Daly Focus Blog
By nearly all accounts, the theatrical debut of “The Drop Box” was an unprecedented success, with more than 275,000 people attending the film throughout North America during its limited run.
In fact, we’ve heard from countless viewers who’ve expressed their appreciation via emotional and heartfelt testimonials. Some have told us the documentary inspired them to begin caring for foster children and start the adoption process. I can’t wait to hear their stories in the coming months and years.
Desiree Andrews is a cheerleader for the Lincoln Middle School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. She’s a sweet, happy, friendly eighth-grader, who also happens to have Down Syndrome.
The young woman has also become something of an international celebrity during the last few weeks.
Why?
According to reports, basketball players on the Lincoln team stopped play in order to defend Desiree against some bullies who were mocking her moves from the stands.
“We were mad. We didn’t like that,” said player Miles Rodriguez.
Note: Did you miss out on watching “The Drop Box” last week? Well, tonight more than 400 theaters across the nation are showing a one-time encore presentation of this award-winning documentary film. Check out locations and purchase your tickets online at www.thedropboxfilm.com!
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If you’re a parent of a biological child, you’ll never forget the first moment you saw your little one on an ultrasound image.
It’s the ultimate look within. Today’s expectant parents can see what tens of billions of couples throughout history never did – 3-D images of their preborn baby moving around inside the womb.
Technology is a way of life for kids. They use it for everything from simple communication with family and friends to entertainment to school-related tasks.
And the numbers prove it. In the course of just one minute, YouTube users upload 48 hours of new video content. Facebook users share over 680,000 pieces of content. More than 2 million Google searches occur. And over 200 million email messages are sent. And did you know teenagers send on average over 3,000 texts every month?
Measles.
It’s not the sort of souvenir you’d expect to bring home from the “Happiest Place on Earth,” but that’s exactly what dozens of children took away from their visit to Disneyland last December.
Ironically, Jean and I were there with the boys the very week of the outbreak.
More than fifty children contracted the disease as a result of exposure to the infection at the California theme park. Some spread it to others, and by the end of January more than a hundred cases had been confirmed in the U.S.
What the latest promotional video for Focus’ newest movie, “The Drop Box,” shows is almost unbelievable.
It was a cold night when Pastor Lee Jong-rak stumbled on a newborn who had been abandoned in an alley in Seoul, South Korea. He quickly takes the infant, and goes on to build a “baby box” at the front of his church – a warm, safe place where desperate mothers can leave babies who would otherwise be abandoned.
Since then, Pastor Lee, his wife Chun-ja and a small team of volunteers have rescued more than 600 babies.
Let’s be honest: Parenting isn’t for the weak – especially when you’re raising a strong-willed child.
It’s not fun when a pint-sized little one defiantly refuses to obey or when a 14-year-old talks back. Our natural instincts want to kick in. It’s all too easy to respond in anger.
My wife, Jean, and I know this well. We have two teenage boys, and one of them is a strong-willed child. It’s interesting to look back over the years and see how he’s impacted Jean and me in different ways.
January is Sanctity of Human Life month, so it’s very fitting that I share with you some more about a film project Focus has been working on called The Drop Box. I’ve highlighted this touching documentary in this blog before, and you’ll be hearing more about it in the weeks to come. The documentary highlights the work of Pastor Lee Jong-rak who leads Jusarang Community Church in Seoul, South Korea.
The hallmark ministry of Pastor Lee’s church is its care for children that are left in its “baby box,” a warm, safe receptacle where an infant can be left anonymously instead of being discarded in a cold alley or a dumpster.
This year, Focus on the Family is commemorating Sanctity of Human Life month in January in three primary ways:
1. Announcing a new milestone for our Option Ultrasound program
In the ten years since its launch, we estimate that Option Ultrasound has now helped saved more than 300,000 babies! Since its beginning in 2004, Option Ultrasound has provided some 655 grants to qualified pregnancy medical clinics and about $4.5 million worth of benevolent resources to pregnancy centers.
If you want to know how much dads matter in the lives of their children, ask me – I didn’t grow up with a dad.
My biological dad, stepdad and foster dad were all out of my life by the time I turned 13.
It’s tough to go through life with a father who’s either physically or emotionally absent. But don’t take my word for it; just look at the statistics. They’ll show you how things go awry when a dad’s not at home.
Jim Daly is a husband, father and President of Focus on the Family and host of its National Radio Hall of Fame broadcast. His blog, Daly Focus, is full of timely commentary and wisdom designed to help you navigate and understand today’s culture. His latest book is Marriage Done Right.
