pop culture Archives

Thoughts on Leslie Nielsen

The actor Leslie Nielsen died yesterday in Florida from complications associated with pneumonia. He was 84.

I read something in his obituary that struck me as somewhat instructive. I thought I’d shared it with you here.

Most people remember the Canadian native as a comedic actor, especially for his role as the bumbling Dr. Rumack, a passenger in Airplane, a spoof movie from the 1980s. In the latter part of his career, Mr. Nielsen was the king of the deadpan and dry delivery and became famous for exchanges like this one from Airplane:

Dr.

Topics: Current Events Tags: faith, news, pop culture November 29, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

An Excess of Democracy?

Life is beginning to return to normal in the Daly house following Tuesday’s historic election.

By “normal” I mean it’s been three days since our home phone rang five times during dinner with candidate robo-calls and our mailbox was overstuffed with campaign flyers!

The pundits will continue to analyze Tuesday’s results and draw their subjective conclusions. I have mine; you have yours. At a Wednesday press conference, President Obama qualified the outcome as a “shellacking” – a candid admission by any measure.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, faith, policy, pop culture November 5, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Wins and Losses

I was reminded yesterday that even when your team loses, you can still enjoy a winning weekend.

My brother-in-law, Jon Kingdon, is a scout for the Oakland Raiders. Our family loves and admires him, but because of our affinity for the hometown Denver Broncos, there’s always been a fair amount of teasing between us. (For non-football fans, the Broncos/Raiders rivalry is legendary and dates back to the 1960s. In fact, the Broncos and Raiders have met on Monday Night Football more often than any other matchup in MNF history.)

As it was, the Raiders came to town this weekend to play the Broncos.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, family, parenting, pop culture October 25, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Television Moms and Dads

Given the endless challenges facing the state of the faith, the family, the country and even the world, you might not think I should be spending my time writing about television parents, but please humor me, won’t you?

By now you’ve probably heard of the passing of the always elegant Barbara Billingsley, that supermom of the 1950s iconic television program, Leave it to Beaver. Mrs. Cleaver cooked and cleaned the house in a dress and pearls and was always there to welcome home the boys, Wally and Theodore, and her faithful husband, Ward.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, family, news, pop culture October 22, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Tension is Good!

GUEST BLOG

Catalyst 2010: A Movement of Restorers

Esther Fleece

Where can you find 13,000 multi-generational leaders who wholeheartedly desire to serve God’s purpose within their generation?

The Catalyst conference in Atlanta is a great place to start.

Thousands of “grass top” leaders gathered there last week, displaying a beautiful spirit of unity among evangelical subgroups.

It’s not an overstatement to suggest those in attendance are changing the world.

How?

One person at a time.

Groups like TOMS Shoes celebrated an incredible milestone of giving the one millionth pair of new shoes to a child in need.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, events, faith, pop culture October 11, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Who is Wooing You?

It sounds like the opening line of a classic Dr. Seuss kid’s book, doesn’t it?

Who is wooing you?

When it comes to romantic relationships, I think there’s a tendency to see “wooing” as primarily a component of courtship prior to marriage. It’s a familiar scene, isn’t it? There is the boyfriend, flowers and chocolates in hand, maybe even leaving a little love note under his girlfriend’s windshield wiper at work. A colleague of mine, while dating his then girlfriend, now wife, would bring groceries to her apartment in between paychecks.

Topics: Family and Home Tags: broadcast, family, marriage, pop culture October 8, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Never Give Up On Life

Derek Redmond is a retired British track and field star. His career was plagued by injuries. Ironically, he’s probably best remembered and beloved for a race he didn’t win at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona.

The following video may have been shot 18 years ago, but could this be a message and reminder you need to see today?

Never give up on life!

Topics: Family and Home Tags: entertainment, pop culture August 23, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

Susan’s Story

Although it seems like a distant memory now, it was only a few months ago that Focus on the Family’s “Celebrate Family, Celebrate Life” ad aired during the Super Bowl. Rather than being confrontational, as some critics had speculated, it was actually an upbeat celebration of the bond between Heisman trophy winner Tim Tebow and his mother, Pam. A few days after the Super Bowl, the Barna Group released data showing that more than 5 million people reconsidered their position on the issue of abortion after viewing the ad!

Topics: Family and Home Tags: pop culture, pro-life, staff August 12, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

What Tim Tebow’s Deal with Jockey Tells Us

Tim Tebow, the Denver Broncos first-round draft pick and Focus on the Family’s favorite QB, is in the news again today, this time for signing on as a spokesman for Jockey underwear.

The punsters are having a field day with the association (I’ll refrain), but I’m happy for Tim and his family. After he agreed to film Focus on the Family’s “controversial” Super Bowl commercial, many industry watchers suggested he had blown any chance for major endorsement deals.

Topics: Current Events Tags: events, news, pop culture July 28, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura

The Pride of the Yankees

It’s been a tough few days in the Bronx. Although the New York Yankees enjoy one of the most celebrated traditions in all of sports, this week has been anything but traditional for the legendary baseball club.

On Sunday morning, Bob Sheppard, the team’s long-time public address announcer, died. He was 99. Two days later and 12 hours before Major League Baseball’s All-Star game, the team’s former owner, George Steinbrenner, suddenly dropped dead of a heart attack.

Topics: Current Events Tags: entertainment, events, pop culture July 15, 2010 by Jim Daly with Paul Batura