Visiting the Sick: Beyond the Bedside -By Ian Love-Jones

For a truer understanding of what it means to visit the sick, it helps to understand what it means to live with a serious illness, injury, or infirmity. Being sick is often much more complex than not feeling well. And visiting the sick has much greater depth than simply making an appearance at the bedside.

There is No Clock on the Wall of the Lodgehall! -by Torbjörn Andersson

When we visit a lodge in a place other than our homelodge, we immediately feel at home in the foreign hall because it has so much in common with our own.

Retreading the Path -By Ian Love-Jones

Members who sprinted into the daily work of Odd Fellowship right after initiation should do their best to backtrack, and to build up their knowledge about the Order. To their credit, most members do thoughtful and admirable research before joining up. Because Odd Fellowship has secrets only known to the initiated though, it’s possible to be made a member without a detailed knowledge of the Order’s inner workings, evolutions, lessons, successes and struggles. As a newer Odd Fellow, you simply don’t know what you don’t know.

Hospitality -By Ian Love-Jones

Have you considered that hospitality isn’t just for the family we know, but also for the wider human family that we know less about? Hospitality makes the weary traveler, the returning friend, and the unknown newcomer alike all feel cared for, comforted, and protected.

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.

Perspectives on Fellowship -By Ian Love-Jones

I love fellowship because it does so many things. Did you know that fellowship is more than just friendly association? Fellowship goes even deeper than building lasting friendships, and a sense of community. A subtler benefit of fellowship is that it is a multifaceted course of study, a vehicle for the fellows to learn.

The Story of the Steward -By Ian Love-Jones

I’ve noticed that the stories which Odd Fellows seem to love most are the stories of stewards. This is true whether those stewards are sovereigns, seekers, shepherds or supporters, guides or guards, companions, caretakers, or complete outsiders.

AN OPEN LETTER CONCERNING THE RECENT COMMUNICATION TO ALL IOOF LODGES FROM THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE SGL -by Kurt Roggli, PGCh, CA

The letter’s tone is unmistakable. We are “admonished” that “non-negotiable” obligations are to be followed “without deviation”, “without exception”, responses to be “written in ink”, and so on. Wouldn’t friendship and love dictate that SGL guide its members with benevolent care rather than stern rebukes?

What is Love? -By Ian Love-Jones

What is love? I’ll wait for fans of Haddaway’s hit song to finish their head-bobbing karaoke session. In all seriousness, let’s reflect on that question together: what is love? As Odd Fellows, Love is one of our cherished watchwords and so it’s only fair that we are clear on what love actually is.

The First 90 Days as an Odd Fellow: Elevating Mankind Through Friendship, Love & Truth -By Jesus Paz

In a world obsessed with self-interest, joining this Order is an act of quiet rebellion. You’ve chosen to walk a different path — one built on the foundation of Friendship, Love, and Truth. But how do you live that out in today’s world?

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?