ODJ: rescue
In discussing the premise of the film The Amazing Spider-Man, director Marc Webb writes, “This is the stuff of classic tragedy. It’s about trying to do good, and by virtue of trying to do good, bad things happen. It’s what [the mythical Greek king] Oedipus does—he goes out and tries to save the city, and he ends up sleeping with his mother.” Webb laughs. “His efforts are noble
ODJ: sing your way home
Nine year old Willie might have saved his life simply by singing a song of praise. The boy was kidnapped from his driveway by a stranger. But the kidnapper then dropped him off unharmed after driving around for hours. Willie says he continued to sing the song “Every Praise” by Hezekiah Walker until the kidnapper grew tired of cursing and telling him to shut up.
Paul and Silas had a somewhat si
ODJ: little people included
In his book Simply Jesus, theologian N. T. Wright writes, “When God does big things, the little people get drawn in too.” One of my favourite examples of this is found in the book of Matthew.
Early in his gospel account, Matthew summarised the spectacular things that had been happening wherever Jesus went: “Jesus travelled throughout the region of Galilee, teaching in the synagogues
ODJ: if only i had . . .
Even as a child, I can remember coveting things that other people possessed. One day I was playing at my cousin’s house when one of his toys caught my eye. I begged to take it home, and when my parents refused me the pleasure, I cried and created quite a scene.
My behaviour was similar to that of King Ahab—one covetous king. Ahab had a neighbour who owned a vineyard. The king looked at that vi
ODJ: mixed reviews
A recent spate of God-related films led to surprising success at the box office. Reviews, however, were decidedly mixed.
Noah is one such film. The writer-director is an atheist who calls his project “the least biblical film ever made”, causing many Christians to revile the film. Others said, “An atheist is getting people to talk about God. How cool is that!”
We could surmise any
ODJ: two houses
In 2010 researchers simulated a category 3 hurricane to test the strength of two houses—one built according to normal construction standards for the region and the other built with a reinforced roof and floors. The researchers turned on giant fans to create wind gusts of 110 miles per hour for more than 10 minutes.
The house that was built according to conventional standards was severely shaken
ODJ: what if?
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In a recent email, a woman named Renee told me how she and her husband had unsuccessfully spent years trying to start a family. After numerous rounds of in vitro fertilisation treatment and several years waiting to adopt, they were exhausted from the ordeal and considering bringing the journey to an end. Knowing that my wife and I had walked a similar path, Renee asked a question. “How
ODJ: eyes ahead
Glen, an old family friend, took a fall inside his home and fractured his neck. Fortunately, he didn’t need surgery. His doctor fitted him with a neck brace and instructed him not to bend, lift or turn until his neck had healed. This meant that he had to move his entire body to see anything outside his direct line of sight. He could focus only on what was directly in front of him.
God wanted the
ODJ: birth religion
It’s popular today to dismiss all religions as merely an accident of birth. The chances are that a person born in Pakistan will become a Muslim. India produces Hindus, Thailand makes Buddhists, Brazilians tend to be Catholics and so on. Have you wondered if the only reason you believe in Jesus is due to the influence of your parents or others? Is becoming a believer simply about being born in th