Dr. Kathleen B. Oden is an author, missionary, and Bible teacher. She has been the Administrator of God’s House of Refuge Church & School of Evangelism, for 25 years. Dr. Oden attained a Doctorate degree in Christian Theology in 2000. After a bad fall in 2014, she realized that she had to start eating healthy, in order to fully recover. She became a Certified Health Minister and a Certified Essential Oil Coach. She loves ministering to people and God gave her a health ministry called, Create AnewU Health Ministry. Her health ministry has opened the door for her to share what the WORD OF GOD has to say about eating healthy. Dr. Oden has published over 20 books through Amazon.com and several of them are about health and wellness. https://createanewuhealthministry.com
Serving As Unto The Lord By Dr. Kathleen Oden Growing up as a military brat really broadened my intellect. But looking back on it, my life was also very sheltered. As a Christian, we are in the army of the Lord and should understand that the Lord gives us all different paths to walk. But everyone’s main path is to serve. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. (John 12:26 KJV) All of us are called to serve in some capacity after we give our lives to Christ. Back in 2011 after retiring from my job and looking forward to fulltime ministry work, a friend of mine said to me, “Now you have more time to spend with Jesus.” WOW! Why did that statement hit me like a ton of bricks? And why is it still ringing in my ears 10 years later? I was looking forward to working fulltime ministry, right? But how much time do we all really spend just with Jesus? If nothing else, Covid has shown us that most people that are called to serve, do it on duty and off duty no matter the occupation or situation. Have we not seen, police officers, doctors, nurses, teachers, mothers, Christians, and many others who should be resting are yet “serving while on vacation?”
One of the hardest-working people in my life is my Pastor. She calls up people to check on them every single day. “Serving while on vacation” is who she is more than what she does. She is a very serving person. No matter how tired she feels, no matter what else she has to take care of, nothing stops her from serving others. She constantly looks for ways to serve. To make a long story short… many years ago my mom was living in New York with my daughter and she wanted to move back to Jackson, Mississippi. My Pastor went with me all the way to New York by train. OMG! It took 3 or 4 days to get there! Then, we had to rent a U-Haul truck and drive my mom and all her stuff to Mississippi “nonstop”, through the dark of night! After that, we immediately, yep immediately, catch a bus from Jackson, back here to Houston Texas, WOW! Then, (yes there is more) we had to rush to get dressed to attend the first night of a three-day revival that our church was hosting. And guess who the first speaker was? Me! What a hair-raising trip that was! My Pastor has been such a true blessing in my life as well as an awesome role model of what it really means to serve as unto the Lord.
PAGE 11
12
|
M AG A Z I N E N A M E
