ODB: Tender Loving Care
Max runs a small farm as a hobby. Recently when he checked on the cows he is raising, he was surprised to see a newborn calf! When he bought the cattle, he had no idea one was pregnant. Sadly, the mother cow had complications and died shortly after her calf was born. Immediately, Max purchased some powdered milk so he could feed the calf from a bottle. “The calf thinks I’m its mother!” Max s
ODJ: dead coming back to life
The Dead Sea in Israel is a ‘one of a kind’ place to take a dip. Tourists who enter its waters immediately realise that swimming aids aren’t necessary. Yep, there’s no need to tread water in the Dead Sea. Due to its exceptionally high concentration of salt, people simply float on its surface like apples bobbing in a barrel of water.
The Dead Sea is also the lowest land-based point on
The Dead Sea is also the lowest land-based point on
ODB: A Lesson In Worry
My friend handed me a tall glass of water and told me to hold it. The longer I held it, the heavier it felt. Finally my hand grew tired, and I had to put the glass down. “I’ve learned that worry can be like holding that glass,” she said. “The longer I worry about something, the more my fears weigh me down.”King David knew about fear. His whole life had been turned upside down. His son Ab
ODJ: diluted faith
I usually think about salt in the context of what I consume, like when my doctor repeatedly ‘nudges’ me to stop using so much of the stuff. But salt isn’t just something we sprinkle on chips. In the ancient context, it also preserved food, was used in offerings and was rubbed on newborn babies as an act of purification (Leviticus 2:13; Ezekiel 16:4). With that in mind, salt is a symbol of ou
ODB: Who Is This Man?
When Kelly Steinhaus visited Harvard Square to ask college students what they thought of Jesus, the answers were respectful of Him. One said He was “a person who took care of people.” Another said, “He sounds like a cool guy.” Others rejected Him outright: “He was just a guy. I don’t think He was the Savior.” And “I do not accept any faith system that says, ‘I am the only way to
ODJ: impressions
A hazy morning at a harbour. Chalky, grey mist shrouds the boats, but a peach-coloured sunrise warms the scene. Claude Monet captured this scene in his masterpiece Impression, Sunrise. Created in 1872, this painting was not well-received. French critic Louis Leroy slammed the painting as little more than a sketch that could barely be considered a finished work. Over time, however, opinion
ODB: The Big Comeback
Chad Pennington is a former American football player who has suffered multiple career-threatening injuries. Twice, his injuries forced him to endure surgery, months of physical therapy, and weeks of training to get back onto the field. Yet, both times he not only returned to playing but he also excelled at such a high level that he was named Comeback Player of the Year in the National Football Lea
ODJ: He hears our cry
Have you ever felt as if no one was there for you when you faced a difficult and trying time? Perhaps King David’s words reflect what you were feeling: “I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought! No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me” (Psalm 142:4).
David wrote Psalm 142 when he was hiding away in the darkness of a cav
David wrote Psalm 142 when he was hiding away in the darkness of a cav
ODB: Focus On The Process
In William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, he says that many writers suffer from “the tyranny of the final product.” They are so concerned with selling their article or book, they neglect learning the process of how to think, plan, and organize. A jumbled manuscript, Zinsser believes, is produced when “the writer, his eye on the finish line, never gave enough thought to how to run