Jim Daly

Finding Good in Adversity

Recently I blogged about Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, a serious condition that someone who has experienced any sort of life trauma may experience.

While PTSD may most commonly be associated with war veterans, people with any sort of trauma, including childhood disturbances, are vulnerable.

As some of you may know, my childhood included a lot of trauma. I spent the first part of my years in violence-riddled Compton, Calif. I witnessed a gang-related murder outside of my bedroom window when I was 8.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: faith

Is Intentional Childlessness Biblical?

Time magazine’s provocative cover story last week, “The Childfree Life,” explores why some couples are choosing to deliberately not have children and taps into a larger, worldwide trend towards smaller families.

A good portion of the piece is rooted in cultural observation and fact.

Not surprisingly, some of the causes are found in modern life. Young couples are marrying later, if at all, and instead of having children, they’re increasingly choosing to pursue college and advanced degrees and becoming more active in the work force.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, kids, parenting

VIDEO: Watch the Duck Dynasty Wedding

The 12 million viewers who tuned into this week’s Duck Dynasty season premiere, got more than laughs – they got a lesson in true love and commitment.

In the episode, Phil and Kay, the Robertson clan’s patriarch and matriarch, finally had the wedding ceremony they missed out on when they were married almost 50 years ago. While the episode had its expected hijinks and redneck jokes, the wedding ceremony itself was heartfelt.

To be sure, Phil and Kay aren’t your typical Hollywood characters, so they make for unconventional centerpieces of a highly-rated TV show’s main love story…and yet they are.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, marriage, pop culture

VIDEO: This May Change How You Talk to Your Kids

Positive affirmation is generally considered a good thing, but would it surprise you if I told you that letting your child know that he or she is smart may be detrimental to their future success? According to recent studies, it’s true.

An interesting article from New York Magazine, “How Not to Talk to Your Kids,” outlines why parents may want to stay away from praising their kids’ intelligence: it might cause children to stay away from things they may not be initially successful at.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: parenting

Cops Surprise Accused Criminal… with Grace

When was the last time God prompted you to go out of your way to help someone?

That’s what happened to Ryan Willard and Duane Fields, two West Virginia law enforcement officers whose response to a typical shoplifting call will inspire you.

According to a report from The Charleston Daily Mail, Willard and Fields arrived at a local K-Mart to look into allegations a young woman had tried to steal from the store.

What they found in the small backroom went beyond the cold, hard facts of the case, however.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: news

Tweets Between the Sheets

Smartphones and tablets are becoming more and more ubiquitous. Increasingly they’re our constant source of news and entertainment. Sometimes it seems like these devices are surgically attached to our hands – but this reliance on smart technology is also demanding us to make decisions about what we prioritize and how we will steward our time.

Today I want to share with you a post written by one of our young staffers. In it, Chelsey, a newlywed, explores how she waded through the choices her iPhone forced her to make:

The phone alarm wakes my husband.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: husband, marriage, relationships, wife

VIDEO: Do You Know This is More Dangerous than Drinking and Driving?

It used to be that when it came to having a 16-or 17-year-old, a parent’s top concern when their teen got behind the wheel was drinking and driving. Well, there’s something that’s replaced drunk driving as the number one cause of teenage deaths on the road in the U.S. – texting while driving. Accidents caused by this dangerous practice injure more than 300,000 teens and kill more than 3,000 each year, according to a study by the Cohen Children’s Medical Center in New York.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: news, technology

Dad Matters Flies the Frantic Skies

Focus on the Family’s blog for fathers, Dad Matters, has a great mix of content written by some of the dads on our staff. Some of the posts, like the one on staying involved during the school year, are full of practical insight. Others, like the post on presuming the best, offer life wisdom with real-life examples.

Then there’s Patrick, who specializes in writing humorous pieces inspired by his daily adventures in fatherhood. His latest post, “Flying the Frantic Skies,” is sure to make you laugh:

Notice anything about those airline ads on TV?

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: humor

How God Used a Young Man with Special Needs to Communicate on His Behalf

A few weeks ago I shared a moving video about a young couple and their newborn child that inspired many of you to tell me your own stories of love, loss and the dignity of every human life. Today I want to tell you how that video came to be – and to introduce you to the two very special men, a real-life father and son, who starred in the short feature “A Letter from Dad.”

Jim Mhoon serves as the vice president of content development here at Focus.

Continue ReadingTopics: Family and Home Tags: kids, parenting

What the Pope Said About Homosexuality

Pope Francis’ comments on homosexuality late last month made headlines around the world. During an impromptu 80-minute press conference with journalists, the Pope answered questions on a variety of issues, but the media has latched on to this one quote:

If a person is gay and seeks the Lord and has good will, who am I to judge that person?

The pope was summarizing his thoughts about celibate clergy who have unwanted same-sex attractions. That’s the quote that caused the media floodgates to open, with many news reports breathlessly hinting that the Catholic Church was changing its positions on the topic.

Continue ReadingTopics: Current Events Tags: homosexuality, news