Featured Devotionals

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ODJ: learning from each other

Our young daughter Katelyn enjoys playing the card game solitaire, but she lacks the patience to persist through the difficult points in the game. Instead of trying to solve being ‘stuck’, she’ll simply start a new game. I’ve challenged her not to give up but to seek the next available move.

In my brief moment of motherly advice, I gained two timely life lessons: (1) Instead o

ODJ: dark and quiet

Gordon Hempton is one of the world’s few acoustic ecologists. He travels the world recording what he calls “the last quiet places”,—places completely untouched by modern human sound. Hempton records remote locations on the other side of the world as well as nearby wonders, such as the sound of the tide washing over a piece of spruce driftwood in a national park. He describes silence not

ODJ: not outsmarted

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The French philosopher Voltaire suspected that he would win the lottery in 1729. With a statistician friend he calculated that the jackpot would be much greater than the cost of all the tickets. They pooled their money with other friends, bought as many tickets as possible, won and split the prize money. Outwitting the Parisian government paid big—Voltaire received over a million francs. But som

ODJ: powerless and foolish

If a friend asked you, “Where can I experience the power and wisdom of God?” would you bring him or her to a university? The following saying would cause us to question this choice: The university has lots of knowledge. The first years came in with some. The final years left with none. That is how knowledge accumulates.

Where would Paul point us in our pursuit? To to

ODJ: heartburn

Heartburn. It strikes when stomach acid leaks backward into the esophagus, causing a burning sensation in the chest. Take it from me—an untreated case of heartburn will ruin your day.

A few days after Jesus’ crucifixion, two of His disillusioned followers experienced a different sort of ‘heartburn’. As they travelled out of Jerusalem, they were struggling to make sen

ODJ: a gentle Father

During a difficult season of life when I questioned God’s kindness and care, many believers in Jesus came alongside me. They allowed me to be real with my struggles, but refused to let me dwell on them. They pointed me to Scripture, prayed for me and helped meet my needs. Their compassion helped me experience Christ’s gentle love (Deuteronomy 32:2). Rather than judge me for my weak faith, my c

ODJ: words with friends

Created in 2009, Words with Friends has become one of the most popular online games in the Apple store. It’s a multiplayer word game in which players take turns working with words in a way that resembles a crossword puzzle or Scrabble board. One of the fun features of the game is that it allows opponents to exchange messages with one another. The game isn’t only enjoyable and competi

ODJ: alive

Her breathing laboured, her skin sallow, she is but a shadow of the vivacious woman whose laughter resonated around the room at family gatherings. Those who love her come and go, trying to capture one last visit, one last embrace. They wait and watch.

Death isn’t easy. Not for the one dying, nor for those standing by the bedside. Those who are dying are spiritual beings wrestling

ODJ: restore us

He brazenly told me of his life as both a drug user and dealer. I strived to show him that I cared as I described the real and fulfilling life that can be found only in Jesus. He described the death and destruction that he had experienced. My instinct was to try to rescue him, to help him find restoration in God. But, after just a few minutes, he said goodbye and walked away. As I watched him sli