Life is sacred

Life is sacred. Life is precious. It does not matter what end you are on.

Within the last 24 hours, I have experienced both ends of life. And I found God there. Or maybe I should say God found me.

Consider this. An elderly man has lived a vital life filled with energy and activity for over 90 years. And then, life takes its toll. He is living now only with the aid of life support. It in no way resembles the life that he enjoyed. The time has come to let life take its role.

It is a difficult time and yet it is clear. The exact time is very unclear. It may be minutes, hours, or even days. But we know that God is present. God does not leave God's children.

As I prayed with his son a deep sense of reverence fills my heart. Compassion for the sorrow and joy present abides in my soul. It is strange how one can experience joy and sorrow at one time. Life is sacred.

Then the day has finally come. We have prepared for it in so many ways. Caroline is going to make her arrival. My daughter and her husband are excited about the arrival of their second child--or should I say--my fourth grandchild. Everything is ready.

We circle around the bed as family and offer our prayers of thanksgiving. We offer prayers for the doctors, nurses, parents, --every one. Tears fill my eyes as I pray for my grandchild and her family. I am praying for me as well! Life is sacred.

As I hold Caroline in my hands, I am awe struck with the beauty of the child. A woman standing to the right of me at the window says, "I can not believe how pretty that baby is! I have grand kids but I don't believe they were that pretty!" Her daughter standing next to her says, "thanks mom!"

The beauty of it all is God's presence, God's gifts. Life is precious--at either end. Life is sacred.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Masters Name,


Rev. Dr. M. Jack O'Dell
Lead Pastor, The Well UMC

www.thewellumc.com
www.midweekmanna.com

Lost and Found

"I am not lost. I just have not arrived yet."

Technology has made it more difficult to be lost. With the GPS, it is simply a matter of following directions. Therein is the problem. How many times have you heard from your voice GPS--"redirecting" or "make a u-turn". Eventually there is going to be a voice activated GPS that will ask the question, "is there anyone else in this vehicle who could drive?"

In dealing with the lost, we are most like the elder brother in the story of the prodigal son. He is the one that was not happy to see the failure of a son to come home. The elder brother became even more unhappy when he saw the benefits of coming home. It was not right. In his eyes, the elder brother thought HE should get everything and the younger brother nothing but grief. The elder brother missed the party.

God seeks the lost. Whether we do or not, God seeks the lost. God puts before the lost landmarks that lead them back home. Have you seen these?

Steeples with crosses high above the world are there for the lost to see when searching. Kindness and compassion in people who may not even know they are signs of God. And best of all, God invites us to be ready to celebrate when the lost are found.

Some folks find it difficult to go home after being gone. It may be the reason that many do not return to the church that once stirred their soul. They are ashamed. They are afraid of all the elder brothers waiting to denounce them.

There is an old hymn that says what the lost need to hear. The words are "softly and tenderly Jesus is waiting.....calling O Sinner, come home."

If you are lost, come home. The Father is waiting to love you. If you happen to meet the lost, be a sign to them of God's forgiveness and compassion. Encourage them. Welcome them. Celebrate with them.

In the Master's Name,

Rev. Dr. M Jack O'Dell
Lead Pastor
The Well UMC

http://www.midweekmanna.com/
http://www.thewellumc.com/

Empty

It happens more than we realize. No one plans for it. It is a snowball that begins at the top of the mountain very small and then is huge by the time it gets to the bottom of the mountain.

In work, it is the feeling that all days are dog days. You cannot get the work done to meet the deadlines. Mistakes are more often than you want to admit. Life is overwhelming. You have nothing more to give.

In your spiritual life, it is the desert. The songs that once moved your heart closer to God are just playing. The times of prayer seem to have disappeared. Spiritual companionship is now characterized by distance. The words of Scripture are just words.

You are empty. You are burned out. There is no more to give.

Spiritual emptiness comes from many things. Some of it comes from the busy-ness of life. Some of it is the product of the loss of discipline in our life. Most of it is found in direct proportion to fellowship and prayer.

Fellowship is a great antidote to emptiness. It is just hanging out with friends and enjoying good company. Fellowship reminds us that we are not alone and God has given us great company to live our life. I highly recommend that Christians feeling a sense of emptiness connect themselves to fellow Christians.

Prayer is being with God. It is spending time listening to the chords in your soul. It is just allowing God to breathe with you. God speaks to your inner struggles if you stop to listen. God brings to your ears the songs of life that once gave you great joy.

Someone once said, "You can not give away what you do not have." The gift of faith is what God gives to us in our emptiness. This gift is not like the gifts that the world gives. It is the gift that lifts us up.

Are you empty? Are you burnt? Connect with God and God's people. Begin by finding your way to worship Sunday!

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,

Rev. Dr. Jack O'Dell

Lead Pastor

The Well UMC

http://www.thewellumc.com/

http://www.midweekmanna.com/

Disappointments

It is the job promotion that you deserved.

It is the dream that you have always dreamed. You know it will never happen.

It is the friend that chose to do the unthinkable.

It is a broken marriage, a broken vow.

It is the agony of watching our teenage and adult children go astray.

It is a common human experience. Disappointment.

How Jesus knew the feeling of disappointment. He wanted his disciples to see the kingdom moments--they didn't. Jesus wanted love to permeate the world around him--it did not. Jesus wanted people to follow him. They just did not get it.

At one point Jesus is looking over the city of Jerusalem and he weeps. How he longs for an intimacy with those around him. How Jesus longs for the world to know the love of God.

Some of us allow disappointment to become rivers of bitterness. Others use disappointment to create distance and build walls. While still others create disappointments with expectations that can never be met.

Disappointments in life are God moments. They are moments of creation. They are the way in which God invites us to depend upon God's mercy and grace. Disappointments are when we have to rely on God.

Maybe during this season of Lent, it is time for you to let God work through your disappointments. Out of the worst moments of life, God does God's best work. Joy comes in the morning!

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,

Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.thewellumc.com
www.midweekmanna.com

Temptations

Sticky Cinnamon Rolls. Hot Apple Pie with Ice Cream. Fresh Strawberries with whipped cream on a Vanilla Pound cake. Hot Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Do I have your attention?

There are some things in life that get our attention more than we want to admit. Notice that I stayed in the "safe zone" of temptation. There are other areas that tempt me much more. But we will not go there!

Did you ever really read the temptation of Jesus? Now some of you discount it automatically because you think Jesus had the divinity card which exempted him from all of it. Not true. Jesus knew what it was like to have your mouth watered with temptation.

But he was ready. The tempter came after Jesus had experienced the height of hearing God's voice at his baptism and at the lowest point of his human thirst. It was there that the tempter offered him bread of this world, power, and the game of "let's see what God will do...."

Temptation is so personal. Some of you read the opening paragraph and said, "So?" Others of you headed for the kitchen or the restaurant immediately. Sounded like I needed company, so you said, "I'll join ya!"

I am wondering if you and I can face another temptation during this season of Lent. Can we be tempted to do good? Can we be tempted to be God's children? John Wesley used the idea of God "wooing" us towards the kingdom to talk about even being perfected in Christian love. He believed that love could tempted us to grow in the faith because of its power.

The objects of temptation are rarely bad in themselves. Usually it is where they lead us that is the problem. The beauty of another human being can lead us away from covenants. The lure of power and prestige can lead us into pride and arrogance. The taste of being full can lead us into destroying the health of our bodies.

Tempt yourself to be in love with God. Tempt yourself into sacrificing yourself for others.

Make Lent a holy season.

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,


Rev. Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

http://www.thewellumc.com/
http://www.midweekmanna.com/

The REAL Celebrations in Life

The countdown has begun. Probably you are unaware that it even began. It comes so quietly. However at the very end it gets extremely loud.

Sin is like that. Most of us do not even like to talk about sin unless it is someone else's. I am amazed at the magazines and Hollywood shows that just love to throw people's sin out like it is a morning paper. Who has done what to whom? Where someone is or is not in treatment. There is a segment of society that is infatuated with sin.

Most of us do not know what sin really is. Some of us remember some preacher telling us how bad it was and where we are going if we do not get rid of it. And then, we found that the problem with sin is that it really not feel that bad--at least most of the time. Truth be told, it feels pretty good. Whoever said that it would just go away in our life does not know sin like I do. It is pretty constant--more constant than I want to admit. It is a battle.

Right before Lent begins, (that is the countdown in case you were still wondering) we have Mardi Gras. It is the time when we consume and party. Some of us consume more and party more. And then there are the party animals and the consumption rhinos(you know who you are) Rabid consumption and and partying leads to sin--separation from God. By now many of you are questioning my credentials. Is this guy a preacher or what? Go figure.

Ash Wednesday, the day after Fat Tuesday, is the day we realize that we are human. As the ashes are put on your forehead, you hear the words, "From ashes you came to ashes you will return." It is the day that we confront ourselves with our sinfulness and our selfishness. It is the day we begin to examine just how harmful consumption and partying in our life can be. It is looking behind us and seeing the trail of brokenness in our life. It is God's way of inviting us to live more for others than ourselves.

Have you noticed that the real heroes of our world seem to do this? No one remembers the guy or gal who chugged the most beers or stayed out partying the longest. Heck, they do not even remember it. But our world does recognize those who are compassionate, feeding the poor, and sacrifice their life to change the world. And they remember it as well.

The Mardi Gras beads fade fast. The cross stays with us into eternity. And yes, our sin can disappear. God frees us everyday from our sins of yesterday. God invites us to be changed each day. God gives us a life of freedom from sin into eternity. Now THAT is the REAL party-- a celebration.

Rev. Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.thewellumc.com
www.midweekmanna.com

Who would have thought?

I think in the Kingdom of Heaven there is a room that has this written on the door, "Room of Unclaimed Blessings". It is a room filled with blessings that God was ready to give to us if we had only sought after them. These blessings were our destiny undiscovered. Undiscovered for many reasons.

Who would have thought that an old man would be the father of the Hebrew nation?

Who would have thought that a young man full of a sense of justice who murdered someone would be the one that would lead the people of God out of bondage?

who woul dhave that a shepherd boy who loved to play music and even dance, would slay the giant and become the great king of Israel?

Who would have thought that the son of a carpenter and a teenage girl would be the Savior of the world?

Who would have ever thought that fhsermen would drop their nets and follow a carpenter preacher and that one of them would be the rock that th church would be built upon?

Who would have ever dreamed that a legalist Jewish perscutor of early Christians would write most of the New Testament?

You see, our world is filled with possibilities that God has placed before us if we would only claim them. It is our destiny.

Simon Birch was a strange little boy who kept telling everyone that he knew he was pout on this earth for a special purpose. Those who met him mocked him. They told him he was dreaming. Then one day, when the bus filled with chileren went into the river, Simon Birch claimed his destiny.

Who would have thought what in your life? in your world? What has God put before you to claim this day?

Who would have thought that the Saints could....and would....or will they?

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master's Name,


Rev. Dr. M. Jack O'Dell

www.thewellumc.com
www.midweekmanna.com