Tag Archive for: trust

ODJ: untethered
Nik Wallenda became the first man to walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. During this amazing accomplishment, the television network that broadcast the event insisted that Wallenda wear a tether, so even if he had slipped he would not have plummeted to his death. Nik protested, but reluctantly agreed to use the tether. I’m glad he did, especially for the sake of his wife and children—but

ODJ: carried
When my boys were smaller and it was time for bed, they would often ask if they could “be a sack of potatoes”. I would pick them up by their legs, sling them over my shoulder and climb the stairs to their room.

ODJ: sheltered
The red and white “For Sale” sign in our garden boldly proclaims that our lives are in transition. Stepping out by faith, my husband and I are selling our home and leaving his current position of ministry to move to a community about 30 miles away. Confident that God is able, I still find myself trying to get my bearings as we wait on the unknown. I daily live between two places: at peace with

ODB: Riches Of The Soul
With the hope of winning a record jackpot of $640 million, Americans spent an estimated $1.5 billion on tickets in a multistate lottery in early 2012. The odds of winning were a staggering 1 in 176 million, but people stood in lines at grocery stores, gas stations, and cafes to buy a chance to become rich. Something inside us makes us think more money will solve our problems and improve our lives.

ODJ: yet to come
My sister might take a year off from work to study at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. I told her, “Well, be ready to check out the hills so that you know where to run to during the great tribulation.

ODJ: a Psalm for the Struggle
It was the kind of take-away restaurant where you stand in line, place your order and then step aside to wait for your food to appear. After I did just that, a young man took my place at the front of the queue. He ordered his food by using gestures and broken words. Paying was difficult for him because one of his wrists was turned so that his fingers pointed back to his body. And walking to a tabl

ODJ: correcting blind spots
In The Call to Joy and Pain, Ajith Fernando, a Christian leader from Sri Lanka, wrote: “The church in each culture has its own special challenges—theological blind spots that hinder Christians from growing to full maturity in Christ. . . . I think one of the most serious theological blind spots in [today’s] western church is a defective understanding of suffering. . . . The ‘good life’

ODJ: blind eyes & burning hearts
If you want to humble me, all you need to do is hand me one of those Where’s Wally? images—the ones where you attempt to locate the numerous places where the character Wally blends into the scenery. I can stare at them for hours with little result. When someone finally points out Wally’s location to me, it’s embarrassing to see him—right there in plain view! As theologian Stanley Hauerwa

ODJ: counting the cost
Jesus’ good friend Lazarus had died (John 11:14,17). And so He performed an amazing miracle by raising Lazarus from the dead (vv.43-44)—leading many who came to the funeral to believe in Him (v.45). But the Pharisees and priests responded differently. From that time on, they began to plot Jesus’ death (v.53).
News of the spectacular miracle spread throughout the thousands of Jewish pilgri
