Pastor Odie Kennedy's Pearls

My church has gone through a tremendous transition.  As we continue to mourn the loss of my great husband, Superintendent Lamar Kennedy, we are growing in spirit, strength, and faith! Our services are filled with God's love, His praise, His revelation, His power, and His anointing.  It is our endeavor to truly please God, and we know that takes faith.  For the last few weeks, we have been studying faith.  When the children of Israel were delivered from Pharaoh, their faith waned.  Although God had sent plagues and killed the firstborn of the Egyptians to prove his sovereign power to his chosen people, the Red Sea ahead seemed to be too much for them. They began to complain and blamed Moses for the challenge ahead.  It was so overwhelming that even Moses was unsure of what to do next.  Although he reassured the people with a strong declaration of deliverance, Mose still cried out to God.  We know this because God asked him, "Wherefore cr...

There used to be a really popular toy called, Jack-in-the-Box. I'm not sure if children still play with it, but it had an interesting design.  Housed in a wooden music box was a clown.  When you cranked the handle on the box, music would begin to play.  The sound flowed out easily in the beginning, but the more you cranked the handle, the slower the music played.  All the while, the handle would get harder and harder to turn.  When it seemed like the handle couldn't move any further and nothing else could be done, the clown popped out of the box.  For some children, it was scary to see the clown pop up because it was seemingly unpredictable and unexpected. Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.  The beast of the field shall honour me, the dragons and the owls: because I give waters in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert, to give drink...

When I think about the goodness of Jesus, I am amazed! I'm amazed by his grace and mercy when I allow my head to lead me instead of my heart.  Have you ever had to battle the voices between your mind and your spirit? The bible account of God sending Samuel to anoint David king shows us that we can be misled by our minds.  When Samuel went to the house of Jesse and laid eyes on Eliab, he was sure that he had found God's choice for king.  God quickly admonished Samuel to see beyond his preconceived notions and intellectual deductions.  In other words, God wanted Samuel to look at the heart of Jesse's son and not his appearance.  Have you ever been fooled by the way a person looks?  When you first saw them, you sized them up by the designer shoes, tailored outfit, and perfectly groomed hair.  Right away, you knew he was a preacher, a lawyer, or simply a good person.  You didn't look for any signs of compassion, sensitivity, or ambition.  Af...

"If you want to change the world, go home and love your family" -- Mother Teresa Love. Its foundation is often rooted in family ties.  We love as we have learned to love.  We either model what we have seen or we decidedly choose to give what we've never had. When we talk about love, we must go beyond the sentiment of love.  We must go deeper than the mushy warm feelings.  Love is about the action we take on behalf of others.  It comes in many forms. Some parents show their love with hugs and kisses, work hard to provide, and words of adoration.  My mother prayed for me.   She spoke into me with the scriptures.  Prayer became the greatest act of love in my home. No family is perfect.  Every family has differences, disagreements, and trials, but does that mean there is no love?  Absolutely not!  As long as you can still pray, you can love. When we pray, God does more than change the situation.  He changes us.  He ch...

As I stood in the pulpit on Sunday, I looked at all the people sitting in expectation.  They had not come to church out of ritual, but they were led there by the spiritual revelation that there is a great God!   We cannot afford to walk this life without recognition and revelation.  What do I mean?  This sinful word demands that we recognize our need for God.  Despite our education, we aren't intelligent enough to survive without God.  Despite our assets or assignments, we cannot effectively do battle in warfare on our own.  We must recognize our need for God and his power.  He has to be the head of our lives.  His direction must be the roadmap we follow.  His word must be our word! When we take inventory of all God has done just this morning, we can't help but come to the spiritual revelation that there is a great God! He woke you up this morning without any assistance.  He was the alarm before there was an alarm....

I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well.  Psalm 139:14 I remember a time when it was not "saint-appropriate" to look at yourself and say that God did a good thing when he made you.  It was considered arrogant and puffed up.  Well, today I want to talk to the women who are dealing with low self-esteem.  It is not arrogant to believe what God says about you. When I was younger, people used to call me ugly.  I don't think they realized how painful that was or how it would affect the way I saw myself.  Because I bought into their opinion, I accepted mistreatment and belittlement. They made me feel I didn't measure up to those around me.  I didn't know that God had not created me to be measured against anyone.  He fearfully and carefully crafted every feature on my face.  He took his time when he made me.  He made a Godly woman! There are so many traps...

We are living in some of the darkest days I have ever seen! Every day brings news of personal tragedies and community pain.  Even our congregations are touched by senseless and unbelievable acts of hatred.  Nevertheless, we have help and we have hope! God is so good to us.  He gives us peace in the midst of chaos and a song in the midnight.  He pours out his Spirit on us when we worship him, and we should never take that for granted! You may feel bombarded by the cares of this life, and even buried by it all, but remember your light.  Remember that you are created in the very image of God.  You are related to the light of the world!  If Jesus is light, then how can you not be?  Remember that your light illuminates the dark for those trying to find their way through their struggles.  Has anyone ever told you, "There's something different about you"? When you walk in the Spirit of God, you walk in his light!   This doesn't mean ...