ODJ: i believe
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Being a Chinese woman raised in a polytheistic environment, I used to think that Christianity was a Western religion or the ‘white-man’s religion’. My thought was, We Asians have our own gods. Later, as a young believer in Jesus, I still wondered from time to time if I had forsaken my own roots and believed in a foreign god.
Over the years, however, I’ve had the opportunity to vis
ODJ: the Source of life
In 2012, thanks to a rapper named Drake and the supercharged vehicle of social media, “YOLO” became a popular acronym. It stands for “You Only Live Once.” Though the message of YOLO is test the limits, it became a justification to live life irresponsibly. The answer to drunk driving, parking illegally, disrespecting parents and missing class was simply YOLO. Its underlying meaning
ODJ: bigger than you imagine
God loves us. Most of us know this. But how many of us feel it? Paul knew that understanding God’s love was a difficult proposition. He believed supernatural revelation was required even to get started (Ephesians 3:16,18). God’s love is so large and our comprehension so small. How can we ever truly understand His love for us?
Part of our problem is that we interpret God’s love throu
ODJ: daily dose
My vitamins come in three fruity flavours. Fortunately, someone designed them to look and taste more like sweets than health aids. The contents include stuff like vitamin B-6, niacin and folic acid. Each serving contains enough supplements to last for one day. Every morning I have to consume another dose because my body has been busy using up yesterday’s vitamin supply.
The Israelites experience
ODJ: face to face
Technology is helpful, but it can also hinder communication. As the apostle John told Gaius, it’s hard to fully convey all that is in our heart when we’re not with the other person (3 John 1:13-14). If John were writing his third epistle today, he might sign off: “I don’t want to call, text or tweet my thoughts. I hope to come over soon, and then we’ll talk face to face.”
John knew the
ODJ: captain of my soul?
As Timothy McVeigh faced execution for a terrorist act that killed 168 people, he released as his last statement the well known poem Invictus. It says in part, “I thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul,” and concludes with these lines:
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate;
I am the captain of my soul.
The
ODJ: surprise!
For many years it was believed that Dr. David Livingstone, famed missionary to Africa, had just one convert. The man was a chief from Botswana named Sechele whom Livingstone wrote off, stating that the chief had backslidden. Sechele, however, might in fact have been one of Africa’s greatest evangelists. Missionaries arriving to work with the Zulu Ndebele tribe in 1859 were surprised to find that
ODJ: tempting with ‘good’
I’ve endured many cycles of success and failure in my long struggle with healthy eating and consistent exercise. Whenever my efforts fail, however, it’s because I’ve succumbed to the allure of something that seemed to offer me true pleasure: another slice of iced apple cake or a series of leisurely mornings where I don’t have to drag my body out to the road for another run. The truth, of c
ODJ: trusting when trembling
There are times when the very foundation of our life feels as if it’s shaking. That dreaded phone call in the night. That difficult news from the doctor. That heart-rending decision by a friend or family member. All of these things and more can cause us to agonise inside and tremble outside.
So where do we turn in moments like these?
Solomon wrote, “Trust in the LORD” (Proverbs 3:5)