ODJ: big shoulders
The Bible is not propaganda. Unlike some governments that share only positive reviews, Scripture records the words of people who are frustrated with God. Psalm 44 begins by remembering conquests that inspire trust in Him.
ODJ: vertical and horizontal
Jean Vanier was an accomplished naval officer who had recently completed a PhD, and whose family oozed with prestige (his father had been the Governor General of Canada). Yet, living in the small French village of Trosly-Breuil, Vanier was alone and downhearted.
ODJ: do you love God?
Do you love God? Just think about it. How can a lowly person draw near, much less talk about being in a personal relationship with such a high and exalted Being? It blows my mind.
ODJ: idk
Almost everyone loves to hear stories of God ‘showing up’. We feel trapped by circumstances, we pray in desperation and a providential answer arrives just in time. We know it’s God, and it’s easy to praise Him—for a while.
ODJ: the power of beauty
Sunsets. People tend to stop what they are doing to watch them . . . take pictures of them . . . admire their splendour. Last January my wife and I watched the sun setting over the Gulf of Mexico.
ODJ: hard paths
When I was hiking in a park with my grandfather, our trail lassoed a lake at the bottom of a valley. As we walked, several smaller paths broke away from the main trail.
ODJ: getting in trouble
One day during class, Adrionna Harris noticed something disturbing—one of her young classmates cutting himself with a small razor. As she perceived it to be a grave situation, she did what she thought was the right thing to do—stepped in, took the razor from him and threw it away.
ODJ: sift your dreams
The memory is vivid. My wife Merryn and I sat in emotional pain, talking. “If this really is our last chance to have a baby and it doesn’t happen,” Merryn said, “I need something else.”
ODJ: from a distance?
From a Distance,” the 1991 Grammy Song of the Year popularised by Bette Midler, describes what the world looks like from a distance: “From a distance the world looks blue and green . . . there is harmony . . . And no one is in need.