ODJ: flourish!
My cousin Tracy has the ability to make any destination feel like home. As a young single woman, I had moved to a flat in England. I was there for a few months when Tracy arrived from Australia. Although I’d been given furniture to fill my small rental, I was still sleeping on top of one of the beds in a sleeping bag. Tracy had been with me just a few days when I returned from work to f
ODJ: of winds and wings
When he graced a room, the warmth of his presence was felt. The gentle breath of shalom was apparent. My uncle brought a calming effect that was palpable.
God brought calm to the earth after 40 days and 40 nights of rain had covered it. Months passed, and the evil and violence that once consumed the land had been silenced, and God “sent a wind to blow across the earth, and the floodwate
ODJ: louder
Having proceeded with my fellow teachers to our seating for our school’s end of year ceremony, I was amused to find I was sitting directly behind the band. Just 18 inches stood between me and some skilled trumpet players. I wondered how my ears would fare after the first few blasts of “Pomp and Circumstance”. And later I stood in wonder as we began a congregational hymn. I couldn’t hear my
ODJ: ruling kind of peace
Many Christians are familiar with the classic hymn “It Is Well with My Soul”. The first line of the song reads, “When peace like a river attendeth my way”. But, for most of us, peace isn’t a mighty and strong river. It’s more like a feather that can be easily pushed aside by the concerns and worries of life. For me, holding on to peace in the midst of turmoil is like trying to catch a
ODJ: death’s sting
Near the closing of the film Forrest Gump, Forrest is standing alone at the foot of the grave of his dearly beloved Jenny: “You died on a Saturday morning. And I had you placed here under our tree. . . . Momma always said dyin’ was a part of life. I sure wish it wasn’t.”
I also wish death were not a part of life, for I’m tired of burying family and friends that I love, and then
ODJ: our moral compass
What is a minute? Simply a measurement of time. There are 60 in an hour, 1,440 in a day. But during those 60 clicks of the second hand, a tidal wave of thoughts with their accompanying emotional responses can sweep over you. Today, during one particular minute, a feeling of dread hit me hard. Why? I was deeply afraid that I’d done something wrong.
Ever had that feeling before? There’s a reason
ODJ: faulty premise
Good morning,” the flight attendant said cheerily. “Welcome to Flight 0000 to Greenville- Spartanburg.”
“That’s very funny,” several of us said, or words to that effect. To which the flight attendant replied, “You’re joking, right?”
Greenville and Spartanburg may be fine cities. But none of us on that particular plane wanted to go there that day. Across the tarmac sat an
ODJ: prayer of the suffering
The Bible presents many suffering people who were miraculously healed in response to prayers. Miriam was healed of leprosy (Numbers 12:1-15). King Hezekiah, who was terminally ill, was given 15 years more to live (2 Kings 20:1-7). Job suffered too (Job 2:7)—enduring months of it before he was restored (42:10).
We can also learn from David who wrote a prayer during a time of a prolonged life thre
ODJ: what is a koala?
I recently read an article that lists 12 common half-truths many of us have accepted as facts. Here are a few: peanuts aren’t really nuts (they’re legumes), a palm tree isn’t a tree (it’s a plant) and a koala bear isn’t really a bear (it’s a marsupial). Whether they are of consequence or not, we find ourselves swimming in half-truths.
God’s people found the