When Life Doesn't Make Sense

 I woke up this morning to hear again the news of a person randomly shooting others.  It is easy to disconnect from this.  Resist this temptation!

Why?  It is usually the first question when life just doesn’t make sense.  What would a person be thinking to carry out such random violence?  Does life become that blurred?  What kind of twisted passion or allegiance would be the motivation for this? 

Who?  There has to be someone to blame for this.  Actions like this cannot remain blameless.  Someone must be held accountable for it.   The fingers begin to point everywhere---family, friends, religion, and anything else in reach.  Remember in the Garden of Eden the first response of Adam was to point to Eve.  I chuckle every time I read it.  Not only is Eve blamed but God is her cohort.  “The woman YOU gave me…”  Adam created the first concept of no fault that is used in our world today.

The other part of who is coming to know those who are innocent victims.  They were in the wrong place or space at the wrong time.  How sad!  There is a part of us that realizes that all of us are in a sense vulnerable.  We all can be in the wrong space at the wrong time and have great consequences.

So what is the answer for us as Christians?  The presence of God is our consolation.  One of the verses that gives me great comfort is found in the 14^th chapter of John.  Jesus says to his disciples, “I will not leave you as an orphan.”  For me it is the realization that I will always have family.  God is my present parent.  God’s family is MY family.

As a young boy there were so many things I did not understand.  I did not understand why adults did what they did.  I did not understand many things that happen to me and around me.  The comfort in all of this was that I was surrounded by an environment and culture of family.  First United Methodist in Minden gave me family.  The Louisiana Annual Conference and Ruston District Youth ministries showed me family.  The community of Minden held me tightly within a concept of family.  And then my own family gave me so much.

Maybe this is the gift of modern technology and media has given us.  We are able to live in a larger concept of family.  Maybe this is the gift we have to give to the world when life does not make sense.   The gift is the presence of family. 

You are not alone.  I will not leave you as an orphan!

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master’s name,

Rev. Dr. M. Jack O’Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com

Can You Be More Specific?

Mandy, my darling wife, was riding towards her sister’s house from the nursing home after a long day of sitting with her father.  Her sister lives in Downsville which is about 12 miles north of Interstate 20.  As she began driving on the country road leading to Downsville, she all of a sudden was confronted with a horse in the middle of the road.  A big red horse was standing in the middle of the road.    Deciding that this could be a road hazard for someone else behind her, she called 911.

911 operators have such interesting conversations.

Mandy gave her name and told of the horse standing in the middle of the road on the specific highway.  The operator asked her, “Could you be more specific?”  Whereupon Mandy answered, “Yes, it was a big red horse!!!”

Now some of you will get the funny part of the story about three to four hours later or when someone explains it to you.  Some of us realize the humor of the situation.    The operator was obviously asking for how many miles the horse was from Interstate or what mile marker could the horse be found.  Rather than focusing on the location of the horse, Mandy was focused on the color of the horse.  

There are times when we are out of focus with things which God is very specific.  Now sometimes we just want to play dumb.  But most of the time we know more than we realize.

For example, Jesus said to love your enemies and do good to those who curse you.  Pray for those who mistreat you.  Luke 6:27-28.  We understand every word in that sentence.  For some of us, the letters are in red meaning that Jesus said this!  However, we want to excuse ourselves from such nonsense.  We would rather talk about other things.    Jesus is quite specific about it.  Specific and clear.

So the task for us is to be more specific in our daily living.  Our daily living is to be love specific.  It is to be missional specific—helping those in need.  It is to be prayer specific—PRAY—don’t THINK! 

 

So where are you?  And don’t even talk to me about a big red horse!

Pray for me as I pray for you.

In the Master’s Name,

Rev. Dr. M. Jack O’Dell

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com

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!

Letting Go

It is the season of letting go.  

When we lived in Lafayette, an elementary school was just down the street from us.  I enjoyed watching kids walking to school.  The first days of school you would see a little boy or girl walking next to their mom or dad.  Usually they would be holding hands.  Moms and Dads would have eyes full of tears. 

After a few days the scene changed.  The kids would be holding hands with another new friend.  Occasionally they would glance back at the parent.   But there was a new confidence that had been borne. Some of the parents would actually stop the last few hundred yards and just let the kids walk the rest of the way.  The kids liked this idea.  No one wants to be seen at school with their parents in tow.

By the end of the first month few parents were in the picture.  The routine had been established.  Kids would walk and play with kids.  They had been let go.

One of my clinical friends had a great definition for parenthood.  The object of parenthood is work your way out of a job.  It is to create a confidence and ability to live independently within our children.  It is NOT being your child's best friend.  They will have many friends.  But they will only have two biological parents.  Some parents do not understand this.  They do not understand letting go.  

In letting go we are found.  We are created to be what God has created us to be.  We learn what it means to be independent and yet dependent.  Isn't it interesting that when God created, the first act was to let them roam in the garden.

Some young adults will leave for college in a few days.  It is a time of letting go.  Moms will want to decorate their college rooms.  And some will.  But then they will leave.  I tell college kids if they have a grandparent praying for them while at college, they might as well just let God in their life.  I think grandparents have a special link to God sometimes, especially for grand kids.  For those who do not have a grandparent praying for them, find one to borrow, rent, or lease.

It is a story that I just remember this time of the year.  A young man arrived at his college for the first time.  He had left home and driven in his car to college.  He remembered watching his mom and dad in the rear view mirror.  Even his dad's eyes were teary.  But he was so excited to be on his own.

He arrived at the dorm and began to unpack his belongings.  His mom had packed the suitcase as only a mom would.  His dad had helped him just throw some stuff in the car.  When unpacking the suitcase, he found something really strange at the bottom of the suitcase.  There were two pieces of cloth.  They seemed familiar but he could not place them.  So he stuck them in the drawer.  No time to figure that out.  He would ask mom later.

So the first day was exciting.  Finally he fell into bed exhausted and yet excited. Before he fell asleep he did what he had done all his life, he began to pray.  In his prayers, visions of the day came forward with a sense of gratitude and thanksgiving.  Just was he was about to fall asleep, he prayed for his mom and dad.  And then it happened.  He remembered.  As a little boy when he needed the comfort that only a mom could give, he would go into the kitchen.  His mom would be cooking a meal.  The only thing he could reach was the apron she wore--that familiar apron.  He would pull on the ties of the apron and his mom would pick him up and hug him as only a mom can.  

The strange pieces of cloth in his suitcase were now clearly identified.  His mom had cut the ties of her  apron and given them to him.  She was letting him go.

Pray for me as I Pray for you.

M. Jack O'Dell

Lead Pastor

www.stlukesimpson.org

www.midweekmanna.com