Rebecca St. James Supports Super Bowl Ad
Rebecca St. James released a statement about the Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad, and it is encouraging to see her words of support:
“I think in spite of the protests this week from NOW, GloriaAllred, and ‘pro-choice’ organizations, this ad being aired is a matter of the First Amendments’ right of free speech. I applaud Focus on the Family for creating the ad and bringing the story of Tim Tebow’s life to American viewers during the Super Bowl, and I applaud CBS for broadcasting it. Here is the heart warming story of a young man whose mother-when faced with the option of abortion-chose ‘life’ and he is here to thank her, be a rising sports hero, and use that life to be a blessing to many! Unlike Tim Tebow–the more than 1 million babies that are aborted each year in the US have no voices-and no opportunity to tell us what they think of their mothers ultimate ‘choice’ for their lives.”
Thanks, Rebecca, for your on-going pro-life stance, and for your public support of this ad!
BTW, Rebecca St. James will be in New York next week—Tuesday, February 9th—to appear on “Hannity” on the Fox News Channel. She’ll no doubt be talking about her recent film, in which she plays the lead character, called, “Sarah’s Choice.” The film is a powerful exploration of the sanctity of life.
Healing From Sexual Abuse
We aired a two-part broadcast earlier this week featuring the Walt Larimore family. You’ll recall that “Dr. Walt” was on staff here at Focus for several years, and that he is a gifted communicator. He and Barb shared a story of great pain with us, one that was, for years, untold. Their children, Kate and Scott, showed tremendous courage in detailing the trauma and pain they experienced years ago after being sexually abused by a babysitter.
We had quite a significant number of responses from listeners, many of whom told us they needed to hear what the Larimores shared. Here’s just a sample:
~ When my son was 4 he was abused by a 10 year-old boy while at a daycare. Please tell the family that did the broadcast thanks for talking about such a sensitive issue.
~ I have NEVER heard anyone address this issue and not only is it so prevalent in our society; but I’ve been through it myself, starting at age 5. I didn’t tell anyone until I was 18, and then my parents had a very hard time believing me. They really did nothing about it. I don’t think either one could deal with it.
~ Thank you for airing a program on such a difficult topic. I have waited all my life for someone to address this so I could sort of feel understood and “stood up for”!
God bless everyone involved in the Focus ministry.~ Thank you for the broadcast today. It is timely, and very helpful for my family. Thank you for being there, and for being so gracious in serving my family.
We’re grateful that the broadcasts could touch hearts and be used in the healing process, and pray many more will hear the Larimore’s story and be helped. I’ll suggest that if you know someone who needs to hear this amazing family’s journey, send them a link, or get a CD for them. Or, call our 800 number and ask for someone on the counseling team.
Focus is here to help.
Super Coverage!
While the media appearances to discuss the upcoming Focus on the Family Super Bowl ad have slowed down (for now) for Focus President Jim Daly (and other FOF spokespersons), there remains a lot of coverage in the media about the 30-second spot featuring Pam Tebow and her son Tim. All in all, the comments are favorable to what we’re doing, although there is the expected criticism from some quarters.
I think in many ways Jim Daly’s stated goal, to “elevate the conversation about life,” is being achieved already - and the ad hasn’t even been seen (outside of a handful of staff and video production folks).
For instance, in the Washington Post, Sally Jenkins wrote that
I’m pro-choice, and Tebow clearly is not. But based on what I’ve heard in the past week, I’ll take his side against the group-think, elitism and condescension of the “National Organization of Fewer and Fewer Women All The Time.”
Yikes!
And according to a New York Times article,
Two companies, Alterian and Zeta Interactive, reported on Monday that their monitoring of online conversations about Super Bowl ads had found that the Focus on the Family spot had already been discussed more than any other planned to run in the game.
That’s quite remarkable, and something none of us at Focus imagined would happen!
To learn more, here’s one of the Focus press releases about the ad. And here’s a selected list of media stories about the most talked about Super Bowl ad.
Thursday our staff will gather for a special time of prayer asking God to use the ad and all the public discussion to touch hearts and to bring glory to His name. I hope you’ll join us in praying for this exciting commercial to reach people in powerful ways!
Don’t Forget Haiti
I’m afraid that we’re already forgetting the tragedy in Haiti. I don’t mean you, personally. I don’t mean the thousands of folks who have gone to serve the suffering, the dying, the orphaned, the hurting. I don’t mean the good men and women who pray for light in dark places, those who give freely - often times sacrificially - to the needs, those who have a desire to bring an orphan home.
I’m thinking more about the U.S. culture, generally, and our ability to forget. We tend to move on to other interests, more pleasant things that don’t remind us that our world is fallen, that God doesn’t prevent disasters, that pain in this world is pervasive. I’m thinking this as I scan the “Most Popular” category of news items over at Google news. As I write this, there are stories about the Grammy Awards - specifically the fashion blunders, the Apple iPad - and Amazon’s response, China’s indignation about U.S. arms sales, the expected bad news from the White House about the economy, and the meandering leviathan of a film, “Avatar.” THEN there’s mention of Haiti, the responses by our military and also the dispute between some Americans and the Haitian government regarding orphans.
In case you’ve forgotten, there’s still a tremendous need for financial assistance, for medical help, for prayer. Follow the news. Pray knowledgeably. And give. For where you might give, here’s a list from Focus on the Family of trusted partners. It isn’t comprehensive, of course. But it’s a start.
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!
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).
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.
Haiti Devastation: How To Help
The devastation in Haiti is unbelievable, and I hope you are praying for the millions of individuals and families who are affected by the recent earthquake there.
In a statement, President Obama said, “With just a few hundred miles of ocean between us and a long history that binds us together, Haitians are neighbors of the Americas and here at home.” He called the earthquake an “incomprehensible tragedy.”
As you probably know, Focus on the Family is not a relief agency, but if you want to contribute to trusted organizations which are already providing needed assistance to the people of Haiti, here’s a list to start with: