
ODB: By God’s Truth
Merriam-Webster’s 2023 Word of the Year was authentic. It means “not false or imitation” and “true to one’s own personality, spirit, or character.”

ODB: God’s Plans? God’s People!
After I joined the board of trustees of a seminary, the long-term leader announced his retirement.

ODB: Loving Jesus Most
The members asked why their church was buying a steeple. Was this the best use of God’s resources? What about feeding the poor?

ODB: Habits and the Holy Spirit
“Did you grow up around here?” It was difficult to answer my dental hygienist’s question because her teeth-cleaning tools were still inside my mouth.

ODB: The Prayers of Jesus
Jesus, how are You praying for me? I’d never thought to ask that question until my friend Lou shared the experience of his heart-cry to Christ when he was faced with a situation that required more wisdom and strength than he was able to muster.

ODB: Digging for Meaning
We have a new puppy, Winston. He bites. Sleeps. Eats. (Does one or two other things.) Oh, and he digs. Winston doesn’t dig casually.

ODB: Running the Race with Christ
Tom, age seven, admired his dad’s shiny trophies from school track events sitting on a shelf. He thought, I want one of those for my bedroom.

ODB: Serving God Each Season
After years of discipling Caleb by himself, Mark was dismayed to find out that a church leader had assigned another mentor to the young man.

ODB: Life in Christ
A family who’d lost touch with their son and brother Tyler received an urn that was said to contain his cremation ashes. Just twenty-two years old, he’d apparently died of a drug overdose.