Think About Good Things!

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.  Philippians 4:8

Your mama taught you better.  

A father wound up in court with his son.  It was small thing.  The son looked around and noticed things though.  There were people who were bruised and scarred. There were people in chains--not jewelry but shackles.  The general appearance of many people was just not good.  It was obvious that a few of the people in the room were not in good shape at all due to their addictive life style.

The father noticed his son looking around.  And then he said, "Son, if you continue to do the things you are doing, this will be your world."

Your mama taught you better.

"If you slop with the pigs in the pig sty, don't be surprised to find mud on your face."  

I have to admit that I have no interest in the current rant about the new dance.  I would know a twerk from a twinkle.   I am sure if I were to twerk it would not be a pretty sight.  I do understand the concept of dancing although my family says I should do it rarely in public.  

What does concern me is the attention that our world gives to bad behavior.   We keep falling for the same old trap--any publicity is good for some---in their minds.  So there has to be some outrageous action by whomever to be recognized.

There was a day in my life that my bad behavior was recognized.  Boy was it recognized!  It was recognized by the authorities in my life.  That recognition convinced me quickly that I wanted to change my behavior.  The consequences were not good at all.  

What would our world be like if we changed the focus?  What would it be like if when that appeared on our media screen, there was a huge number of people who just changed the channel?  What would it be like if we refused to invest our time or money in such antics?

What would it be like if we focused on whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy?  Some argue that it will never sell.  But maybe there are some things that ought not be for sale.  Say, maybe our soul?

What is your focus today? 

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.thewellumc.com

Who Ya Pullin' For?

The preacher gave a preview of the sermon using the following words,  "Chronos versus Kairos".  Reed is a little boy who loves sports  He is all about competition.  So he was sitting next to his granddad when he heard those words.   With a twinkle in his eye he asked his granddad, "Which one ya gonna pull for?"  

Maybe that is what worship needs to capture the world's attention.  The preacher could announce, "Today the choir will take on the ushers!"  Or maybe we could have a seventh inning stretch and everyone could stand up and sing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" while serving hot dogs.   No wait!  Let's have an instant replay showing all those nodding off during the service.  We could put them on a jumbo screen or post the sleeping on Facebook.  Maybe we need a halftime performance.  

So who ya gonna pull for in worship?  

I must admit that I do not believe that worship has to be dull or boring.  At one point in my ministry, I visited many churches on Sundays.  Many of them I would leave wondering why anyone would go back week after week for that.  The music was not uplifting.  Nor was it done well.  Some churches were not even clean.  The sermon was obviously a Saturday night special.  I checked out.  

Who ya gonna pull for in worship?

Then there have been some worship services that I did not want to end.  In fact they did not end.  They followed me all through the week.  I was inspired.  People were friendly . The message was new and relevant.  The music was well rehearsed and well presented.  I left the service as one of God's chosen.  I was ready to go out into the world and proclaim what I had experienced.  This church was growing.  People were inviting friends to Christ and to the church.

"Chronos" worship services are marked by time.  Is it time to go?  PLEASE tell me it is time to go.  "Kairos" worship services are marked by meaning.  In fact, they mark folks who wander into them.  They change the individuals who then change the world with the love of Jesus Christ.

Reed, I am pulling for "Kairos!"   

Avoid Catching a Cold

...catch a cold from the ice in your soul....

Not my original line.  I stole it from a friend.  Apparently the lady at the check in counter for an airline decided to leave early.  When she left early, others missed their flight.  It meant an extra day in Los Angelos and a lost day in Hawaii.

So how warm is your soul?

Christians do not do much soul talk other than saving souls.  Once the soul is saved, it is pretty much on its own for the most part.  However, John Wesley was particularly interested in the soul in the process of being saved.  He saw it as an everyday event of becoming.  Therefore the soul talk was vital.  He used the word, sanctification.  He preached about being sanctified.  It sounds painful.  And in some ways it is.

It is the work of the Spirit in our life.  It is no so much what you do by your efforts but what the Spirit does within you  Now don't get me wrong, you have to yield yourself to holy habits--prayer, fasting, worship, acts of mercy--just to name a few.  But out of the holy habits, our soul is mended.  You might say the soul is warmed.

Warm souls lead to warm hearts and warm hands.

Warm hearts choose to be affected by the sufferings of others.  The temptation to focus on our own sufferings is resisted.  You know you lost to temptation when you have to tell about when you had that disease, surgery, or whatever.  Once the story begins, your heart has turned inward.  The last thing many want to during hard times is another suffering story.  Warm hearts watches a news report and feels the suffering of the world.  Warm hearts let go of prejudice and pride to feel for others.

Warm hands are what the world needs so badly. Warm hands reach out to those who are troubled. Warm hands are ready to give away what they have to give because they have discovered that this world is not so much to be possessed as shared.  The abundance of God's provisions are dependent upon this!  Rummage sales are replaced by handing items to those we know in need. The small financial gain is outweighed by the joy of sharing.  

The ice in your soul is warmed by the living relationship with Jesus Christ and the body of Christ--the church. When the ice begins to melt, you have water to share for those who thirst.  And from this water, the thirsts of the world are satisfied.  The world, our world, God's world is made holy---sanctified.  

How about your soul?  Are you catching a cold from the ice in your soul?

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com

Go Against The Waves

I am not a fisherman.  If I happen to catch a fish, I consider it a miracle.

My son in law loves to fish.  It so happens one of my neighbors loves to fish as well.  So when I knew my son in law was coming, I asked my neighbor if he would take us fishing.  With a little drool coming out of his mouth, he reluctantly said he would.

Fishing in the gulf is different than going down the river or on the lake.  The biggest difference is getting to the fishing hole.  It was a calm day and the ride down the river towards the gulf was beautiful.  The sun was coming up.  The birds were flying.  We stopped and threw the net to get bait.  

Throwing the net reminded me of what it might have been like when Jesus and his disciples were out on the sea of Galilee.  In my mind I could hear Jesus say, "Cast your nets...."

However in the Gulf things were quite different.  The waves were beating against the boat. The boat would come completely out of the water and land on the water.   I was holding on for dear life.  I figured should I fall out of the boat for some reason, I was dead!   I did not suffer from sea sickness.  But I had never experienced going against the waves like we did.

There are journeys in life when we go against the waves.  Times when we know that the stand must be made.  Someone has been neglected.  Something has been done that is so offensive or contrary to the standards of humanity.  The line is drawn in the sand.  When this happens, you can expect great resistance.  There is a fear of the consequences.  But you just hold on and keep going forward.

There was a time when some of the followers of Jesus found his teachings too demanding and too harsh.  They turned away.  Naturally Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them,  "Will you too go away."  The disciples had cast their lot.  "There is no other but you....."  You know your commitment as a disciple when things become more difficult.

When we arrived, the fishing was fun. And I even caught a few fish.  I did not hurt anyone in the boat.  I fell only once!  And my neighbor invited me to go again.  

Next time, I am ready for the waves as we head out!