Assembling Speaking and Taking Action -By Ian Love-Jones

I’m always impressed by the sheer volume of support that can come out of just one Odd Fellow’s lodge. Support for not only members but for the larger community.

My lodge provides communal space for dance, music, theatre, and martial arts classes. We have a museum of local history centering influential Odd Fellows. We award laptops to high school seniors who actively give back to their community. We donate to relieve the distressed and to support humanitarian causes. We raise money for local PTAs with an annual Halloween carnival, and much more! And that’s all in addition to the support that we Odd Fellows offer to one another inside the lodge. I’ve seen first hand how we render aid to our members in need. Members that have gone through everything from strain and sickness, to the loss of a job, or a loved one.

When We See Humanity First -By Ian Love-Jones

Is it our fraternal association with one another that makes us realize all are worthy to be cared for? Or, is our agreement that all are worthy to be cared for the reason that we joined together in fellowship, to relieve the distressed, and to celebrate Friendship, Love and Truth. Does our union within Odd Fellowship give rise to us seeing the humanity of others? Or do we see that humanity first, which compels us to unite as Odd Fellows?

Nourishment through Odd Fellowship -By Torbjörn Andersson

Maybe some of our first memories of the lodge involve meals being served after meetings. Warm food fresh bread and simple desserts created a sense of peace and equality. Around the table rank and title fade and ordinary, sometimes deep, conversations take over. We remember listening to stories from senior members who had served the lodge for decades as well as newly initiated brothers and sisters. Their wisdom arrived without pressure. A small remark about friendship or truth that became food for thought.

Lifting the Veils -by Ian Love-Jones

Odd Fellowship does something admirable in the way that it lifts some of life’s veils, and reveals important teaching. Odd Fellowship admits that true sight rarely happens the instant we discover something new.

A New Name -By Ian Love-Jones

I’m in love with growth and personal reinvention. I once moved professionally from being a jailer, to becoming a teacher and author, and once moved personally from having a smaller circle to becoming an Odd Fellow, with kin across the world. I know intimately how each day of life brings new possibilities. I believe that we were created — not to stagnate, but to grow! And that explains why the white stone ceremony resonates so deeply with me each new year.

Odd Fellowship and Superheroes Part 2 -By Torbjörn Andersson

People often imagine the Odd Fellow world as a place of deep reflection, solemn symbols, and quiet dignity. All true. Yet if you look closely you may also discover something else: the spirit of a superhero meeting with less punching, fewer capes, and far better coffee.

Odd Fellowship and Superheroes Part 1 -By Torbjörn Andersson

Every fellowship begins with a single act of courage. Within the Odd Fellow world this courage emerges when an individual chooses service over comfort, compassion over indifference, and dignity over pride. While ancient symbols hold deep meaning, a surprising guide can be found in the heroes of the cartoon universe. Their stories reveal a truth […]

Living in FLT -by Ian Love-Jones

Decorative regalia and grand titles are woven through the world of fraternalism. Each one of those outwardly visible features can be a meaningful part of the adventure. With that said, someone who only knows about those outward aspects, might wrongly think that our greatest goal and commitment is to be an exalted high mucketymuck, rather than a thoughtful, and honorable person in daily life. The things that show outwardly should be only milestone markers of our personal and professional growth within the Order. The jewels and nifty names are not the goal.

Are You Waiting for Perfection? -by Ian Love-Jones

Odd Fellowship reminds us that our precious days are numbered. I hope you find that message more exciting than ominous, because it’s not meant as a hopeless warning. Instead, it is a loving reminder to all of us that now is the best time to do anything worth doing. If we truly understand that fact, then what holds each of us back from seizing the day

Consider the Orphan -by Ian Love-Jones

Doing the most good with our charge to educate the orphan, is a matter of imagining how broadly that command can apply. Have you considered that not all orphans are children whose parents have died? A person can be orphaned in essence, if during their journey of growth, they are separated from the experienced, protective guides who would have given them a sense of safety, direction, and community. So how can we educate not just orphans in the traditional sense, but orphans of that broader kind?

We Were All Strangers Once -by Ian Love-Jones

I deeply value a world where former strangers can build community with one another and celebrate universal kinship. Wanting to live in and to create that kind of world, was one of the things that first drew me to Odd Fellowship.

Where Do You Lead From? -By Ian Love-Jones

Odd Fellows build and maintain programs, speak publicly, coordinate charity, and hold together the connection and direction of their chosen-family. All of that means that Odd Fellows are in unique positions to learn, practice, and demonstrate leadership. Ponder this my friends, where do you lead from, as an Odd Fellow?