fostered nearly 30 children. They currently have six kids – two biological and four adopted – ages 22 to 13. But foster parenting wasn’t part of the Norths’ original intent for their family. They assumed they’d follow a more traditional path.

Topics: Uncategorized November 11, 2025 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura