Ministry > benvijay
Day 4 : The Cross Speaks
“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures ... He was buried, and ... He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” —1 Corinthians 15:3-4
Crosses decorate church steeples and designate burial places. Sometimes they mark the spot where people died in motorway accidents. They are also worn as jewellery.
Crosses remind people of Jesus Christ. I was made…
Day 5: He Is Enough
“Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." —Matthew 14:27
Sometimes we are overwhelmed by life. The crushing waves of disappointment, endless debt, job loss, or trouble with people can cause hopelessness, depression, or despair. It happened Jesus' first followers. It has happened to me.
Three statements by the Lord beginning with the words…
Day:3 Postcard Christianity
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever?.. But I have trusted in Your mercy; my heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. I will sing to the LORD, because He has dealt bountifully with me. —Psalm 13:1, 5-6
When my husband and I visited the Everest Base Camp the closest viewpoint of Mt.Everest, I expected to see some spectacular sights.…
Day 2: Why Go to Church?
Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,... exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. - Hebrews 10:24-25
A college pastor called William was invited to preach in a city church. The service lasted 2 1/2 hours. When it was finally…
Day 1: Cut Off?
In my alarm I said, "I am cut off from Your sight!". Yet You heard my cry for mercy when I called to You for help. —Psalm 31:22 NIV
During Antarctica's 9 month long winter, the continent is engulfed in darkness and the temperature sinks to -82 °C. Flights are halted from late February to November, leaving workers at scattered research stations…
Facing Job Loss
Is Life Too Big?
"O God, Thy sea is so great, and my boat is so small."
This is believed to have been an old fisherman's prayer. It is useful for giving perspective to the complexity of life and our inability to manage it on our own. Is life feeling too big for you? There may not be easy answers…
Surprised by Grace
Surprises can be interesting. Sometimes they are wonderful and thrilling—like the person who works hard at his job with no expectation of reward or recognition but is surprised with a coveted promotion. It’s a time of joyful shock, and the ear-to-ear grin stays plastered to his face for days and days. What a great surprise!
There are other times, however, when…
IN-Year End Thank You Letter 2023
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ENGAGING PEOPLE WITH GOD’S WORD
Everyday in Everyway
“We have been reading the ODB during our morning family prayers for many years, and it has shaped our children's character quite remarkably , thank you for posting it to us regularly”
- Thomas Jacob
Our beloved devotionals and other…
A Final Thought | Tim Gustafson
AWAKENING AT CHRISTMAS
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One August day in my early teens, I turned my bicycle up a north-country road and set out. A perfect summer breeze wafted past me. Green leaves rustled and whispered of autumn’s approach. Close by, Lake Michigan insistently nudged endless sandy beaches.
Suddenly, a wonderful, elusive feeling descended over me. I can best…
DAY 10 |
Look, I am making everything new!
THE SEVENTH STANZA
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In 1861, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s wife died tragically in a fire. That first Christmas without her, he wrote in his diary, “How inexpressibly sad are the holidays.” The next year was no better, as he recorded, “‘A merry Christmas,’ say the children, but that is no more…
DAY 9 |
You have found favor
with God!
MARY HAD A BABY
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As a slave in the American South, Mary Gaffney feared having children. By law, her child could be sold away. Or she could be sold away from her child. This fearsome reality for enslaved women and their children in America adds special poignancy to the African-American spiritual Christmas…
DAY 8 |
The Word became human
and made his home among us.
PITCHING HIS TENT
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When my brother wasn’t well enough to go camping, my dad brought the camping trip to him. They pitched a tent behind our house, underneath the stars. Together they made their dwelling on the bumpy ground, reminiscent of the shepherds watching their flocks by…
DAY 7 |
The time of the LORD’s favor
has come.
THE LIGHT OF LIFE
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How easily the words to some of our best carols escape our hearing. Take, for instance, the exquisitely gorgeous “Coventry Carol.” The first verse ushers us to a safe place. Mary croons to her infant: Lullay, thou little tiny child; sleep well, lully, lullay.
Soon, however, the…
DAY 6 |
They will call him Immanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
WITH US
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On a Christmas morning years ago, I stood beside my dad at the foot of the stairs and saw the sadness in his face. The effects of dementia were progressing. He realized he’d never again climb those stairs and enter the room he’d…
DAY 5 |
This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken
through the prophet: “I called my son out of Egypt.”
NO GLITZ, JUST GLORY
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Ididn’t anticipate that singing a carol at church would jolt me with surprise and pain, but that’s what happened my first Christmas in England. I’d lived in this new country for nearly a year after marrying an…