Christmas In The Air

It’s only Monday, but this morning as I drove carpool my daughters were discussing the upcoming weekend. When reminded of a party for our Sunday school class, the oldest girl expressed surprise that “Christmas parties are already starting.” We reminded her that it IS December, and that Christmas will be here quite soon.

In fact, this past weekend our family just celebrated our 19th annual “Christmas Tree Hunt,” driving into the mountains to search for the perfect tree. We never find it, but this year we came mighty close! After cutting and loading it, we enjoyed hot chocolate and sandwiches before coming back home. This is one of our favorite memories through the years.

A beautiful day to be in the mountains!

Here at Focus on the Family, we’ve got some special Christmas activities and offerings for you. One item of particular note is our “12 Days of Blessing” contest. Check here for details, and be sure you nominate a needy family you know who could use some extra help this season.

And here’s a way to save some money on your Christmas shopping: free shipping from the Focus on the Family store at CBD.

This site (an outreach of Focus on the Family) has suggestions you might appreciate about “shopping with purpose.”

If you’ve appreciated the outreach of Focus on the Family, I’d like you to know that there’s a special “matching gift” opportunity, for only a short time, that effectively doubles any contribution you make to Focus. It’s an extraordinary way to maximize your contribution. Details here.

Finally, here’s a series of short articles to help you keep your family’s holiday emphasis where it belongs.

Odyssey Touching Lives

Great comments affirming the decision many years ago to make a dramatic audio series for kids:

I want to thank you for creating Adventures in Odyssey.  As a kid, the program reinforced the lessons my parents taught me.  We didn’t have a television in our house, so naturally I spent more time listening to the radio than most of my peers.  Whit and the gang made the Bible exciting for me and taught me that you don’t have to be an adult to be a Christian.

Now, as a 20-year-old college student, I still enjoy AIO greatly and listen to it whenever I can.  Many of the things I know about the Bible, and living the Christian life, I first learned from AIO.  I even learned some words that helped me out in my first year of Biblical Hebrew!  The show is wonderful – keep up the good work.

I wonder if YOU have an “Odyssey story” to share?

Ten Tips For Travelin’ Fools

I’ve been traveling every week since early September. Just coming off another trip to Atlanta, where we had a wonderful time with around 500 friends of Focus on the Family. Our Celebrate Family Tour is really a special time, and it was an enjoyable evening.

During the past weeks, I’ve had canceled flights, mechanical delays, airport “ground stops,” and an overnight stay at LaGuardia airport. Others have plenty of horror stories, and our president, Jim Daly, travels a lot more than me, but since I’ve been out a lot, here are some travel tips that come to mind.

If you travel with any frequency, I’d invite your additions to the following list (compiled at the airport):

John’s Top Ten Travel Tips

1.    Always be prepared for – and expect – the worst.

2.    Never plan to be there on time.

3.    Be nicer than others.

4.    Don’t grumble at the flight crew or gate agent – they’re just trying to do their job. They’re your friends if things fall apart.

5.    Always have a snack and some bottled water – it’ll make sitting on a plane waiting to take off for three hours a lot easier.

6.    Give other folks some space and grace…they might’ve had a rotten day already.

7.    Carry extra juice for your phone.

8.    Don’t spend all your time working. Engage someone in conversation. Look around at the people. Smile at a child. Read a book. Take a snooze.

9.    Get tips on where to eat from frequent fliers. They often have advice that is worth following.

10.Keep family pictures on your laptop’s screen and on your phone. Good reminder of the most important people in your life.

School Struggles?

Reading this blog post/article about school struggles, I couldn’t help but think of our youngest, who is really having a difficult time this school year. Zane is bright, but has some behavioral issues making for a very rocky time at the nearby elementary school. The administration and teaching staff there is wonderful, but they can only do so much. Talking with my wife, I observed that the boy is trying to get out of the pressures of the classroom, but of course, we can’t let him win that battle. She agrees, and we’ll have a meeting with the school in the next couple of days to discuss an action plan.

Meantime, I’d appreciate your prayers. In the scheme of things, this is a temporary problem, but we’re calling on God to bring His presence and wisdom to bear. We need it. And maybe you can relate…let us know how Focus on the Family can help.  We have a lot of resources, and even could arrange for a counselor to give you a call.

Jim Daly on Huckabee

On Saturday, September 18, Jim Daly will talk about his new book, Stronger, on “Huckabee.”  The show will air at 8 p.m. Eastern on the Fox News Channel.

19 Years…And Counting

In late July of 1991, I was pondering a job change. I was happy with my work managing two Christian radio stations in Texas. Our circumstances were close to ideal. We lived two blocks from my wife’s sister and her family. One set of grandparents – we had one child at the time – was only twenty minutes away. We were in a good church, had some wonderful friends and loved our neighborhood.

The offer was from Focus on the Family. To accept would mean moving to Colorado and leaving all that we had known as a young family.  There’d be some tears if we took on the challenge of a new job in a new city and state. That was a lot of upheaval to consider.

A complicating factor was that we were expecting the birth of a second child at any time.

Weighing the opportunity, we sought counsel from trusted friends and after considerable prayer and thought we decided to “go for it.”

Believe it or not, within hours of making the decision, Dena went into labor. In fact, Seth was born just eight hours after I made the call to accept the offer to join the Focus broadcast team. Only six weeks later, I was in Colorado starting the new job. That was 19 years ago today, and I’m still working on broadcasts, although in a different way than when I began in 1991.

God has given me some terrific, rewarding and fulfilling work these many years. What wonderful people I’ve worked with and met! I’m a blessed man.

Help In An Unplanned Pregnancy

Here’s a touching comment we received from someone who needed Focus on the Family to help:
“I can’t thank you enough for coming alongside our family at a time when we desperately needed some help.  After learning of our teenage daughter’s unexpected pregnancy, we contacted your ministry, and you, in turn, pointed us to a Christian adoption agency in our state.  As difficult as it was to give up our first grandchild, we’re comforted to know that he’s now growing up in a healthy, godly environment.  We’re profoundly grateful for the impact you’ve had on our family, not only in this instance, but also in a few other difficult situations that have occurred during the past several years.  Thank you for your guidance, support, and encouragement.”
Click here, here, or here if you need some encouragement and hope in an unplanned pregnancy. The links take you to some online resources, including a tool to help schedule a toll-free call with a caring Christian counselor.

Helping Families Thrive

I thought you’d find this note encouraging. These kind words are reflective of what many have felt about Focus on the Family over the years:

“I am at a loss for words to adequately express how much it means to my husband and me to know that there is an organization like Focus that is rooting for us.  Just today I was reading Psalm 37 and thinking about how your ministry provides ways to ‘dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.’  We have two teenagers and an 8-year-old in our household.  Adventures in Odyssey got us through the grade school years, but now our adolescents’ faith is being tested by all the entertainment options that the world offers.  Plugged In Online has become a significant compass for our family.  All three of our kids are dedicated to their walk with Christ but they still encounter challenges.  Thanks for all of your research and persistence in helping us navigate through stormy waters.”

This is exactly what we’re about: coming alongside and helping families thrive. It’s a privilege to be part of what our heavenly Father is doing at and through Focus on the Family. If you have a story, let us know, please. All to the glory of God!

Focus in the News

Focus on the Family is in the news as we deal with a budget that isn’t quite adding up. Many of our friends have been affected by the recession – so has this organization. While there have been a number of stories in the press, here are Jim Daly’s thoughts about the steps taken to make sure we’re making sure we’re “living within our means.”

On a lighter note, we’re finding a lot of folks connecting with us through our new Facebook page.You can listen to programs there, and leave comments, too.

Talking About People And Issues

Sen. Tom Coburn discusses the importance of looking past political differences and befriending political opponents. Listen here to this engaging conversation, which also touches on the significance of the Elena Kagan hearings and the appointment of Dr. Donald Berwick to oversee health care.

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