family Archives

A Christmas Story For You

It’s Christmas time again, and I want to help you commemorate the birth of the Savior with a special Christmas story.

I think you’ll enjoy it, especially if you have children in the home. But before turning things over to our guest author and letting the tale speak for itself, I’d like to say a few words about how it ties into our ministry and why I think its simple message is so important.

During this season of celebration, we’re reminded that, for many of our friends, this time of year may not be as merry and joyous as it’s supposed to be.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: adoption, family, kids, pro-life December 16, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Where to Find Strength For a Terminal Health Battle

“Why do bad things happen to good people?”

It may be one of the most common questions we ask when we’re in pain. Maybe that’s because suffering is more than just an inconvenience. It shakes our lives to the core, leaving us so disoriented and confused that nothing seems to make sense.

Suffering is universal. At one time or another, all of us will have our world turned upside down. In fact, Scripture and life itself plainly teach that every one of us will take our last breath one day.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage December 11, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Would You Be Willing to Send This Young Girl a Card?

By now you’ve likely heard of the horrific and heartbreaking story involving Safyre Terry, an 8-year-old girl who lost her father and three siblings in a house fire back in 2013.

The fire, deemed arson, is still under investigation. The New York girl suffered burns on over 75% of her body and eventually lost her right hand and left foot. She now lives with her aunt.

Recently, Safyre expressed one wish this Christmas season:

She’d love to receive Christmas cards.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, kids, news December 10, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Why a Rock Star’s Death Reminds Us of Children Who Suffer in Silence

Although the music of the Stone Temple Pilots isn’t on my iPod, the death last week of its lead singer, Scott Weiland, caught my attention. The 48 year-old was found dead on his tour bus in Minnesota of a suspected drug overdose.

Sadly, the ascent and ultimate demise of Scott Weiland strikes an all too familiar ring. From Elvis Presley to Whitney Houston, drug abuse and celebrity excesses often lead to dark places. Of course, the rest of us aren’t immune to the scourge of modern-day vices either.

Topics: Current Events Tags: family, kids, news, parenting, pop culture December 9, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Help Your Daughter Understand Romantic Relationships

Do you have a daughter who’s a “crushaholic”? That’s a term that describes a young lady who is constantly seeking affirmation from boys.

I don’t have daughters myself, but my boys Trent and Troy are 15 and 13, so Jean and I are seeing the upheaval of the teen years up close. The physical, mental, and emotional changes can be intense.

Did I mention the emotional changes?

They can be especially pronounced in girls who tend to be emotional creatures by nature, more so than boys.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, kids, parenting, relationships December 8, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

How to Train Sons to Be Confident, Capable Men

It’s been said it’s “easier to build a boy than to mend a man.”

I agree.

But a startling number of boys today are alone, left to figure out for themselves what it means to be a man. They don’t have a father in the home who will engage them.

Oh, dad may be there. But he isn’t present.

There are a lot of great dads out there, but too many men are disengaged. They don’t see manhood as a quality they intentionally bestow upon their son.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, kids, parenting December 7, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Listen to the 14 Most Popular Programs of the Year

Each December and January we re-air a selection of our best-loved broadcasts of the year. It gives our listeners a second chance to listen and benefit from the God-centered, practical marriage and family advice that has become a hallmark of the Focus on the Family broadcast. It also gives our friends an opportunity to recommend a favorite program to a friend.

The next few weeks will be busy for everyone. In order to make things easy for you, I wanted to list the upcoming broadcast schedule.

Topics: Focus Events Tags: broadcast, faith, family, marriage, parenting December 2, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Liz Curtis Higgs and The Women of Christmas

Has it ever occurred to you that so many traditions of Christmas are actually sterilized versions of historical truth?

There are the lights and decorations; the smell of cookies, pies, and freshly cut Christmas trees; the music of choirs and carolers. The air is filled with the joy of the season.

It’s beautiful imagery that, in almost every way, stands in stark contrast to the dark, difficult circumstances surrounding the very first Christmas.

Case in point, let’s consider the lives of three women who lived it:

Mary, Elizabeth, and Anna.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family November 30, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Helpful Ways to Cope with Family Holiday Stress

This time of year is supposed to be the most joyous, but it’s often the most stressful.

A big reason for that is the amount of expectation we pour into the holidays.

Think about it.

We put expectations on ourselves and our family members, and they have expectations for how they want things to go as well. It’s a special time of year, and we want the house to be perfect, the gifts to be perfect, the meals to be perfect.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, faith, family November 27, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Five Tips for Making This Thanksgiving One of the Best Ones Ever

Thanksgiving is one of the great American holidays, a time dedicated to the deliberate expression of gratitude to the Lord for this country and our many blessings.

If you’re like my wife, Jean, you’ve been shopping and preparing the last few days. Perhaps you’ve cleared your house of extra clutter, wiped the fingerprints off the fridge and aired out the stuffy guest room. The serving platters are out of storage and your overnight guests might even be on their way.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: events, faith, family, relationships November 25, 2015 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura