in prison
Last night I worshiped God with passion, because I praised Him from prison. The prison band led us in a stirring rendition of Chris Tomlin’s anthem, “I will rise, when He calls my name. No more sorrow, no more pain. I will rise on eagle’s wings, before my God, fall on my knees.” I had sung the chorus in church…
quitting time
Sorting through some old papers, I found a yellowed pay-stub that showed I had worked 100 hours in the span of 7 days. It’s crazy—I know, since there are only 168 hours in a week. As I fingered the faded document, I tried to recall the project that had required so much of my time many years ago. I looked…
September 17, 2012
How would you help a Christian friend who’s dealing with a persistent sin issue?
withering grass, fading flowers
Elton Trueblood, noted Quaker author, educator, philosopher, theologian, former chaplain both to Harvard and Stanford Universities, and advisor to US Presidents Eisenhower and Nixon, wrote 33 books, including the provocative The Predicament of Modern Man (1944). In this book, Trueblood warned of the dangers of a “cut-flower civilization.” He wrote, “Beautiful as cut flowers may be . . . they…
not listening
God, I’m not listening. I’m not going to read the Bible because I know You’ll speak, and I don’t like what I hear. I’ve been turning away the godly people You’ve sent my way, and I’m going to sleep in late and skip church.
Sound familiar? Yes, sometimes we would rather not hear God—especially when we find our sinful indulgence…
modern priests
"I’m very clear about what my role and purpose is,” Oprah Winfrey once told an interviewer. “I am the messenger to deliver the message of redemption, of hope, of forgiveness, of gratitude, of evolving people to the best of themselves.” Often described as the high priestess of religion-less spirituality, Oprah could resemble a preacher on her TV show. To many…
obsession
Return me to the cross
and let me be completely lost
in the wonder of the love
that You’ve shown me.
This is everything I want.
This is everything I need.
I want this to be
my one consuming passion,
everything my heart desires.
Lord, I want it all to be
for You, Jesus.
Be my magnificent obsession.
These lyrics…
young widow's rant
I’ve never met Stephanie Olson, but through social media I came across her blog The Young Widow’s Rant. The website reveals that her husband recently died at age 33, leaving Stephanie a young widow (age 30) with two young children. I learned that their son Isaac was about to have a party to celebrate his first birthday and that Stephanie…
you choose Q: what about being married to a nonbeliever?
Q: I would like to get more information on being married to a nonbeliever. —Mary
A: If you are asking if it is permissible for a Christian to marry a nonbeliever, then the answer is no. The Bible makes it clear that our marriage partner must be a believer in Jesus (2 Corinthians 6:14-16), one who “loves the Lord” (1 Corinthians…
all good things
Recently, I toured Bassett Hall, the home that John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby purchased in Williamsburg, Virginia, in the 1930s. Upon the death of the famous philanthropist, the home was bequeathed to the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation—the foundation the Rockefellers had created for the purpose of restoring the many historical sites in the village.
The home was simply…
read this! from an ODJ community member in India . . .
Greetings in Jesus name. I am very impressed by the daily messages in the ODJ. What interests me is the personal encounter with Jesus in everyone's lives, which is true and encouraging. Please keep up such things in the messages and instructions from the Word of God for successful living. —Samuel, India
who's that dude?
September 10, 2012
What is a believer in Jesus’ responsibility in working toward reconciliation with another person? What has been your experience in doing so?
collapsed
In the past few years, my kids and I started a Christmas tradition of making gingerbread houses with some friends. Last year, as we prepared to go meet with the others, I gathered our supplies and noted with concern that the baked product didn’t seem quite hard enough. Later, my dread grew as the first house collapsed before the pieces…
envy
A student was praising one of my colleagues, and I was glad to hear it. This student had been critical of the professor, so I was pleased that she now saw what I already knew. But when she said that the professor’s class was her favorite, I felt a twinge of sadness. Why not mine? I had cheered for my…
