ODB: The Heavenly Manifest
At the Kenya Airways check-in counter, I presented my passport for verification. When the agents searched for my name on their manifest—the document that lists names of passengers—my name was missing. The problem? Overbooking and lack of confirmation. My hope of reaching home that day was shattered.The episode reminded me of another kind of manifest—the Book of Life. In Luke 10,
ODJ: not fiction
Recently a shop that’s part of a huge retail chain labelled its Bibles as “Fiction”. A pastor shopping for a gift came across the Bibles and saw “Fiction” written on the price tag. So he took a photo and posted it on social media with the comment: “[Name withheld] has Bibles for sale under the genre of FICTION. Hmm.” The retailer has since apologised, sayi
ODB: The Low Point
C. S. Lewis and his older brother, Warren (Warnie), endured several terms at Wynyard, an English boarding school for boys. The headmaster was a cruel man who made life unbearable for everyone there. Decades later, Warnie wrote in his understated dry wit, “I am now sixty-four and a bit, and have never yet been in a situation in which I have not had the consolation of reflecting that at any ra
ODJ: messages made public
Hackers broke into the servers of a major film studio and leaked large amounts of confidential information. They released films, scripts, salaries and loads of indecent emails. Mortified executives quickly apologised for their racist riffs and disparaging remarks about film stars. But the damage had been done. One celebrity, having learned she was called a “minimally talented, spoiled brat,&
ODB: Seeing Ourselves
Long ago, before the invention of mirrors or polished surfaces, people rarely saw themselves. Puddles of water, streams, and rivers were one of the few ways they could see their own reflection. But mirrors changed that. And the invention of cameras took fascination with our looks to a whole new level. We now have lasting images of ourselves from any given time throughout our entire life. This is g
ODJ: the God who will come
My wife and I have arrived at that poignant age when we can’t believe how quickly time has passed—especially while looking at one of my favourite videos of our oldest son, taken when he was just 2 years old. Miska and I had gone out for a date, and the babysitter shot a short video of our boy clinging to the bottom ledge of the living room window. He was just tall enough to peek over
ODB: Help from the Outside
On a business trip, my husband had just settled into his hotel room when he heard an unusual noise. He stepped into the hall to investigate and heard someone yelling from a nearby room. With the help of a hotel worker, he discovered that a man had become trapped in the bathroom. The lock on the bathroom door had malfunctioned and the man trapped inside started to panic. He felt like he couldn&rsqu
ODJ: red bombs
The bubbling of the steamer warming the milk and the humming of our office’s coffee machine created a relaxing symphony of sounds. I was enjoying the bliss when fellow Our Daily Journey author K.T. Sim dropped what some people call a “red bomb” on me.The “red bomb” is actually a wedding invitation. In Chinese culture, receiving one means you must now ‘b
ODB: No Peas!
When our kids were young, one of them bluntly said “no” when we passed him some peas for dinner. To which we replied, “No what?” We hoped he would say, “No, thank you.” Instead he said, “No peas!” That led to a discussion about the importance of good manners. In fact, we had similar discussions on numerous occasions. Beyond good manners—wh