Pastor Odie Kennedy's Pearls

During the reign of King Manasseh, he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord.  Let me give you a brief overview of 2 Chronicles 33:1-20.  Manasseh was a heathen! He built up the shrines that his father Hezekiah had torn down, reinstated idol worship, dabbled in witchcraft, and even sacrificed one of his sons.  In other words, everything that God said not do, that is what Manasseh did!  I have been teaching a series on Love. There are many other biblical characters that would fit the bill, but in my opinion, none as deplorable as Manasseh.  He basically spit in the face of God! Nevertheless, he prayed and repented for his sins, and God pardoned him.  He was forgiven.   So often we preach about the wrath of God, but fail to tell people about the love of God.  His forgiveness is love! God isn't like man.  When you wrong someone and apologize, they hold it over you.   Manasseh endured many things as a result of his disobed...

As I sat in church last Sunday, I began to take a panoramic view of the congregation.  I saw so many single young women who love God with their whole hearts. That's not all I saw. I saw the devil trying to attack their self esteem and self worth. When I stood to deliver the message, God began to deal with me concerning the next level of growth. Often times we will compare ourselves with what we see around us.  We may conclude that we fit in, but too many times we feel we fall short.   You may not feel that you are up to par.  You may think that because of your physical appearance, economics, or past relationships, you are not worthy of a good man. Well let me just talk to you right now.  I have to tell you that you are not just good enough, but you are everything that God has made you! It's still true that God does not make junk! Growth comes when we know who we are and whose we are! God made you great! He placed in you tenderness, compassion, love, and s...

Mothers Day this year was one of the best that I have had.  As the day approached, I began to study 1 Kings 16-28. I learned some things that have helped me to keep going.  Let me share them with you. There were two women in a household.  One of the women's baby died when she rolled over on it.  She decided to switch her dead baby with the living baby of the other woman. When that woman awoke, she was cuddling a dead baby.  She began to panic but then really looked at the baby. She discovered that he was not the son she gave birth to. Knowing what the other woman had done, she went to the king.   I had to stop here.  Not anyone can go before the king.  You can't just walk into the royal court.  This woman had a need and she wasn't afraid to break all the rules.  She had to see King Solomon.  She knew he was the only one that could fix her situation. After hearing the plea of this mother, Solomon called for the sword.  Lo...

When the believers of God gather together, there's a unity that ignites our praise and elevates our worship. However, it is fundamental that we bring into that atmosphere a ready and cultivated God experience.  We cannot wait until we get to church to start giving God what we owe him.  Worship isn't a slow song on Sunday morning. Worship is a Lifestyle!  When you assemble in the house of the Lord, and see empty seats around you, it should make you concerned for your neighbors.  The word of God is not just for your four and no more!  We often say there's a hurting world out there, but there's also hurting people in the church.  Have you reached out to them? When the seats are empty, somebody isn't witnessing. Did you know that even the people of God go through? Yes, they know God. They love him, and they may still need encouragement.  We have a responsibility and an obligation to our sisters and brothers.  Our lives are so busy, but we must ...

What can wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. What can make me whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus. O precious is the flow that makes me white as snow; no other fount I know; nothing but the blood of Jesus. Baptist Preacher Robert Lowry co-penned this hymn with William Doane.  Nothing But The Blood was a poignant invitation to salvation. Lowry composed, edited, or added music to over 200 hymns.   Though his gifts were well received, Lowry's primary passion was preaching the message of Jesus Christ. He understood that his music only had power when its birth began at the cross. In the beginning, Adam lived a life we would now covet.  His time was spent in the lush garden fashioned with all that he would ever need.  He experienced the truest definition of "quality time" with a father.  Adam was even given companionship.  What closer mate could you have than one formed from your own rib? Though God gave specific instructio...

 People don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care- Theodore Roosevelt There's a group of people who are waiting for the church to step up.  They aren't the traditional pew sitters.  They are the disenfranchised.  Those who have been caught in the revolving doors of the criminal justice system. No longer can we just celebrate God in our four walls. The essence of our relationship with God is solidified in how we connect with that individual that does not know God.  If we were to talk to the local newspaper today, we should be saying more than we have a beautiful edifice, good music, and lots of dancing.  We should be able to confidently say that we are reaching the lost. When we are mission-oriented to extend the Gospel, we can salvage a whole generation! Their problems may be plentiful, but we have The Solution.  The church has the answer and it's our responsibility to connect them with what they are looking...

Near The Cross Jesus, keep me near the cross, There a precious fountain Free to all, a healing stream Flows from Calv’ry’s mountain. Refrain: In the cross, in the cross, Be my glory ever; Till my raptured soul shall find Rest beyond the river. Near the cross, a trembling soul, Love and Mercy found me; There the bright and morning star Sheds its beams around me. Written by Fanny Crosby 1869 Fanny Crosby was an amazing hymnist who penned more than 8,000 hymns over her lifetime. Some of her most notable hymns sung today are Blessed Assurance and To God Be The Glory. Though she was blind from infancy, spiritually she was a visionary.  She wrote hymns that drew attention to the suffering of her Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Near the Cross was not just a song, but a prayer that every believer would do well to emulate.  Our journey through the Holy Week was full of traumatic events: the betrayal by Judas with a kiss, the abandonment of the disciples, the beating of Je...