ODJ: chill or kill?
American President Abraham Lincoln’s secretary of war, Edwin Stanton, was angered by an army officer who accused him of favouritism. Stanton complained to Lincoln, who suggested that Stanton write the officer a letter.
ODB: Quiet Rest
Some years ago my son Brian and I agreed to haul some equipment into an isolated Idaho backcountry ranch for a friend. There are no roads into the area, at least none that my truck could negotiate.
ODJ: the restoration promise
Uncle Mark (not his real name) had his big toe removed because his arteries had become blocked after years of smoking 60 cigarettes a day. My husband and I used the traumatic event to talk to our children about the consequences of destructive habits.
ODB: Answer The Cry
When my grandchildren were young, my son took them to see the stage production of The Lion King. As the young lion, Simba, stood over his father, King Mufasa, who had been killed by his evil uncle, little Simba, afraid and alone, cried out, “Help, Help, Help!”
ODJ: what’s in a name?
I enjoy reading lists of names in the Bible. In the past they seemed pointless to me. In fact I would skim over them to get to the ‘meaty’ stuff in the passage. One day, however, I realised that all those names were there for a reason.
ODB: When Others Won’t Forgive
I was having lunch with two men who had opened their lives to Christ while they were in prison. The younger man had been discouraged by the fact that the family from whom he had stolen would not forgive him.
ODJ: who we are
Zechariah lived out a twofold identity as both priest and prophet. The grandson of the priest Iddo and the head priest of his family (Zechariah 1:1; Nehemiah 12:1,16), he was prophetically called to encourage the people of Judah with God’s words (Zechariah 1:13-17).
ODB: A Wonderful Explosion
In the book Kisses from Katie, Katie Davis recounts the joy of moving to Uganda and adopting several Ugandan girls. One day, one of her daughters asked, “Mommy, if I let Jesus come into my heart, will I explode?”
ODJ: rolled away . . .
I’m ashamed to admit it, but sometimes I pray for God to grant me a good parking spot when I pick up my children from school. I wonder if I do this because, deep down, I believe that God is able to take care of only the small things of life, and little more.