faith Archives

Hollywood Makes the Case for Teaching the Bible in Public School

The following essay was penned for The Wall Street Journal by our friends, Roma Downey and Mark Burnett.

As a friend of mine wrote on Facebook this morning, “All thoughtful, no thumping.”

But what do you think?

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Why Public Schools Should Teach the Bible

Westerners cannot be considered literate without a basic knowledge of this foundational text.

By ROMA DOWNEY AND MARK BURNETT

The Wall Street Journal, March 1, 2013

Have you ever sensed in your own life that “the handwriting was on the wall”?

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, kids, pop culture, religious liberty March 1, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

5 Faith-Building Apps for Children

Like it or not, our kids are growing up in a world of gadgets and gizmos. Before they can even walk, many little ones know how to turn the page on an iPad or even open up a favorite app on a smart phone.

Navigating technology can be challenging enough for adults, but many parents contact us wanting to know how much screen time is safe for their kids. Should Junior be allowed to use the iPad?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, kids, parenting, technology February 28, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Exclusive Video Clip: The Bible

The highly anticipated five-week miniseries, The Bible, debuts this coming Sunday, March 3, on the History Channel.

Produced by Mark Burnett (Survivor, The Voice) and his wife Roma Downey (Touched by an Angel) the ten-hour presentation is a dramatic and ambitious project. It’s also a labor of love for the Burnetts, who began this endeavor with a noble and classically evangelistic goal: to encourage people to read the Bible.

Let’s face it – it takes some moxie to lift up the Bible in the middle of Hollywood.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, faith, pop culture February 27, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What to Pray For – If You Want to Be Successful

What causes someone at the top of their profession to lose control of it all?

I think one person got it right when he said: “Success will take you further than character can keep you.”

Whether a professional athlete, the CEO of a company, or an employee looking to move up the ladder, character matters.

As you’ve likely realized, success doesn’t alleviate the demands upon us, it only intensifies them. To handle that stress, you need more than talent or intellect.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith February 26, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Are You a Prude?

A recent article in Relevant magazine, “Confessions of a Prude”, explored the role cultural relevance has for Christians.

The author writes:

We culture-savvy Christians recoil at the labels assigned to us by society… sheltered, out-of-touch, or prudish.

True?

Well, just think of how often we seek to be culturally relevant, watching every movie, keeping up with every popular program on TV and making sure we understand the references on “Saturday Night Live.”

After all, don’t we have an obligation against coming across as self-righteous?

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, relationships February 15, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Power of Our Words

I love reading stories about how people came to their faith in the Lord. It’s humbling to see, time and time again, how God lovingly pursues us, calls us to repentance through the Holy Spirit and gives us the gift of His Son.

I want to share one such story with you.

In My Train Wreck Conversion, Rosaria Champagne Butterfield (photo courtesy of CT) shares her story of being a woman who, in her own words, was a “leftist lesbian professor” who “despised Christians.” Steeped in her postmodern intellectual worldview, she was convinced that Christians hated her – and she was going to attack.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family February 12, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Another Reason I Love Chick-fil-A

How are friendships forged and formed?

There are many ways, of course, from the traditional to the unorthodox, but C.S. Lewis once put it this way:

Friendship is born at the moment when one person says to another: “What! You too?”

Dan Cathy is the president of Chick-fil-A and the son of the company’s founder, Truett Cathy. Dan is also a friend of mine, and I was reminded again this week of how much I appreciate the man when I saw a column about him from a homosexual activist in the Huffington Post.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, faith, relationships January 30, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Every Mom Needs to Watch This Video

Do you have two-minutes to spare?

If you’re a mom who has grown weary or you’re just in need of a dose of loving encouragement today, I have something for you.

Sally Clarkson is a talented and popular author who lives just up the road from us here in Colorado Springs. She and her husband, Clay, have four children and for nearly two decades have devoted themselves to helping mothers become better parents. You can learn more about their ministry here.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, wife January 3, 2013 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Resolved

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

By the time the ball falls in New York City’s Times Square tonight, millions of Americans will have compiled their lists. Many of the changes we want to make are often practical – from losing a few pounds to keeping our cars and closets better organized.

Some of our resolutions might delve a bit deeper. When I wanted to find new ways to study God’s Word as I drove and traveled, I decided that I would begin listening to the Bible on CD.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith December 31, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

My Radical Pastor Friend

The Reverend Graham J. Baird is the senior pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Colorado Springs.

He’s also my friend.

Prior to coming to Colorado, Graham served as the founding pastor of Highlands Church in Paso Robles, California. The ministry started with twenty-five people in a drive-in movie theater and has since grown to over two thousand weekly attenders.

Graham’s philosophy has been to pull down the barriers and make it easier for those wanting to come to church to learn about God.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: church, faith, homosexuality, kids, pastors December 28, 2012 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura