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
ODJ: diligent to avoid distraction
I want to use my young gundog for deer hunting. This requires, however, that he not be led astray by the distractions of pheasants or other game birds which also inhabit the woods and forests we hunt in. So I keep training him on deer scents and tell him “no” firmly if he starts to pursue anything else. This takes a lot of time, patience and diligence, for he’s having to learn to
ODB: With Us and in Us
My son had just started nursery school. The first day he cried and declared, “I don’t like school.” My husband and I talked to him about it. “We may not be physically there, but we are praying for you. Besides, Jesus is with you always.”“But I can’t see Him!” he reasoned. My husband hugged him and said, “He lives in you. And He won’t leav
ODJ: the waiting
Since so many people are desperate for work, I’m grateful for my husband’s job. But his retail work with its agonisingly long hours can be ruthless on a family. Accustomed to evening meals and weekends together, these 4 years living as almost a single mum have seemed very long. One evening I was feeling particularly tired. I sighed to my father that I didn’t know how to pray an
ODB: Beyond Disappointment
Perhaps you’ve seen the video of the little boy who learns he’s getting another sister. In the middle of his meltdown he laments, “It’s always girls, girls, girls, girls!”The story gives an amusing glimpse into human expectations, but there’s nothing funny about disappointment. It saturates our world. One story from the Bible seems especially steeped in disappoi
ODJ: show your colours
When I was asked to present the flag to the daughter of a Navy veteran at her father’s funeral, I readily accepted. As a veteran myself, and the son of a veteran, I knew the poignant power of a flag-draped coffin.The day of the funeral, I introduced myself to the bugle player. We talked of our military experience and then I mentioned that I had written a devotional article about the song &ld