Grace

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ODB: A Good Man

“Jerry was a good man,” the pastor said at Jerald Stevens’ memorial service. “He loved his family. He was faithful to his wife. He served his country in the armed services. He was an excellent dad and grandfather. He was a great friend.”But then the pastor went on to tell the friends and family gathered that Jerry’s good life and good deeds were not enough to assure him a place in

ODJ: forgive and forget?


Sergei said to his pastor, “It’s been 2 years since Danica cheated on me, and I still can’t get past the hurt. Some days I think I’ve moved on, but the pain is always lurking beneath the surface, ready to explode in the most unexpected moments. We can be having dinner in a restaurant, and sorrow and anger washes over me and I feel that I despise her. How can I forgive if I can’t forget?

ODJ: pearls to pigs


I have always been perplexed by today’s reading in Matthew 7. What are these “pearls” being spoken of and who are the “pigs” we’re not to throw them to? 
One suggestion is that the pearl is the kingdom of God (see 13:45), and so a common explanation of this verse goes like this: There’s a beastly group of people for whom the gospel is not to be shared. They will only trample on our

ODJ: recalculating relationships


A comedian once mused that he wished someone would make a Sat Nav for husbands. He said something like this: Sat Nav: “Compliment your wife’s appearance.” Comedian: “Hey, honey, you look really good.” Sat Nav: “Ask her about her day.” Comedian: “How was your day, sweetheart?” Sat Nav: “Pretend to be listening.” Comedian: “Oh . . . Really . . .” Sat Nav: “Flatter your wi

ODJ: squash the beef


During a promotional event, two 73 year old former football stars got into a fistfight on stage. They had a ‘beef’ (a grudge or feud between friends, family members or enemies) dating back to a controversial football game in November 1963. After one of the senior citizens knocked the other off the stage, the crowd yelled at him to “let it go!” In essence, they were telling him to ‘squash

ODJ: human chameleon


Chinese performance artist Liu Bolin is known as “the invisible man” or “the human chameleon” because he blends himself into his surroundings. To do this he covers his entire body in paint which perfectly matches his chosen backdrop. Liu has painted himself into real life scenes which include graphite walls, supermarket shelves and even telephone booths.
As Christians we sometimes try to

ODJ: freely given


At the end of a long day, I took a moment to get a head start on my work emails—striving to preempt any surprises I might face at 8 o’clock the next morning. Frustration ebbed throughout my tired mind as I read an email that contained complaints and feelings of entitlement from a student known to be immature in his responses to life’s challenges. I wanted to send back a veiled sting of repro

ODJ: accepting correction


Atheists are so passive because they have nothing to stand for! #ultimatecowards” “Atheistshave no morality. They will hug a tree and murder a baby in its mother’s womb! #confused”
The nasty Twitter updates continued. Sadly, the person behind them was a pastor. As he was a brother in the faith, I decided to say something. “I’m really struggling with your tweets,” I replied. “I

ODJ: turning away


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His tears revealed the sincerity of his sorrow. My young friend, a member of the youth group I work with, was torn up inside. For years he had used drugs. Then he began selling them to others. Now, no longer dealing, his heart was broken as he considered the many children and youth that he turned on to drugs. He saw them sinking into self-destruction and he felt terrible.
We talked about the for