ODJ: commoner to royalty


It is estimated that 3 billion people watched PrinceWilliam, heir to the British throne, marry KateMiddleton. If true, nearly one out of every two people on the planet tuned in to watch the well dressed duo tie the royal knot. While the actual number of viewers was probably much less, still the London wedding was watched by millions across the globe.


Why all the hype? I suspect it wa

ODB: Waiting To Cheer

In his very first Little League baseball game, a young player on the team I was coaching got hit in the face with a ball. He was not hurt but was understandably shaken. For the rest of the season, he was afraid of the ball. Game after game, he bravely tried, but he just couldn’t seem to hit the ball.In our final game, we were hopelessly behind, with nothing to cheer about. Then that young man st

ODJ: my greatest enemy


A Christian leader was once asked: “Who is your greatest enemy?” He replied, “Every morning I see him in the mirror.” Perhaps that’s the real reason why some of us are facing challenges in our marriage, school, work or church. The person who’s giving us a hard time isn’t our spouse, our boss or someone else. We are our own worst enemy.


Today’s reading in Galatians 5 e

ODB: “Don’t Worry, Dad!”

Last summer, my husband and I hosted a concert and fundraiser for childhood cancer research. We planned to have the event in our backyard, but weather forecasts were dismal. A few hours before the event, we began calling our 100+ guests to inform them of a change in venue. As our friends and family began feverishly toting food, decorations, and equipment from our house to our church gym, our daugh

ODJ: taken


There are three major events in Jesus’ life that most Christian churches commemorate with special services: Christmas, celebrating Jesus’ incarnation and birth; Good Friday, commemorating His crucifixion and death; and Easter Sunday, celebrating His resurrection—His coming back from the dead. Some churches include Pentecost Sunday as the church’s birthday. There is, however, one important

ODB: Golden Eagle

My son Mark and I were leaving the Clyde Peterson Ranch in Wyoming to head back to Michigan. In the distance we spotted a huge bird sitting in a solitary tree overlooking a steep canyon. As we approached, the golden eagle leaped from the tree and soared out over the canyon, the golden streaks in its feathers shimmering in the morning sun. Its immense size and beauty filled us with wonder. We felt

ODJ: 65 gifts


Doug Eaton wanted to celebrate his 65th birthdayin an uncommon fashion. When he asked hisfriends how he should celebrate the big day, one suggested that he perform 65 random acts of kindness. And that is exactly what he did. At a busy junction, he handed out cash notes for 65 minutes. According to Eaton, giving to others was the best gift he could have asked for. “It’s been fantastic,” Eaton

ODB: We Can Trust Him

I know very little about persecution. My physical well-being has never been threatened because of what I believe or what I say. What little I “know” about the subject comes from what I hear and read. But that is not true for many of our brothers and sisters around the world. Some of them live in danger every day simply because they love Jesus and want others to know Him too.There is another fo

ODJ: true love


When I stopped by a nearby restaurant to pick up some food, a guy and a girl standing in the car park caught my attention. Their arms linked together, the guy craftily reached to place his hand between her legs. My heart sank, and I began to pray that they would know the beauty of glorifying God with their bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:3-5).


Because the world we live in often equates sex