Ministry > Our Daily Bread
Praying the Distance
Kevin wiped a tear from his eye as he held out a slip of paper for my wife, Cari, to read. He knew Cari and I were praying for our daughter to return to faith in Jesus. “This note was found in my mother’s Bible after her death, and I hope it encourages you,” he said. At the top of the note were the words, “For my son, Kevin.” Below them was a prayer for his salvation.
“I carry this with me in my own Bible today,” Kevin explained. “My mother prayed for my salvation for over thirty-five years. I was…
Biblical Prescription
Greg and Elizabeth have a regular “Joke Night” with their four school-age children. Each child brings several jokes they have read or heard (or made up themselves!) during the week to tell at the dinner table. This tradition has created joyful memories of fun shared around the table. Greg and Elizabeth even noticed the laughter was healthy for their children, lifting their spirits on difficult days.
The benefit of joyful conversation around the dinner table was observed by C.S. Lewis, who wrote, “The sun looks down on nothing half so good as a household laughing together over a meal.”
The wisdom of…
Of Saints and Sinners
Before she followed in the footsteps of John the Baptist by living in the desert, Mary of Egypt (c. ad 344—c. ad 421) spent her youth pursuing illicit pleasures and seducing men. At the height of her sordid career, she journeyed to Jerusalem in an attempt to corrupt pilgrims. Instead, she experienced deep conviction of her sins and thereafter lived a life of repentance and solitude in the wilderness. Mary’s radical transformation illustrates the magnitude of God’s grace and the redemptive power of the cross.
The disciple Peter denied Jesus three times. Only hours before the denials, Peter had declared his…
NEW: Our Daily Bread: Teen Edition (Volume 4)
The Bible isn’t just for grown-ups—it’s for everyone, young and old! And so we’ve made sure the teaching of Our Daily Bread Ministries isn’t just for grown-ups either. It’s been fantastic to help teenagers to get into God’s Word and see how exciting it is with our teen editions of Our Daily Bread! This latest volume includes 365 insights from…
Samson: A life of gain and loss (CD)
Join Our Daily Bread writer Bill Crowder as he explores the ups and downs of one of the Bible's unlikeliest heroes of the faith: Samson. Known for his long hair, incredible strength and poor life choices, discover how Israel's flawed judge gives us surprising insights into the life, death and rescue mission of Jesus, the real Judge and Saviour of the…
What is baptism all about?
Baptism must look pretty strange to outsiders: a bunch of people dunking other people into water and then celebrating it. But how well do we really understand it ourselves?
Different churches and denominations practice baptism in slightly different ways, but one way or another, we all do it. The question is: why do we do it? What’s it all about?…
How do I know I am a Christian?
Many of us who consider ourselves Christians have experienced seasons of doubt about whether we really belong to Jesus. Feelings of distance from God or habitual sin in our lives can shake the very foundations of our faith. As distressing as those feelings are, they are an important opportunity for us to “examine [ourselves]” as Paul instructs (2 Corinthians 13:5).…
Understanding Life’s Trials
My friend’s father received the dreaded diagnosis: cancer. Yet, during the chemo treatment process, he became a follower of Jesus and eventually went into remission. He was cancer free for a wonderful eighteen months, but it returned—worse than before. He and his wife faced the reality of the returned cancer with concern and questions but also with a faithful trust in God because of how He saw them through the first time.
We won’t always understand why we’re going through trials. This was certainly the case for Job, who faced horrendous and unexplainable suffering and loss. Yet despite his many questions,…
God’s Retirement Plan
Archaeologist Dr. Warwick Rodwell was preparing to retire when he made an extraordinary discovery at Lichfield Cathedral in England. As builders carefully excavated part of the floor of the church to make way for a retractable base, they discovered a sculpture of the Archangel Gabriel, thought to be 1200 years old. Dr. Rodwell’s retirement plans were put on hold as his find launched him into an exciting and busy new season.
Moses was eighty years old when he made a fiery discovery that would forever alter his life. As the adopted son of an Egyptian princess, he never forgot his Hebrew…
Enjoying Beauty
The painting caught my eye like a beacon. Displayed along a long hallway in a big city hospital, its deep pastel hues and Navajo Indian figures were so arresting I stopped to marvel and stare. “Look at that,” I said to my husband Dan.
He was walking ahead, trying to find the elevator to a doctor’s office. But I hesitated, bypassing other paintings on the wall to gaze only at that one. “Beautiful,” I whispered.
Many things in life are beautiful, indeed. Master paintings. Scenic vistas. Inspired crafts. But so is a child’s smile. A friend’s hello. A robin’s blue egg. A…
What is baptism all about?
Baptism must look pretty strange to outsiders: a bunch of people dunking other people into water and then celebrating it. But how well do we really understand it ourselves?
Different churches and denominations practice baptism in slightly different ways, but one way or another, we all do it. The question is: why do we do it? What’s it all about?…
How do I know I am a Christian?
Many of us who consider ourselves Christians have experienced seasons of doubt about whether we really belong to Jesus. Feelings of distance from God or habitual sin in our lives can shake the very foundations of our faith. As distressing as those feelings are, they are an important opportunity for us to “examine [ourselves]” as Paul instructs (2 Corinthians 13:5).…
What God Sees
Early in the morning, I pad noiselessly past a family-room window overlooking a wilderness area behind our house. Often, I notice a hawk or owl perched in a tree, keeping watch over the area. One morning I was surprised to find a bald eagle boldly balanced on a high branch, surveying the terrain as if the entire expanse belonged to him. Likely he was watching for “breakfast.” His all-inclusive gaze seemed regal.
In 2 Chronicles 16, Hanani the seer (God’s prophet) informed a king that his actions were under a Royal gaze. He told Asa, king of Judah, “You relied on…
Not Like Yesterday
When our grandson Jay was a child his parents gave him a new T-shirt for his birthday. He put it on right away and proudly wore it all day.
When he appeared the next morning in the shirt, his dad asked him, “Jay, does that shirt make you happy?”
“Not as much as yesterday,” Jay replied.
That’s the problem with material acquisition: Even the good things of life cannot give us the deep, lasting happiness we so ardently desire. Though we may have many possessions, we may still be unhappy.
The world offers happiness through material accumulation: new clothes, a new automobile, an update…
Serving the Smallest
The video showed a man kneeling beside a busy freeway during an out of control brush fire. He was clapping his hands and pleading with something to come. What was it? A dog? Moments later a bunny hopped into the picture. The man scooped up the scared rabbit and scampered to safety.
How did the rescue of such a small thing make national news? That is why. There is something endearing about compassion shown to the least of these. It takes a big heart to make room for the smallest creature.
Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a man who…
