category: trials

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plan B

Posted by Jeff Olson on December 19th, 2011 | 13 responses

As a fisherman on Lake Michigan (one of the world’s largest freshwater lakes), I’ve had to change my plans on many occasions. Stormy weather or high waves have forced me to resort to a Plan B: either canceling the trip... read more »

let’s get critical

Posted by mike wittmer on December 18th, 2011 | 5 responses

In The Last Lecture, Professor Randy Pausch described a particularly bad day when his hardnosed football coach yelled at him and made him do push-ups for messing up some moves. Afterward, an assistant coach helped Randy put... read more »

writer’s block

Posted by jennifer benson schuldt on December 17th, 2011 | 3 responses

Writer’s block will wear you out. During a recent bout with it, everything I wrote ended with the electronic equivalent of throwing a crumpled sheet of paper into the ol’ “circular file” (trash can). Any hint of an... read more »

faith, not curiosity

Posted by an odj community member on December 7th, 2011 | no responses

John 3:1-4: There was a man named Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader who was a Pharisee. After dark one evening, he came to speak with Jesus. “Rabbi,” he said, “we all know that God has sent You to teach us. Your... read more »

verbal strikes

Posted by roxanne robbins on November 26th, 2011 | 5 responses

I grew up under the weight of a verbally abusive grandfather. To this day, years after his death, I still struggle with ramifications of things he said to me and how I responded. During my teenage years, I took my... read more »

sustain: to give support or relief to

Posted by an odj community member on November 7th, 2011 | 2 responses

“Would your wealth or even all your mighty efforts sustain you so you would not be in distress?” (Job 36:19 NIV). “Your frustration with everything, including yourself, makes it possible to turn in deeper dependence... read more »

God is with you

Posted by an odj community member on October 27th, 2011 | no responses

2 Corinthians 12 :7-10: I have received . . . wonderful revelations from God. So to keep me from becoming proud, I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger from Satan to torment me and keep me from becoming proud. Three... read more »

when attacks become personal

Posted by an odj community member on October 10th, 2011 | 3 responses

Philippians 4:6-7: Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand.... read more »

hold on to hope

Posted by an odj community member on October 7th, 2011 | one response

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep His promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works (Hebrews 10:23-24). It’s interesting that... read more »

never forgotten

Posted by winn collier on October 7th, 2011 | 7 responses

One day, a taxi dropped world-renowned cellist Yo-Yo Ma off at New York City’s Peninsula Hotel. But as the cab drove off, Yo-Yo realized he had left his cello in its backseat. It was worth 2.5 million dollars! The hotel... read more »