Jim Daly

Senator McCain’s Death Teaches Us About Life

Saturday’s death of John McCain marks the close of a long and remarkable life. The Arizona senator and famed Vietnam war hero was a committed public servant who honorably served his country over the course of the past six decades.

The senator’s reputation as a “maverick” resulted in political sparring from time to time, especially within his own Republican party, and even within our own circle of social conservatism. But despite his sometimes unpopular positions, Senator McCain engaged his opposition or detractors with good manners and good taste.

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Preparing for the Empty Nest Years

Marci Seither and her husband owned a sawmill in Northern California. A customer hired them to remove a huge tree from the spot where their new home would be built. The homeowners thought it a shame to lose such a beautiful tree and planned to recycle the lumber by using it in the house’s construction.

Once the tree was cut down, however, they discovered that the wood was too weak to be used. The tree rings were too far apart.

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Guest Post: Five Questions & Answers About Today’s Schools

My colleague, Public Policy’s Director of Education, Candi Cushman, recently answered some questions about the public schools that were posed to her from Decision Magazine. I thought you would find her answers both enlightening and interesting.

On a related note, if you are a parent of a school-age child, I hope you’re aware of our upcoming, Bring Your Bible to School Day. It’ll be on Thursday October 4th. It’s not too early to register and participate in some of our pre-event promotion.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: faith, religious liberty

The Five Love Languages of Teenagers

My son Troy’s love language is physical touch. When he was younger, he was the first one to run into my arms when I got home each night. Even now as a teenager, he loves when I give him a big bear hug.

My older son, Trent, is more introverted and cerebral. I’ve asked him if he’s okay with hugs, and he says yes, but sometimes he stands so rigid he’s like hugging a pole. I have to remind him to use his arms.

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Democrat Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel is Right

Earlier this month, the city of Chicago made headlines when 74 people were shot in a single weekend in numerous incidents and neighborhoods. As of today, 12 of those wounded have died.

Sadly, rampant crime in the Windy City is not a new phenomenon. During the July 4th holiday weekend in 2017, 101 people were shot, 14 of whom died.

For years, liberal commentators have been attributing the rise in violence to guns – or easy access to them, inadequate laws, insufficient government spending, drugs and the proliferation of gangs.

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Restoring Your Marriage After Infidelity

“He walked in, and I knew something was horribly wrong. I thought someone had died. I didn’t know it was our marriage.”

That comment from Mona Shriver about the moment she learned her husband Gary was committing adultery, reflects a sentiment felt by almost a third of couples. One or both partners admits to involvement in extramarital affairs, and life as they know it dies.

Gary and Mona Shriver are here with us from California to talk about the emotional devastation they went through as a result of an affair.

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Sharing Jesus’ Love Through Food and Fellowship

Have you ever noticed how much of Jesus’ ministry on earth was centered around meals? Among others, there was the wedding at Cana, a dinner with the reviled Zaccheus, and the beautiful symbolism of the Last Supper. Jesus was even criticized for eating with “tax collectors and sinners” (Matt. 12:16).

As one scholar put it: “Jesus ate his way through the Gospels.”

For Bri McKoy, Jesus’ ministry through meals became a model through which she created community and shared God’s love with the people He placed in her life.

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Guest blog: My Summer at Focus on the Family

Every summer we have the privilege of recruiting a group of young adults for our internship program here at Focus. We believe it’s important to invest in the next generation of men and women who will carry the torch for faith and family! Rebecca Wirth was our 2018 intern in the Master Writers department. These are her reflections on her experience in the internship program. – Jim Daly

On any given Tuesday morning this summer, you could find me with five of my fellow interns sitting at a table at Focus on the Family, chatting about everything from the weather to biblical truths.

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The State of Colorado is Harassing Baker Jack Phillips

Here we go again.

Despite the fact that the United States Supreme Court ruled this past June that the state of Colorado had violated Masterpiece Cakes owner Jack Phillips’ freedom of religion, the Colorado Civil Rights Commission has once again notified the beleaguered baker that he has violated Colorado law for declining to create a cake symbolizing a gender “transition.”

We’re finding out that it all started in June of 2017 when a transgender activist attorney began a series of communications with Masterpiece Cakeshop asking for certain kinds of cakes: one celebrating the attorney’s “transition” from male to female (with blue icing on the outside, pink on the inside), others celebrating Satanic messages or containing graphic sexual imagery.

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Cultivating a Healthy Single Life

Imagine two keys.

Now imagine threading those keys onto a ring. Here’s the question: Are either of those keys more complete together than they were individually?

Answer: No! And neither will you be if you’re single and hoping to be married one day. “Singlehood” is often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with “incomplete” – as in, there’s something unfinished in you that only a spouse can complete.

As romantic as Hollywood makes that scenario sound, it’s not really true.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, relationships