a gentle Father
During a difficult season of life when I questioned God’s kindness and care, many believers in Jesus came alongside me. They allowed me to be real with my struggles, but refused to let me dwell on them. They pointed me to Scripture, prayed for me, and helped meet my needs. Their compassion helped me experience Christ’s gentle love (Deuteronomy 32:2). Rather than judge me for my weak faith, my confidants proved that “a friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need” (Proverbs 17:17).
deflecting praise
We often celebrate a victory by heaping accolades and awards on the winners. Last week, the Christian radio station where I work received an award for media excellence, and we have a trophy as a reminder of our outstanding efforts throughout the year.
encouraged
When I was young, one of my favorite days was May 1. Known as May Day, it gave me a chance to hope for a kiss on the cheek from my latest crush. Making small baskets filled with candy, my friends and I would leave the gifts of affection on the doorsteps of those we knew, ring the doorbell, and run. If we left a basket for someone we liked, we ran slowly because getting caught meant getting kissed. Gone are those days of innocence.
be patient
If you had the opportunity to handpick the members of your local church or small group, would you choose people who always . . .
into the light
One of the hardest things about getting ready in the morning is picking out my socks. Are they blue or black? Because I’m color-blind, those two colors look the same to me in the dim morning light! So what I typically do is take them out into the kitchen and compare them under some bright lightbulbs, which helps me see their true colors.
March 24, 2014
What attribute of God has meant the most to you recently?
gift of your smile
The late film director Krzysztof Kieslowski was once interviewing actors for a film. During an interview, a young actress described to him how she’d go out and walk the streets of Paris when she felt sad.
the fruit of suffering
How are you doing now?” my friend asked as we walked down the path. The last time Adrian and I had spoken, I had told him that my wife and I were not able to have children and the pain this had brought us.
remember
My wife and I recently checked out the Titanic exhibit at our local museum. As we walked among the artifacts, watched videos, and viewed photos, the events of April 15, 1912—the day the Titanic sank—became real to us. One particularly moving account involved an older woman and her husband. When Ida Straus was asked to board a lifeboat with other women, leaving her husband behind, she refused. “I will not be separated from my husband. As we have lived, so will we die—together,” she said. They were last seen standing on deck arm in arm, awaiting the ship’s descent into the deep.
January 13, 2014
Besides the Bible, what book that you read in 2013 made the greatest impact on you?
leaving church
Poised at the door of the church auditorium, I hesitated. Why? I realized that I didn’t want to go to church. It’s not that I didn’t want to go to any church at all. I simply no longer wanted to go to this church. My wife felt the same way. A few weeks later, after 20 years as members, we made the agonizingly painful decision to leave. But leaving is not the same as quitting.
you choose Q: what advice would you give to a single person who's feeling lonely at church?
Q: What advice would you give a person who is the only single person in her entire church and is feeling left out and lonely? —Lisa
A: A single person is popularly defined as “one who is above 30 and unmarried.” I would prefer to see a single as “any person who is not in a marital relationship.” This would include…
thank you, friends
Albert Lee, former international director of RBC Ministries—the parent ministry of ODJ—was instrumental in helping the organization to establish offices in 32 locations and to distribute resources to more than 150 countries. On his 60th birthday, he penned these words, “As I reflect on the past 60 years of my life, my story could be summarized with these two words: greatly helped.”
unfold His Word
How many times have you, like I, delved into sin— be it addiction, sexual impropriety, gossip, pride, unbridled anger, slothfulness—in attempts to mask the pain of life? It’s all too easy to respond to the emptiness, disappointment, or hurt that we’re experiencing by turning away from God’s commands instead of to them.
