Week In Review, Jan 29

What a week we had on the Focus on the Family broadcast. Perhaps a personal highlight was when Jim Daly and I went to the studio to talk with Dr. Kevin Leman about his book, Have A New Husband By Friday. Instead, we were ambushed, and our wives shared insights about us – totally unrehearsed! Listen in and hear Jim and me squirm!

Two days of programing were devoted to the terrible suffering in Sudan. While the trauma in Haiti will continue to unfold in front of us over the next months, the years of incomprehensible and evil activity in Sudan have gone largely untold. Here’s a book showing photographs of that country’s pain – and fortitude. And here’s where you can listen to two colleagues sharing about their trip to Sudan, and this link will take you to the conversation we had with a family foundation doing a good work in Sudan.

Apart from the broadcast, there certainly was quite a bit of media coverage about the Super Bowl advertisement by Focus on the Family. The 30-second spot, featuring Pam Tebow and her son Tim, has created a lot of buzz. Jim Daly and several colleagues have been speaking to the media about the ad, which has not yet been released. What is so interesting to me: The criticisms by folks who talk authoritatively about the spot which they haven’t seen. Most of those objections tend to be attacks on Focus, not the ad — but of course, that’s what folks do these days when they can’t fault the message…they go after the messenger. Here’s a list of some of the thousands of stories about the ad. And here’s Jim’s recent blog post about the coverage.

Pray for us as the days are full, and we strive to follow God’s leading in all we do – including efforts to make that Super Bowl ad effective!

Learning the Truth

What do a shotgun and a watermelon have to do with teaching and learning about Truth? Here’s a great story by Dr. Del Tackett, over at his blog, about that very thing. Every parent should read this powerful insight and take away an appreciation for the need to help our kids grab onto Truth.

Tables Turned!

Jim Daly and I thought we were going to talk with Dr. Kevin Leman about his book, Have A New Husband By Friday. Instead, we learned that he had a secret plan to ambush us! Well, I think we handled the surprise – fairly well. What do you think? Listen in and tell me your reactions to this broadcast in which the tables were turned!

Tim Tebow and The Super Bowl Ad

What’s the big deal? Perhaps you’ve noticed that there’s quite a bit of media coverage about the Super Bowl advertisement by Focus on the Family. The 30-second spot, featuring Pam Tebow and her son Tim, has created a lot of buzz. Google “Tim Tebow” and you’ll find millions of mentions – many of those referencing his association with Focus on the Family and some showing his recent comments about the matter (one example is here). Focus President Jim Daly has been on several television networks and shows, and some colleagues have also been speaking to the media about the ad, which has not yet been released.

I’ve found it interesting that objections to the spot are based on conjecture – not one of our critics has seen the ad. Despite having all the facts, many “women’s groups” are decrying the decision by CBS to air the ad, and many are calling for it to be pulled. Their bias certainly reveals a strong dislike to the consistent pro-life message Focus on the Family has (for more than 30 years) stood for, as well as anything that might cause folks to rethink their position on abortion.

Kudos to CBS for standing firm against such misguided protests, and many thanks to the Tebows for joining us for this spot – which is really a wonderful call to celebrate family. And thanks, too, to a handful of Focus supporters who made special donation toward the significant costs of placing the ad.

Week in Review, Jan 22

As we observed Sanctity of Life week on our broadcasts, we had some powerful conversations – and we received some powerful responses!

The following comment about our broadcast with a woman who ignored advice to abort and chose to have her baby, as reported by one of our phone center staff members, caught my eye:

Gentleman was “flipping through the channels” and heard our broadcast “Choosing Life With No Regrets” program. He couldn’t stop listening.  He hasn’t ever been in Jaqueline Ivel’s situation, and doesn’t know anyone who is, but he was awakened to what God can and does do in the lives of people around him. This realization will cause him to be more aware of those individuals and more sensitive to what they are going through.

About the conversation with a former director of a Planned Parenthood clinic, here’s what a co-worker shared with us:

When I got home last night, one of my friends had left a message about the broadcast.  Turns out she happened to turn the radio on sometime in the “middle of the night” early, early in the dark hours of Thursday morning, because she couldn’t sleep.  Someone else in her house had left the radio tuned to a station that “happened” to be playing the Abby Johnson program when she turned it on.  My friend has been a lifelong supporter of abortion, but the message she heard Abby share instantly changed her mind 180 degrees. That’s one more mind changed about abortion by the power of one broadcast!

And this comment came to our phone team about the same program:

Mr. Smith called today in regard to our broadcast.  He is a Christian, but has always been a devout Democrat.  He never understood why so many were against abortion — until he heard our broadcast today.  He stopped what he was doing and repented to the Lord for his error.  He said the Lord really broke him of his arrogant attitude.  He sees now how horrible abortion is.

Looking at some of the comments we’ve received, including a few here from readers of this blog, I’m sure we’ll hear other stories reflecting how God used our programming this week. We’re grateful for His work through us to touch hearts!

And, starting off the week, we devoted a broadcast to the terrible tragedy in Haiti, and how you can reach out to help those in tremendous need. I hope you’ll continue to pray – and that you’ve considered giving (even if you’ve already made one or more contributions).

Speaking With Candor

On my way into work today I listened to Chuck Swindoll’s radio program. He was speaking, very candidly, about his deep desire to walk humbly and with sincerity, and pledged to his congregation that he has no ‘skeletons in the closet” – and that he will not do anything to cause them – or the Gospel of Christ – shame. It was a transparent moment, and the church spontaneously applauded.

A good reminder to all of us about the need for us to walk closely with our God, and to remain pure in a dark, sinful world. Integrity matters! You can catch the MP3 of Chuck’s message here.

Two Incredible Stories About Life

Hear two powerful stories on Focus on the Family broadcasts this week. Jacqueline Ivel describes how, as a pregnant teenager, she was nearly persuaded to have a partial-birth abortion, but decided to have her baby instead. Find the program online or listen to it on your radio station.

Abby Johnson made headlines last fall when she left Planned Parenthood after having a change of heart about abortion. Hear her explain what led to that momentous decision by tuning into your local station, or listen online here.

Quake Survivor’s Phone Helped Him

Incredible! Pulled from the rubble, a Haiti earthquake survivor’s iPhone’s first aid app helped him stay alive. Story here. He credits God with saving him, and also was grateful for the medical advice he got from the application.

And here’s more about Dan Woolley, who works at Compassion International.

News On Haiti’s Orphans

Here’s a helpful site with latest news about the orphans of Haiti.

Listeners Found Hope

We received quite a few comments about the program last week with Rev. Duane Miller. Overwhelmingly, people let us know they thought it offered hope and encouragement. Here are some of the comments our phone team received:

We’re so grateful for the feedback from listeners. If you haven’t called lately, why not listen and let us know what you think?  And if you missed the program with Duane Miller, you can listen here.

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