ODJ: break camp and move on
In his book Seize the Day, Danny Cox, a former jet pilot turned business leader, explained why pilots needed a new ejection system. In the former system, when pilots initiated ejection, all they needed to do was clear the plane and roll forward out of the seat. During testing, however, the pilots wouldn’t let go of the seat during the process. The engineers came up with a solution. Tw
ODJ: work and leisure
Sunday’s here. Hurrah! Let’s go to church in the morning and then catch up on all those things that we couldn’t do during the week. Is that how you view the Lord’s Day? Personal confession: that’s often the way I feel after a busy work week. But is that wrong?
Of the Ten Commandments given by God, only the fourth commandment about observing the Sabbath isn’
Of the Ten Commandments given by God, only the fourth commandment about observing the Sabbath isn’
ODJ: the bottom line
While in university, the great missionary Adoniram Judson lost his faith when he fell under the spell of Jacob Eames, a deist who believed that God never interferes in our lives. When he was on a trip, Judson stayed at a village inn next door to a man who was dying. The man’s groans kept Judson awake and he began to think about death. Was he ready to meet God? The next morning Judson learned tha
ODJ: connected
Assigned with keeping up my mum’s garden while she was out of town, my kids and I headed into her garden to see the anticipated jungle. Walking out from the patio, we were greeted by a messy bed of veggies as some of the string-bean tendrils stood out like cowlicks in an otherwise orderly row. As we worked, my son explained the necessity of coaxing the wayward tendrils onto the runners: lef
ODJ: Jesus weeps
It happens often at weddings. The mother of the bride can be seen quietly sobbing. Her tears are a fitting response to her daughter’s ‘coming of age’ and the memories of the years she had nutured her.
The Jews were celebrating the coming of their long-awaited king (Luke 19:35-38). Yet Jesus was weeping, the second time He had wept openly. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus we
The Jews were celebrating the coming of their long-awaited king (Luke 19:35-38). Yet Jesus was weeping, the second time He had wept openly. At the tomb of Lazarus, Jesus we
ODJ: on solid ground
In the film High Fidelity, a character named Rob Gordon lamented his history of passivity. “I guess it made more sense to commit to nothing, keep my options open,” he said. “And that’s suicide by tiny, tiny increments.”
It’s a prevalent human temptation to hold off on firmly attaching ourselves to any opinion or belief. It’s a good thing to pursue humil
It’s a prevalent human temptation to hold off on firmly attaching ourselves to any opinion or belief. It’s a good thing to pursue humil
ODJ: war
Journalist Jeffrey Gettleman asserts, “There is a very simple reason why some of Africa’s bloodiest, most brutal wars never seem to end: they are not really wars. . . . The combatants don’t have much of an ideology; they don’t have clear goals. . . . I’ve witnessed up close—often way too close—how combat has morphed from soldier versus soldier (now a rarity in Africa) to soldier vers
ODJ: confession
While visiting a friend in Marseille, France, we stopped by an old church. I took in the cold stone floors, the magnificent ancient walls and the smell of the musty wooden pews. Almost hidden from my view, built into a wall, was the confessional box. It contained enough for just one person on either side of a wooden slat. My friend quietly commented that the act of confessing our sins one to anoth
ODJ: into the light
One of the hardest things about getting ready in the morning is picking out my socks. Are they blue or black? Because I’m colour blind, those two colours look the same to me in the dim morning light! So what I typically do is take them out into the kitchen and compare them under some bright lightbulbs, which helps me see their true colours.
Jesus once told a crowd of people at th
Jesus once told a crowd of people at th