ODJ: reverent fear 


The ocean was churning. Massive waves were causing the huge vessel to lean from side to side. As I stood and looked out through a window, I was amazed at the power and fury of the storm. The beating of the raindrops on the metal deck matched the rapid beating of my heart as the ship was buffeted by fierce elements.


Being out on the ocean during a powerful storm provides a crash cours

ODB: Difficult People

In the book God in the Dock, author C. S. Lewis describes the kind of people we have trouble getting along with. Selfishness, anger, jealousy, or other quirks often sabotage our relationship with them. We sometimes think, Life would be much easier if we didn’t have to contend with such difficult people.Lewis then turns the tables on us by pointing out that these frustrations a

ODJ: who sinned?


God has told me why your skin cancer hasn’t been healed,” the woman said to my friend. Really? he thought. Having suffered through two failed operations to remove the cancer from his face, my friend was desperate for a reason why. “God has told me it’s one of three things,” she continued. One of three? my friend thought. Even God doesn’t know for sure? “It

ODB: Broken But Beautiful

Recently, my daughter showed me her collection of sea glass. Also known as beach glass, the varied bits of colored glass are sometimes pieces of pottery but often they are pieces of shattered glass bottles. Originally the glass had a purpose, but then it was casually thrown away and became broken.If the discarded glass ends up in an ocean, its journey is just beginning. As it is relentlessly tosse

ODJ: hurt people hurt people


I was babysitting two 5 year old boys while their mothers went shopping. They were having a fun time playing together until one of the children threw a ball that accidentally struck the other on the nose.


The boy who was hurt scolded his friend and said, “You can never come over to my house again!” “Is it true,” I asked, “that you never want your friend to come over again?

ODB: Breaking Free

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The elephant is the largest land animal on earth—and one of the most powerful. Yet it takes only a strong rope to restrain one. Here’s how it works. When the elephant is young, he is tied to a large tree. For weeks, he will strain and pull, but the rope holds him fast. So eventually he gives up.Then, when the elephant reaches his full size and strength, he won’t struggle to get free, for onc

ODJ: adventures


At the beginning of the classic book The Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins was enjoying a comfortable and predictable life in his home in the Shire—until the mysterious Gandalf dropped in for a surprise visit. Gandalf turned to Bilbo and said, “I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it’s very difficult to find anyone.” Bilbo replied, “I should think so—

ODB: All We Need To Know

In a Fernando Ortega rendition of “Just As I Am,” Billy Graham’s voice can be heard faintly in the background. Dr. Graham is reminiscing about an illness during which he believed he was dying. As he mused on his past, he realized what a great sinner he was and how much he continues to need God’s daily forgiveness.Billy Graham was putting an end to the notion that apart from God we’re oka

ODJ: sleepless nights


Sleep. It’s one of the most underrated pleasures in life.There’s nothing like a good night’s rest or napping on a rainy day. My bed feels like a refuge—a small sanctuary from the cares of life. 


On some nights, however, sleep is hard to find. In the dark stillness, cares and concerns of all kinds can leave us tossing and turning. 


The Bible contains tw