hit and run
by jennifer benson schuldt on April 16th, 2012 | 15 responses
One evening, just before midnight, an automobile slammed into the side of our house. I woke up to what sounded like an explosion, but then I heard the muffled noise of a car radio and the squealing of tires as the driver fled the scene.
Satan tried to dismantle Job’s relationship with God (Job... read more »
disobedient doubt
by mike wittmer on February 27th, 2012 | 4 responses
What do these famous men have in common: Sigmund Freud, Jean-Paul Sartre, Bertrand Russell, Karl Marx, Pablo Picasso, and Aldous Huxley? They all declared that they did not believe in God, and all were sexually promiscuous. Coincidence?
In The Making of an Atheist, James Spiegel explains that many... read more »
one lost son
by K. T. Sim on February 23rd, 2012 | 3 responses
This story of the prodigal son is one of the most famous and familiar of Jesus’ parables. And the most personal. For it touches an area that is often the most painful—our children.
In the parables of the lost sheep (Luke 15:3-7) and lost coin (Luke 15:8-10), the emphasis is on the lostness and... read more »
one lost lamb
by K. T. Sim on February 4th, 2012 | 3 responses
The Bible uses many metaphors to describe people who are not believers in Jesus: Harvest fields (Matthew 9:37-38), fish caught in the net (Matthew 13:47), guests invited to a banquet (Matthew 22:10), and sheep—most often as lost sheep without a shepherd (Psalm 119:176; Isaiah 53:6; Matthew 18:12;... read more »
you choose Q: “how can you forgive an unrepentant person”?
by an odj community member on January 30th, 2012 | 2 responses
Q: How can I forgive someone who has deeply hurt me but is unrepentant? Brittien and Sharon
A: We believe that if a person is not repentant, there is no possibility of forgiveness. Forgiveness occurs when a person repents, turning from their wicked way.
The Bible says that we... read more »
the canary
by mike wittmer on January 28th, 2012 | 6 responses
A friend of mine left his wife and three children. Although he knows better—he was a seminary professor—he continues to lie to his family and is filing for divorce. Another friend abuses her family. She wastes their grocery money on her own wants, and then swears and screams when their bank... read more »
God’s amazing love
by an odj community member on January 12th, 2012 | no responses
Romans 8:34-39: Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us. Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean He no longer loves us if we have trouble or... read more »
let’s get critical
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 his bad practice in perspective. “Coach Graham worked you pretty hard,... read more »
dogs and cats and whales
by tim gustafson on November 25th, 2011 | 3 responses
Frank’s dog tormented cats. So when Thor broke free one day and ran off, Frank got a bad feeling. Sure enough, the dog snatched a poor, unsuspecting cat in its jaws. But then, out of the shadows, came a furious streak of gray—another cat! Launching itself onto Thor’s back, it viciously raked... read more »
the privilege of children
by mike wittmer on November 23rd, 2011 | 6 responses
Erik Hatzinger confessed to stealing money from several businesses over many months. He seems to be repentant, for when the judge ordered him to pay $13,000 in restitution, Erik informed the judge that he had stolen more and would like to pay it all back.
“That’s the son I raised,” his mother... read more »













