Contact: Diane Morrow, 800-927-1517
DALLAS/FT. WORTH, Sept. 7 /Christian Newswire/ -- "You should be insane—or in jail." That's what people often say when they hear the details of his story. As the president of Focus on the Family, Jim Daly has received countless letters from broken families with broken hearts. Most would be surprised to know that the man leading such an influential family organization can offer the encouragement that comes only through shared experience. In his new book, Finding Home: An Imperfect Path to Faith and Family, Jim shares the true story of how he beat the odds, surviving a childhood characterized by heartbreak, abuse and abandonment, and finally finding out where "home" really is.
Jim Daly is the youngest of five children born to alcoholic parents. In terms of dysfunction, his childhood was thirty years ahead of its time. Jim's family was forced to deal with issues that, though relatively rare, have become all too common today: the absentee father, the broken home, substance abuse, single motherhood, a miserable foster care experience and inner-city violence. Jim spent years in a desperate quest to fill the father-shaped hole in his heart, only to be disappointed by the biological father who drifted in and out of his life and the stepfather who abandoned all five kids when Jim's mother died of cancer. The family moved constantly. As Jim was shuffled from place to place, he wondered if he would ever truly find a home, a place where he was loved and valued.
Finding Home is not just a memoir written to raise eyebrows; it's the story of how one young boy was redeemed through the influence of a few individuals who chose to involve themselves in his life. "I didn't rehearse the details of my story to elicit sympathy," Jim says. "I know I'm not the only person who has lived and suffered under the same roof with alcoholic parents or grown up with no loving father figure--nor will I be the last. Finding Home was written to offer some perspective to people in all kinds of life circumstances. It is my hope that hurting people will read this book and realize that these painful issues can be overcome. On the other hand, I would like to inspire readers to recognize the needs around them and begin to invest themselves in the lives of lonely, suffering people." With the smallest spark of grace, hope and character can emerge.
