ODB: A Happy Ending
A friend told me about the time he was watching football on TV as his young daughter played nearby. Angered by his team’s bad play, he grabbed the closest thing and threw it down. His little girl’s favorite toy was shattered, along with her heart. My friend immediately embraced his daughter and apologized. He replaced the toy and thought all was well. But he didn’t know how much his fury had
ODJ: pure persistence
My neighbour wondered how raccoons kept getting into his bin. Covered by two sturdy lids hinged side-by-side, the bin looked raccoon-proof. It wasn’t.One day he saw two raccoons in a tree beside the bin. A raccoon dropped onto the container, slid its forepaws beneath a lid and slipped over the side, clinging comically to the edge. The second raccoon then dropped from the t
ODB: Facing The Impossible
In 2008, house values were tumbling in the United Kingdom. But 2 weeks after my husband and I put our home of 40 years on the market, a buyer offered us a good price and we agreed to a sale. Soon our builders started work on the house I had inherited, which would be our new home. But a few days before the sale of our old home was finalized, our buyer pulled out. We were devastated. Now we owned t
ODJ: decisive
The line between victory and defeat can be quite slim. Did the winning shot leave his hands before the buzzer sounded? Did the goalie deflect the ball early enough or did it slip across the line? Relieved victors often say “a win is a win”, but they realise the contest could have gone either way.Aren’t you glad that our God always wins decisively? He doesn’t just squeak by
ODB: A Father Who Runs
Every day a father craned his neck to look toward the distant road, waiting for his son’s return. And every night he went to bed disappointed. But one day, a speck appeared. A lonesome silhouette stood against the crimson sky. Could that be my son? the father wondered. Then he caught sight of the familiar saunter. Yes, that has to be my son!And so while the son was “still a g
ODJ: foolishness of the cross
On beaches around the globe you can find people sporting shorts, flip-flops and headphones as they comb the seashore with metal detectors. While many sun-lovers return from a day at the beach with a tan and a few seashells, these modern-day treasure hunters often bring back something more valuable—gold, mostly in the form of lost jewellery.At first glance, these people may look a b
ODB: God’s World
I knew my son would enjoy receiving a map of the world for his birthday. After some shopping, I found a colorful chart of the continents, which included illustrations in every region. A birdwing butterfly hovered over Papua, New Guinea. Mountains cascaded through Chile. A diamond adorned South Africa. I was delighted, but I wondered about the label at the bottom of the map: Our World.In o
ODJ: selfish ambition
An article published in Fortune magazine addressed the values of some young adults—attitudes which pervade much of today’s culture, including the church. “On the Fast Track to the Good Life” noted that many young adults view success as being at the top of a major corporation, believe in themselves and their abilities and lack humility, view any relationship that
ODB: Outrunning Cheetahs
The majestic African cheetah is known for reaching speeds of 112 kph (70 mph) in short bursts, but it doesn’t do so well over distances. A BBC news item reports that four members of a northeast Kenyan village actually outran two cheetahs in a 4-mile footrace.It seems that two large cheetahs had been feeding on village goats. So the four men came up with a plan to stop them. They waited until the