Pushing Through The Noise

We live in a society that more times than not centers around individualism. Bookstores are full of self-help literature and media focuses on how "I" can succeed. It takes the right clothes, car, make-up, exercise equipment, and so on to make me the best. Self-centeredness is all around us. The "all about me" mindset is woven throughout the story of the Prodigal Son. The younger son wants, receives, and squanders his inheritance and then comes groveling home while the father has been grieving his loss and the older son has remained faithful and hardworking. Two self-centered sons, one who was lost and has returned; one who was always there and never lacked, treated with grace and respect. While our society touts an "all about me, self-centered" image that is not what is laid out in this parable. You see when we mature in our faith, we can shift the focus off ourselves and show grace to others, as was demonstrated by the loving father for both of his sons.

I like Disney movies. In 2003 Disney/Pixar released "Finding Nemo". Marlin is a clownfish who lives in an anemone in the Great Barrier Reef. His wife, Coral, and almost all their eggs are killed in a barracuda attack and only one damaged egg remains, Nemo. Given the circumstances, Marlin is overprotective of Nemo, who, because of the attack, was born with a stunted right fin. On Nemo's first day of school, Marlin embarrasses Nemo, and the two argue. While Marlin is talking to Nemo's teacher, Nemo defiantly approaches a nearby speedboat, (sounds a little like our prodigal son) where he is captured by a pair of scuba divers and taken to an aquarium tank in a dentist's office in Sydney, Australia. There Nemo realizes that his actions were not the smartest and works with the others in the tank to make his way back to his father. At the same time, Marlin moves heaven and ocean to find his son, the prodigal son. Meetings with sharks, jellyfish, Crush and sea turtles, and encounters with self-centered seagulls whose chant is "mine, mine, mine" can't stop Marlin from his mission, to find his son and welcome him home with love and grace. Nemo escapes and makes his way back to the ocean and comes upon his father. Apologies from Nemo are offered, and Nemo is greeted with the love and grace that a father can offer.

The prodigal son, the one who was reckless and defiant has returned having turned away from his self-centeredness and now truly sees and respects those around him. When we give into the noise around us and buy into our culture today, we lose sight of what God is calling us to do. We are called to demonstrate grace and unconditional love as did the father and Marlin. No matter how far away we move from God, no matter how wasteful we are with the gifts God gives us, God is always pleased when we turn back to him. God never leaves us. Hear that again. God NEVER leaves us. God’s unconditional love is always present, and God’s arms are always open. We are being called to look beyond ourselves and emulate the love and grace of Jesus Christ for all to see. Pushing through the noise and allowing God to shift the focus off our self-centeredness and onto demonstrating graciousness and unconditional love for others is the call. So, will you push past all the noise and allow God to provide clarity of purpose, and clear direction, and then respond to his call?

Follow Me

Growing up as a child and young teenager, our family ritual on Sunday evenings was to eat dinner, wash the dishes, and then settle in to watch The Wonderful World of Disney. So many wonderful movies came on our television over those years. One of them was “Follow Me Boys”. It starred Fred McMurray, Vera Miles, and Kurt Russell. The main character, Lem Siddons, a saxophonist, wants to settle down and become a lawyer. He settles down in a small town and works at the general store. Trying to woo the lady at the bank, he volunteers to become the scoutmaster for the town’s rowdy group of boys. He picks up the scout manual, begins to read it and he and the boys set out to learn this Boy Scout thing together. They learn how to cook outdoors, set up tents, build and rebuild scout huts, patch canoes, and more. The town begins to see a change in these boys for the good (Spoiler alert, he does marry the lady from the bank).

The common thread throughout the movie, of course, is the phrase, “Follow Me Boys” which comes from the song the scouts sing as they march on their weekly; Saturday morning hikes (hikes that happen every Saturday for twenty-plus years). Lem has laid out for the boys what is expected for them to succeed as scouts and to succeed in life. As these boys step out and follow this man, wonderful things happen. Boys’ lives are transformed as are many others in the town. Hoodoo, the boy who had no sense of direction eventually became the governor of the state. Whitey, a boy who was seen as a bully and had a hard family life was taken in by Lem and his wife when his father died and he became a doctor. For twenty-plus years boys and others followed this man whom they loved and respected.

The lyrics to the movie theme song go like this:

Follow me boys, follow me.
When you think you’re really beat 
That’s the time to lift your feet,
And follow me boys, follow me.
Pick ’em up, put ’em down and follow me,
Pick ‘em up, put ‘em down pick ‘em up.
There’s a job to do,
There’s a fight to win,
Follow me boys, follow me.
And it won’t be time till we all pitch in,
Lift your chin with a grin and follow me.

Jesus never promised that life would be easy, but he is inviting us into something big and meaningful that will change your life forever. Follow me all, follow me. Pick em up and put em down and follow me.

Will You Join The Team?

We read in Matthew 4:18-22 this:

“As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishermen. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James, son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.”

I know it is only November, but I love March, the third month of the year. I’m sure you’re thinking that this Florida born person loves March because the weather is warmer, the sun is out longer, the azaleas are blooming. That is true, but the true reason I love this month is, it’s March Madness. Some of you may know what I’m talking about but just in case, March Madness is an entire month of college basketball where one NCAA Division 1 team is crowned the national champion. 68 teams will play over a few weeks and will be whittled down to 1. It is during this month that we witness the Cinderella teams, those who are the lower seed teams beat ones that are seeded higher. Each player on each team plays a role, has a function, finds their place so they work together for their goal, playing the best that they can and hopefully winning.

Jesus takes this same approach, assembling a team. He called persons who were not the upper echelon, ones who were considered outcasts, common persons to join him. None of them were worthy of being called but yet they were called, and they responded. They found their role, their function and they worked together to share all that Jesus had taught them. The team today is much larger than 12 people. You see God is calling all to be on the team. When we answer that call, we discover our role, our function in how we can share God’s word, love and how we can transform the world. We are on a winning team, God’s team. I encourage you if you have been sitting back and watching, listen God is calling you to the team. If you have answered that call, continue to listen as roles and functions can change according to the plans that God has for you at any given time. By the second week in April, a Division 1 basketball team will be crowned the national champion for 20243 and the pursuit for 2025 will begin. God’s pursuit to have all on God’s team never ends. The benefits of God’s team are greater than a National Championship. I invite you to answer God’s call to join the team.

Better Together

As I sit down to write this blog, Idalia made landfall at Keaton Beach, Florida at 7:01 a.m. (Central Time) as a Category 3 Hurricane. I’m sure many of you like me have been glued to the weather reports the last few days. We know what it is like to prepare, evacuate, ride it out and anticipate the landfall of a hurricane here in the Panhandle. Over the next few hours and days crews will assess power outages and work towards restoration, damage to homes, businesses and property will occur through insurance adjusters. Many relief agencies will descend upon hard hit areas providing food, water and shelter and comfort. It will be a while before some sense of normalcy returns to these areas.

It is during these times of disaster relief and recovery that I am proud to say that I am a United Methodist Christian. You may think that strange but one of the areas we as United Methodists are known for is our long-term disaster assistance and recovery. The United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR) is active around the world demonstrating the love of Jesus Christ in disaster situations as are other agencies. UMCOR is in it for the long haul. Long after other relief agencies have moved on, we still have boots on the ground as we help communities rebuild. UMCOR assisting with the wildfires in Maui, tornado relief in Oklahoma, landslides in California and Hurricane Idalia. UMCOR is actively working in our Alabama-West Florida Conference assisting with Case Management and the rebuilding of homes in Selma, Alabama from the November tornados.

Many organizations are asking for monetary assistance for disasters. Our UMC bishops will issue an appeal soon for monetary relief for Hurricane Idalia. The structure of UMCOR is set up so that 100% of funds for appeals is channeled to that disaster (no overhead comes out of donations to specific appeals). The unique nature of the connectional system of the United Methodist Church allows us, Navarre UMC, to do more together with other United Methodist Churches than we can do as a single church. Through funds and disaster relief teams we, Navarre UMC and the UMC at large become the hands and feet of Jesus Christ. We embrace our calling to share the love of Christ with all. We are BETTER TOGETHER.