ODJ: show your colours
When I was asked to present the flag to the daughter of a Navy veteran at her father’s funeral, I readily accepted. As a veteran myself, and the son of a veteran, I knew the poignant power of a flag-draped coffin.The day of the funeral, I introduced myself to the bugle player. We talked of our military experience and then I mentioned that I had written a devotional article about the song &ld
ODJ: called and equipped
One of the most famous and influential preachers of the gospel in American history was D. L. Moody. The preacher, who lived in the 19th century, also founded Moody Bible Institute and began publishing Christian books—scarce at the time. Both MBI and Moody Publishers continue to function more than a century after his death. Surely such a renowned believer in Jesus was highly trained and educa
ODJ: come to me
I remember being deeply upset and stressed out because of mounting medical bills after we had our third daughter. I couldn’t sleep for several nights as I was trying to figure out how we’d pay the bills. My muscles were tense. I was exhausted. The stress was getting to me. And so I cried out to God.Stress, worry and anxiety are linked to many illnesses—heart attacks, digestive pr
ODJ: odd couples
Wolves devour lambs. Leopards pounce on goats. A calf is never safe around a lion, and neither is a child! Though very touching, the picture of predators living in harmony with their prey can strike us as naïve. Prophetic pictures of such a scene have been interpreted different ways, but the image is striking. So, how different would things have to be for animals to be able to live like that? P
ODJ: getting nautical
It was early spring and the ice on the lake near my home had thawed. After a long, cold winter, a few of us hardy anglers were eager to fish again. As we hit the water the skies were sunny and the massive lake was calm. Conditions were ideal, but not for long. Shortly after setting our lines, the wind kicked up. It didn’t take long for it to start getting uncomfortably ‘nautical’
ODJ: the blessings of God
Recently my wife and I embarked on a plan to reach out to people who are different from us—spiritually, ethnically and otherwise. Why take on this challenge? We’ve experienced the grace and blessing of God, and we want to bless Him by loving others who are also made in His image. It’s interesting, however, that even as we’ve strived to bless Him, we’ve been greatly bl
ODJ: sweet sleep
Recent research concluded that Americans are among the world’s worst when it comes to sleep deprivation. The published statistics reveal that America (along with France and Taiwan) ranks among the top three most sleep-deprived nations in the world. Indians (54 percent), Americans (49 percent) and Singaporeans (43 percent) reported not getting enough rest due to being too worried or stressed
ODJ: bring on the bees
Bees can identify certain scents from nearly 3 miles away. Because of their keen sense of smell, ability to fly and minimal bodyweight, they make ideal bomb-sniffers. Croatian scientist Nikola Kezic has trained bees to detect TNT—an explosive used in his country’s many active landmines. He trains the bees by mixing tiny amounts of TNT with sugar. When the bees are released over a min
ODJ: name game
As a Chinese man, when I told my father that I was giving my children Greek names, he reminded me to make sure they would be meaningful and nice-sounding. Most important, my kids were to have the same family name. Ah, so many first names to choose from!New parents Zechariah and Elizabeth didn’t have the joy (or challenge) of finding a suitable name for their son, for God told them to name