I never cease to be amazed how God works.

By now it’s likely you know about our Super Bowl ad with Pam and Tim Tebow. But what you may not know is the genesis of the idea. In a way it snuck up on us in God’s perfect timing. I was completing some work in our video studio at Focus on the Family when one of our film team members, Mark Waters, tossed out an idea which he had been kicking around for a year.

Mark said he thought the story of Tim Tebow and his mother would make for a powerful message in an ad. As he described what he envisioned, I said, “You know, Mark, I think that’d make for a fantastic Super Bowl ad.” We talked about that approach the rest of the day, made a few phone calls and did our homework. The next day we contacted CBS to determine the cost.

I knew if God was in this, He’d have to provide the funds since there was no way our budget could have absorbed the cost.

Within a couple of days, I was visiting with a donor in California to discuss a number of special projects under consideration. At the end of our time I said, “I’ve got one idea that’s not on paper. It’s just something that’s on my heart.” He wanted to hear what the “other” project was. I told him about the Tebow Super Bowl ad idea, and with a little thought, he said he’d give us $1 million to help underwrite the project! He said he sensed the Lord would be in something like that.

I was encouraged by this family’s support for the ad. It gave me the courage to keep going.

The next day, I called another donor and laid out the idea. He listened with great interest and then promised to call me back in a few minutes. After speaking with his wife, he called and said that he would donate a million dollars to make that dream a reality! The rest was history as a few others stepped up to complete the funding.

Talk about amazing.

I think that simple process shows God’s hand was in this ad from the beginning. It was the right moment and the right story in which to engage the country in a conversation about how we might protect and celebrate human life. The ad has certainly done that. Never in our wildest dreams could we have predicted the level of publicity before, during, and after the game.

It turned out to be a great investment. Focus on the Family received almost $32 million in “earned media”—that’s the estimated value of additional media coverage which we didn’t have to pay for as the media covered the story. In fact, I’m told this story generated 6.3 billion impressions.

What’s more, a number of the more liberal-leaning newspapers, including The New York Times, The Chicago Sun Tribune, The Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post all came out in defense of us when those who don’t share our pro-life view took issue with the ad before seeing it. Not only was there enormous pre- and post-game interest, about 1.5 million people viewed the extended interview with the Tebows on our website.

This week I’ll be sharing more details about the impact the Tebow ad has been making in the lives of many families with a number of local radio stations around the country (see below). If you’re in one of those listening areas, please tune in. And more importantly, let’s continue the national dialogue about preserving and protecting life.

To God be the glory.

Wednesday, March 17:

  8:15 a.m. WMCA New York City, NY

  8:40 a.m. WFSH Atlanta, GA

  9:00 a.m. WNIV Atlanta, GA

  9:20 a.m. KKMS Minneapolis, MN

10:30 a.m. WAVA Washington DC, Don Kroah Show

  3:35 p.m. WYLL Chicago, IL, Sandy Rios Show

  4:30 p.m. KFAX San Francisco, CA

  4:55 p.m. KGNW Seattle, WA, Live with Doug Brusch

Thursday, March 18:

  1:30 p.m. WFIL Philadelphia, PA, Mark Daniels Show

  4:30 p.m. KSLR San Antonio, TX

Friday, March 19:

  4:00 p.m. KPDQ Portland, OR, Georgene Rice Show

If you were to ask what our family did this past weekend, I'd tell you the truth: We quite literally and figuratively were hanging out together at Monarch Mountain, a delightful family-friendly ski area just a couple hours southwest of Colorado Springs. "Hang" is the operative word here.

I'll explain.

On Saturday, Jean and I took Trent and Troy up to Monarch for a day of skiing. The air was warm and the sun was shining. We really had a terrific time—but there was an "incident." Fortunately we can laugh about it now.

Novice skiers—or parents with novice skiers—will tell you the hardest part of the sport isn't the actual skiing. It's getting on and off the lift.

Troy is our seven-year-old and he's picked up the sport like a champ. But this past Saturday as we hustled to hop onto the moving chair lift and get him situated, he slipped. In the process of trying to help him I dropped my poles and he fell from his seat.

The operator must not have been paying attention because the lift continued to move forward. In a matter of seconds, I was literally hanging onto Troy—now several feet off the ground—by only the collar of his jacket! Fortunately, the man behind me—who, ironically, was a colleague’s son here at Focus—joined me in hollering and the lift was finally stopped.

Thankfully, Troy was not injured. We were able to almost immediately laugh about it. One thing is certain. We'll always remember Saturday's ski trip!

In reflecting on the weekend, I was thinking about the incident and how there's a parallel to parenting. Much like a ski lift, life doesn't stop moving. You need to hop on—and hold on. There are bound to be bumps along the way and, as parents, there are times when we're called to "hang onto" our kids and save them from danger.

Once they're settled and strapped into their seats and on their way up the lift, the ride can, at times, be peaceful and even serene. But there are no guarantees. However, even the best ride comes to an end. The top of the mountain is coming and we need to prepare and brace our children for the moment they're required to slide off the lift and head back down the mountain.

But for now, you might want to watch out for the Daly's the next time you strap on your skis or snowboard. See you on the slopes!

Paul Harvey used to lament that "noise makes news"—which was a pithy way of saying that journalists are drawn to the negative and the sensational. Fortunately, there are exceptions, and I'd like to tell you about one of them.

This past Friday’s edition of the Denver Post featured an extensive story on its front page by a reporter named Electa Draper. It was entitled:

Adoption Initiative Halves Numbers of Kids Needing Families

Admittedly, I'm a bit biased about the story because it highlights the great work our team here at Focus on the Family has been doing. To quote Ms. Draper:

"The number of Colorado children in foster care awaiting permanent adoption has been cut in half by a partnership between churches and government that places parentless kids in 'forever homes.'

"When the Colorado Springs-based ministry Focus on the Family began spearheading the 'Wait No More' adoption initiative in November 2008, the state had 8,000 children in foster care. That number included almost 800 children who were eligible for adoption because their parents had lost parental rights after the state found serious and repetitive neglect and abuse in their families.

"In early 2010, only 365 children eligible for adoption remain in foster care, said Sharen Ford, manager of permanency services for the Colorado Department of Human Services."

What’s exciting is that the report beautifully affirms what I felt the Lord was calling us to do several years ago. Having been a child embroiled in the foster-care system, I'm keenly aware of the opportunities out there to give love-starved children a chance at growing up in a stable home. I would urge you to consider doing three things:

1. I hope you'll take a moment a read the article (click here).
2. If you know of anyone who might be interested in the plight of orphans and troubled children, perhaps you can pass on the link to this story.
3. I hope you'll prayerfully consider whether the Lord is calling you to minister to children within the foster-care system. The opportunities are many, and the need is great.

I'll end with a moving message left in response to the Denver Post piece:

"We should all be watching out for the Widows and Orphans and calling the Church to action is a great idea. Those kids will appreciate all your hard work. We have several adopted cousins and enjoy them all. A niece gave the gift of a unplanned baby girl to a family that could not have children and the huge 'forever' family celebrated her first birthday this week. It was beautiful."

Thanks to the help of friends who have given financially to our efforts, the commitment of parents and most importantly, thanks to the favor of the Lord, we have reduced by half the number of waiting children in Colorado!  In a country where most think more is always better than less, I'm so pleased that when it comes to the number of adoptable foster-care children, less is so much better than more.

Thanks for your friendship and support. To learn more about our Adoption/Orphan Care initiative and dozens of other practical programs designed to help families thrive, please visit us at Focus on the Family.

A couple of weeks ago, Trent and Troy, who go to a charter school here in town, attended a special assembly called “Rachel’s Challenge.” This program was based on the life and story of Rachel Joy Scott who, you may recall, was the first victim killed during the Columbine High School shooting.

About a month before she was gunned down, Rachel wrote an essay for her fifth period class entitled, “My Ethics, My Codes of Life.” In it, she threw out the challenge to treat others with compassion, kindness, love, and mercy. She wrote, “I have this theory that if one person can go out of their way to show compassion, then it will start a chain reaction of the same. People will never know how far a little kindness can go.”

Rachel ended the essay, saying, “You just may start a chain reaction.”

Her paper, along with both Rachel’s own acts of compassion toward others and six personal diaries, formed the basis for this powerful assembly. What’s incredible to me is how this presentation has been seen by more than 5 million people around the world—all because one teenage had made the decision to be true to her Christian convictions.

Incidentally, in preparation for this assembly each classroom was asked to nominate two students to represent them in what was called “The Kindness Club.” Naturally, Jean and I were proud to hear that Troy was nominated by his first-grade classmates. Now, I should say that being picked to be a part of the Kindness Club doesn’t mean you become perfect like an angel overnight.

Case in point.

A few days after attending the assembly, a TV film crew came to our house for an interview and to capture a slice of life in the Daly household. Understandably, the boys were a little weirded out by all of the cameras. They decided to bundle up and go outside to play in the snow instead.

It might have taken Trent all of five minutes before he intentionally veered his sled into Troy. In turn, Troy temporarily suspended his membership in the Kindness Club long enough to retaliate by colliding into Trent with his sled!

Ah, life is a process, isn’t it?

Jean and I were big fans of Dr. Dobson and the Focus on the Family broadcast long before I came to work at the ministry. And while we didn’t have kids at the time, I personally benefited from Dr. Dobson’s insights into marriage—especially since I came from such a dysfunctional home. Considering the fact that my father was a gambler and an alcoholic who walked out on our family when I was six, I had no idea what a “healthy” husband and wife dynamic should look like.

When I first came across the Focus on the Family broadcast, you can imagine how I would soak up Dr. Dobson’s advice like a sponge. And now, decades later, I look back and marvel how I’ve both benefited from countless broadcasts and have had the incredible opportunity to be around him over the years. 

That said, next week the staff of Focus on the Family will be gathering together to pay tribute to Dr. and Mrs. Dobson for their thirty-three years of service. I look forward to publicly expressing my deepest appreciation for all Jim and Shirley have done to inspire me to become a better husband and father. As you can imagine, that chapel service will be closed to the general public due to space limitations.

However, thousands of note cards have been received from friends all around the world bearing a word of thanks for the Dobson’s love and sacrifice over the years. Likewise, the staff is putting together a beautiful collection of tributes which will be bound in a book and presented together with the note cards to the Dobsons.

I thought it would also be a great idea for the readers of my blog to pen a personal tribute to Jim and Shirley. Why not think about the ways the Dobson’s have impacted your marriage, your parenting, or your faith in God. Maybe it was a specific broadcast, an insight gleamed from one of their books, or something you learned while watching the original Focus on the Family film series.

Did Dr. Dobson help you while you were Bringing up Boys? Did you get a few tips to handle that Strong Willed Child? Did you Dare to Discipline the kids? Have you found your Love for a Lifetime? Did you gain some perspective When God Doesn’t Make Sense? If so, why not say so? Whether you're young or old, your tribute will be a lasting way to honor and thank Jim and Shirley for being faithful to God’s call upon their lives.

If you’re familiar with Calvin and Hobbes, you know Calvin is a young boy with a hyperactive imagination. Most of the time we see Calvin conversing with Hobbes—a stuffed tiger who comes to life within Calvin’s head. Together, the duo typically investigates the meaning of life.

In one scene, Calvin asks Hobbes what it’s like to fall in love. Keep in mind Calvin is about six-years-old which is why he’s seeking the wisdom from his older, imaginary friend. Thoughtfully, Hobbes responds, “Well . . . say the object of your affection walks by. First, your heart falls into your stomach and splashes your innards. All the moisture makes you sweat profusely.”

Calvin is all ears as the tiger continues. “This condensation shorts the circuits to your brain and you get all woozy. When your brain burns out altogether, your mouth disengages and you babble like a Cretin until she leaves.” At this point Hobbes is rather satisfied with his colorful portrait of romantic attraction. Calvin, however, is dumbfounded.

“THAT’S LOVE?!?”

“Medically speaking,” says Hobbes with a sheepish grin. His definition of falling in love is a bit too much for Calvin who must contemplate his companion’s narrative. A moment later, Calvin says, “Heck, that happened to ME once, but I figured it was cooties!!”

I imagine there are times when you’re equally mystified by this thing called love. After all, before you got married, there was a zestiness to love, right? I remember how Jean and I went for long walks, had time for plenty of late night talks, enjoyed doing crazy little things for each other, and shared the anticipation of the day when we’d no longer have to say “Good night” before parting company at the end of a wonderful evening.

I bet you have those memories, too.

However, more often than not, something seems to change after a couple gets married. Those late night conversation-fests become fewer and farther between . . . the ability to enjoy an unhurried, private walk becomes difficult to schedule--especially with kids under foot . . . and that giddy feeling Hobbes described—when your heart falls into your stomach and splashes your innards, making you sweat profusely—rarely happens.

I know it’s tempting to settle into a routine in which you and your spouse drift apart on separate oceans. If that sounds like your situation, I’m here to tell you it doesn’t have to stay that way. Please consider joining us February 27, 2010 for our second Focus on MarriageTM Simulcast Conference. Whether you’ve been married just one year or your Silver Anniversary is in sight, our first-class lineup of speakers offer fresh hope and insight into God’s Divine Design for marriage.

Here’s what several have said about last year’s event:

• “Thank you for this event. This has made me grateful for the decision to stay in my marriage when I didn’t want to a while ago.”

• “This simulcast was fantastic! It made me look at my husband of 42 years differently. My goal is to pray together, uplift him and to live the rest of our lives serving the Lord. I will make the 2-degree changes and watch how God will bless our marriage.”

• “Outstanding marriage conference . . . small changes in our marriages can truly make big differences as we put Christ first. Thank you!”

I once told Jean during a particularly difficult time in our marriage, “We can either do marriage one of two ways: happily or unhappily. With all of the stuff that’s gone on in my life, I’d much rather do it happily.” At the time we didn’t have the opportunity to attend something like this. Now we do and I’m looking forward to it.

Here’s a thought.  With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, why not give each other the gift of making plans to attend. Can you think of a better investment to make in each other? While I’m pretty sure you won’t “babble like a Cretin” after attending the event, I’m confident the conference will give you and your mate a whole new language of love to share for years to come.

Registration is easy and there are hundreds of locations throughout the United States and Canada. Click here for details. See you at the conference!

The other day a friend asked me, “Jim, was the Super Bowl ad really worth it?” Without question, absolutely yes! Even USA TODAY described our ad with Pam and Tim Tebow a “Touchdown!” The pre- and post-game response has been beyond our wildest dreams.

Take the mountain of “free media” leading up to game day and the on-going post-life presence in YouTube Land and other news sites. Our YouTube channel has already garnered 756,423 views of the in-game spot! And I’m told there have been more than 1,000 press articles in just the last 90 days covering the ad. We could never have afforded to buy that kind of coverage.

What’s more, the numbers are in and I’m thrilled to report we had a total of 1,573,776 unique visitors to our website from Super Bowl Sunday through Tuesday. That’s sixteen-times our normal traffic!

But there’s more. I’m told by our computer gurus that we streamed 11.47 terabytes of video during those three days--which sounds like an impressive number even though I’m not exactly sure what in laymen’s terms that means.

What I do know is that figure is 232x our normal volume when compared to the same three days the previous month. In other words, the Super Bowl ad did what it was supposed to do--drive people to our website and, in turn, introduce them to the various resources we offer to help their family thrive.

I’m especially gratified to learn that a million people (1,005,000 to be precise) watched our in-depth interview with Tim’s parents, Bob and Pam Tebow. After all, there’s only so much you communicate within a 30-second ad. This conversation allows you unfiltered access to their hearts and their decision to choose life.

In addition to watching the Tebow’s story, here's a sample of the other popular clips viewed on our home page in the last three days:

• The Super Bowl ad — 411,065 times
• The Marriage Test — 60,977 times
• Addictions — 44,662 times
• Survived an Affair — 37,109 times
• Unplanned Pregnancy — 33,075
• Be Deliberate — 32,180 times
• The Focus Story — 19,481 times

Some have said we orchestrated a “brilliant” marketing campaign. Jeff Emmanuel at RedState.com called it “nothing short of masterful.” While I appreciate the level of confidence Jeff and others have in us, we’re just not that smart. In addition, my goal is not to win points but to encourage those who oppose life to see the error in that position and come around to support life from conception. We have a heart for God and prayed that He would be pleased to add the increase. He did.

Indeed, I can say without a doubt that all of this incredible response was possible because God chose to multiply our “loaves and fishes”—as Jesus did centuries ago. Granted, our desire was to spark a national dialogue to celebrate family and life. But God saw fit to fan the flames of that spark so that the message would spread like wildfire. To Him be the glory!

It’s true, isn’t it, that our best laid plans often go astray? Just looking back over this past week, I’m struck by how events have unfolded. Life is full of surprises! To be sure, we anticipated there would be interest in our first-ever Super Bowl commercial featuring Pam and Tim Tebow. If not, we wouldn’t have done it. But never in our wildest dreams did we think it would become the most “buzzed”-about spot leading up to the big game.

Some media experts called it a “brilliant” marketing strategy. Trust me; we’re not that good.

Of course, I’m grateful for a talented staff and the cooperation of the Tebow family, not to mention the generosity of twelve ministry friends who funded the project. But after all is said and done, it’s clear the Lord decided to use the ad a bit differently than how we originally planned. And we couldn’t be more pleased.

At the beginning of last week, I thought I had a general idea how the next seven days would go. In the end, the week was a blur and barely resembled my initial vision of it. Let me give you a few examples.

We spent hours with reporters and television hosts talking about the so-called “controversial” commercial. The phone never stopped ringing! Based on an official measure of “earned media” publicity, Focus on the Family received an estimated $10 million in advertising value—just in the days leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. That’s even before the game began. Honestly, I never saw it coming.

Several months ago my family and I were invited to witness the launch of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Liftoff was scheduled for 4:30 A.M. on Sunday, February 7th. At the time, I didn’t even realize it was Super Bowl Sunday, but the Focus ad was still just a dream I wasn’t sure would actually happen. So, given our love of the space program, we jumped at the chance to go to the Kennedy Space Center. Who wouldn't? The boys were ecstatic! So were Jean and I.

The timing and convergence of the ad placement and subsequent controversy, along with a couple of free tickets to the game and the launch of the shuttle seemed like a happy coincidence. Since Endeavour was scheduled for the early morning and the game was at night, I figured we could swing both events. The perfect day! Bad assumption.

As often happens, minutes before liftoff, the launch was scrubbed. Bad weather. We had been up all night, counting down, but to no avail. We were so disappointed, but were told the launch had been rescheduled for Monday morning, same time. Troy, my seven year old, said it well. “It keeps the astronauts safer.”

I was proud of him for not being too upset, especially since I was let down. Normally a change in the schedule would have been O.K. for us, but there was no chance I could go to the game and still make it to the launch. Troy had just taught me a lesson on what is really important. It’s not about me!

What to do? I was suddenly presented with a dilemma.

Since I didn’t have enough football tickets for the family, it had been previously decided that I would go to the game with a colleague. The kids didn’t mind. Watching the game with mom in a hotel room full of snacks is still a pretty sweet option. But now, I had to decide whether I would skip the launch and go to the game or skip the game and go to the launch, which was still “iffy” given the weather.

I thought to myself: Two of my passions in life . . . football and outer space colliding on Super Bowl Sunday. A man should not have to face such choices. I chose to give my ticket away. Am I ever glad I did!

The memory of being bundled up out at NASA with Jean and Trent and Troy is something I’ll never forget. The early morning liftoff, just before dawn, was picture perfect. With the roar of the rockets and the flash of the fire, night became day. And I saw in the eyes of my boys a sense of wonder rarely seen anywhere else.

I made the right call. Besides, they know they're more important to me than the Super Bowl.

Let’s not forget to pray for those brave astronauts who are currently orbiting the earth, even as I write. I’ll admit it. I’m tired. It’s been quite a week, and it hasn’t gone as well as I planned it. It’s gone better. Whatever you’re dealing with, especially if it’s the burden of the weight of your own expectations, I would encourage you to let it go. Even when we sleep, God is awake. He is in control.

And His plans are far better than ours.

[Photo courtesy: NASA/Kenny Allen]