Jim Daly

Christmastime brings family together, and that’s a good thing. 

As an old year closes and a new one opens, December celebrations hopefully leave us with rich and positive memories.  Yet sometimes all the family togetherness also leaves us with disappointment or a new burden to bear.

Maybe you are reveling in some positive holiday afterglow.  That’s good – soak it up.  Family is one of the greatest joys because good relationships can reflect a foretaste of the Divine.  At the same time, we aren’t in Heaven and therefore relational strain, “growth opportunities” and downright abusive situations must be faced.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith

One day, well into her adult years, Florence Littauer’s dad invited her into a tiny back room of the little store he’d operated for decades, reached into a hiding place behind an upright piano against a back wall, and retrieved an old cigar box.

Inside were a handful of articles he had published in the local paper. Until then, Florence had no idea her father was a writer. He’d never discovered his true potential because no one had ever encouraged him.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith

Merry Christmas! I’m sure you’re looking forward to time with your family as you celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ tomorrow.

Today, we’re bringing you a special message by popular author and speaker Liz Curtis Higgs, sharing at one of our staff chapels about how the very first Christmas in Bethlehem changed the world forever. That’s a familiar story, of course, but with a blend of biblical truth and a great sense of humor, Liz provides a fresh perspective through the eyes of the first women to meet baby Jesus.

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Here’s a discouraging fact: You’re probably not as healthy as you think you are.

According to a long line of psychological studies, we tend to see ourselves as better than we are. Social scientists call this the Better-Than-Average Effect. We’re compelled to put our best face forward and suppress our inadequacies. We look like we have it together on the outside even when we don’t have it together on the inside.

The last year and a half has shown how important it is to take care of ourselves emotionally, physically, relationally, and spiritually.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith