faith Archives

Silence is Golden

A couple of days ago I blogged about our recent family vacation in which the four of us went completely “dark”—we exchanged the television, the radio, and the Internet for some serious peace and quiet. Even if we had wanted to use our cell phone, there wasn’t any coverage. All of the electrical umbilical cords tethering us to the frazzled pace of life had been cut.

This was by design. Jean and I planned the trip to have no contact with the outside world which, for five glorious days, allowed our family to pull inward.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, technology August 7, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Fun and Fear

Sometimes, a little fear can wind up being a lot of fun—instructive, too.

Jean and I took the boys camping last week up to beautiful Mueller State Park, a picturesque spot located just outside the town of Woodland Park, Colorado.

Our site was perfectly situated; a cozy corner of land nestled among towering pines and an Aspen tree grove. It was great not to have the pressure of keeping a schedule. To borrow a phrase, we had “gone dark” once arriving in the park.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family August 4, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

40 Years Ago Today

I’ve enjoyed the coverage these last few days revolving around the 40th anniversary of men landing and walking on the moon. If you’re in your mid-40’s, I suspect you can recall something about that special week in the otherwise tumultuous summer of 1969. You might even remember where you were when those famous words of Neil Armstrong echoed back to earth: “That’s one small step for man,” he said slowly and deliberately, “one giant leap for mankind.”

What a wave of nostalgia swept over Jean and me as we watched those grainy images again, this time with our own boys by our side.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, technology July 20, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Lure of Fictional Legends

Somebody once suggested to me that the majority of successful entrepreneurs usually have two things from their past in common: The loss of a parent at a young age—and a paper route.

I was reminded of that while reading the Wall Street Journal recently. Douglas Belkin’s piece this past Saturday titled, “Superman Birthplace is Restored,” offers some interesting background information on the creation of the famous comic strip-turned television-turned movie character. And it actually has a lot to do with what we’re trying to do here at Focus on the Family.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting July 16, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Get Your Game On

Former NFL Head Coach Joe Gibbs knows a thing or two about football, having taken the Washington Redskins to the Super Bowl eight times, winning three. Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, this champion expanded his playing field to include the creation of his own NASCAR team. Driven by the pursuit of excellence, his Joe Gibbs Racing team captured three NASCAR Championships.

Joe stopped by Focus on the Family Monday to record a broadcast in which he tackled a different topic: doing life God’s way.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith July 15, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

When Sorrows Like Sea Billows Roll

By now you’ve heard about the murder of a wealthy Pensacola couple named Byrd and Melanie Billings. They were found shot to death inside their nine-bedroom home this past Thursday night, the apparent victims of a robbery gone bad. Late Sunday night, police investigators announced the arrests of two suspects, though more are expected.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan said, “We are very anxious to share this story … it’s going to be a humdinger, I’ll tell you that.”

Actually, it already is.

Topics: Current Events Tags: adoption, events, faith, family, news July 13, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Hogging the Highways and Byways

In 2007, I took up a new hobby: crusing the countryside on a rented Harley. That foray into Harley riding and leather duds has turned into an annual gathering of guys. Last year ten of us hit the trail to Vail. About a week ago, five of us took off for Estes Park. This time out, retired Major Leaguers Dave Dravecky (Padres, Giants), Frank Pastore (Reds, Twins), Tim Burke (Expos, Mets, Yankees), joined Mark Stapleton, a businessman from Nevada, and myself for a ride to remember.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, friendship July 13, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On

A surprising number of business owners I’ve spoken with over the last several months are shaken by the state of the economy. They’ve been candid about the difficult predicament this tight economy has put them in. Many are concerned about having to cut the size of their staff in order to stay financially viable. Others are painfully aware they’re about to lose their family business and, with it, their entire life savings if sales don’t improve.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, finances June 14, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

God Speaks Through Little Kids Books

Sometimes God has to use simple words to get through to me. Case in point.

One of the things I like to do after dinner is to engage the family in a brief time of devotions. Given the age of our boys, we’re reading from a children’s picture story version of the Bible. The other day I was reading the story of King Saul, David, and Goliath. Keep in mind that the editors of the children’s Bible condensed the whole 58-verse saga down to about eight illustrated pages with maybe six words on each page.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: faith, family, kids, parenting June 4, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

A Walk to Remember

One week ago, our staff at Focus on the Family gathered together for a time of corporate prayer. Like many Christian ministries, we’ve experienced a dip in financial support from our friends and partners due to these tough economic times. We happen to be about $5 million behind the budget right now. However, we did not gather to weep and wring our hands in fear, perplexed by our circumstances. Why would we? Whether in good times or when times get tough, our only hope is found in the Lord.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: events, faith, finances May 28, 2009 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura