Calling Big Jake
It may not be popular or politically correct in these posthumously judgmental and unforgiving times, but I am a big John Wayne fan. I guess it would be more accurate for me to say I am a big fan of the characters he played. Rooster Cogburn, Cole Thornton, Major Daniel Xavier Kirby, Col Davy Crockett, Wil Anderson, Col Mike Kirby, John Bernard Books, John Elder and more than one hundred and fifty others. The reason is not difficult to understand. As they did for so many other boys of my era, these characters had a great deal to do with teaching me what a man should be - tough on his enemies, loyal to his friends, a gentleman with women, and deeply committed to those he loves. We learned that men should always act with courage and honor, never shoot anyone in the back, and always be tough but fair, whatever the cost. To this day, I still have occasion to ponder how a John Wayne character might handle a situation in which I find myself. No - my WWJD bracelet is not about the “Duke,” but there are days when it could be.
It is difficult for me to choose one favorite John Wayne character, but clearly in the running is the man he played in the movie, Big Jake, Mr. Jacob McCandles. Released in 1971, Big Jake is not considered one of Wayne’s classics, but it has been a favorite of fans for more than fifty years. The Rotten Tomatoes summary of this movie goes like this:
“The avenging head of the McCandles clan returns to his estranged family and leads the search for his kidnapped grandson. Big Jake sets off, his sons in tow, to deliver the ransom to the kidnappers, but has little intention of handing it over without a fight.
It is a splendid movie with a great character, but that is not why I bring it up here. The real reason is a running dialog imbedded in the movie I could not get out of my mind during Annual Conference last week. You see, a major premise of the story is that Jacob "Big Jake" McCandles is generally thought to be dead, but he is really wandering the west as a gunfighter. So, there are several scenes where his character is told: “I thought you were dead,” to which McCandles responds in the negative, declaring: “Not hardly.”
It offers some light comedy relief for the movie, yes, but what in the world does it have to do with Annual Conference? Well, sometime during the conference, I read an on-line article that said the United Methodist Church was dead. Finding myself in one of those WWJD situations, I thought about the falsehood people were sharing with Jake McCandles and instinctively answered, “Not hardly!”
Our denomination is under attack by the enemy, and everybody knows it. When I tell someone I am Methodist, their eyes close, head bobs up and down and they say something like, “Oh, too bad what’s going on there.” They are right, but it is not as bleak as the tales on the grapevine would lead one to believe.
It’s true the last few conferences have been dominated by the dreaded “D” word – disaffiliation. For many churches, this issue has diverted attention away from Christ’s mission for the church and crippled ministry across the Annual Conference, but not everywhere, and certainly not here. While the media was on the outside portraying us all as going for one another’s jugulars, inside our Conference last week I witnessed God’s people disagreeing with civility, love, and grace in keeping with the spirit of Ephesians 4:31 – 5:2, which says:
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
And now, a new “D” word is taking hold in our Conference – discipleship! Here are a couple of examples.
We learned last month that AWF Conference has launched a new Ministry Strategy Team and appointed our District Superintendent, Jean Tippet, as its Director. Rev. Tippet’s team of “ministry cultivators” will lead our conference in planting new faith communities, as well as coaching our existing churches to reach new people in new ways. There are already eleven new ministry startups in progress, two of which are being spearheaded by former NUMC ministers. Check out https://www.awfumc.org/newsdetail/new-beginnings-two-churches-launch-to-serve-communities-offer-hope-17274744
I also ran into a former NUMC Associate Pastor at the conference. She is currently serving a church in the Florida Conference that chose not to disaffiliate despite the urging of its leadership. When disaffiliation failed there, the pastor and some of the leaders started a new church in the same town and took some of the old congregation with them. Today, these two churches are cooperating – working together to serve the needs of their community, while maintaining personal relationships and ministry connections – and both churches are growing! What the enemy meant for harm; God will use for good (see Gen 50:20).
The media does not understand. The United Methodist Church will not be going away. Out of death comes new life. That is at the heart of every Christian’s story, and I believe it will also be at the center of the UMC story. So, take those stories that say, “those Methodists are destroying themselves” or “that whole denomination is imploding” or “the UMC is dead,” with a grain of salt. I can confidently say, “Not hardly!”
Grace and Peace
Marriage
A week ago, Katie and I celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary - which was the fastest 10 years of my life. (I promise Katie likes that joke, at least I think). That first year is like a roller coaster of highs and lows, things you say and do right and things you say and do incredibly wrong. You learn so much more about someone when they are with you every day, sharing life's highs and lows, crying and laughing.
I'm reminded about the closeness - or lack thereof - with our relationship with Christ. This is another relationship needs to be nourished daily; with as much commitment as we can muster. In Ephesians, Paul instructs us to submit to one another and love each other sacrificially (Ephesians 5:21-33).
As followers of Christ, we are privileged to witness and experience this divine love in the context of our relationship with Him. Our relationship with God involves a spiritual union, where we become one with Him through faith. Just as a husband and wife commit themselves to each other, God's love for us is steadfast and unwavering. He never breaks His promises and remains faithfully devoted to us.
The main component to that of a godly marriage is sacrificial love. The Bible instructs husbands to love their wives just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her. Jesus, the perfect example of sacrificial love, laid down His life for us on the cross. This selfless act demonstrates the depth of God's love, as He willingly paid the price for our redemption.
Similarly, in marriage, sacrificial love requires setting aside personal desires and priorities for the well-being of one's spouse. It involves placing their needs above our own, making sacrifices, and seeking their good. This mirrors God's love for us, as He consistently puts our needs above His own. His unconditional love compels Him to shower us with grace, forgiveness, and blessings.
Furthermore, marriage is a journey of growing in intimacy. As a husband and wife spend time together, communicate, and share their lives, their connection deepens. Similarly, God invites us into a relationship of intimacy with Him. He desires us to know Him intimately, to seek His presence through prayer, study of His Word, and worship. As we draw closer to God, we experience His profound love and find fulfillment in His presence.
Just as a marriage requires trust, God invites us to trust Him completely. Marriage partners place their trust in each other, relying on their promises and faithfulness. In our walk with God, we must trust that His plans for us are good, even when circumstances are challenging. We can find peace in knowing that His love for us is unchanging, and He will guide us through every season of life.
You Are Enough
On July 29th,1969 Neil Armstrong climbed down a ladder and said “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. They were the first words spoken on the moon surface, and as iconic as that moment has become, it was very close to being extremely different.
When John F Kennedy gave his famous speech saying we would get to the moon before the end of the decade, nobody knew how to get to the moon. In fact, we weren’t even entirely sure where the moon was. We also didn’t know if when we landed on the moon the space craft would sink down through several feet of moon dust. One thing was discovered fairly early though, for every pound of material launched into space, you would need an extra three pounds of rocket fuel to get it there.
It's for that reason that the astronauts almost climbed down a rope onto the moon’s surface. A rope weighs next to nothing. In the 1/6th gravity of the moon it’s not as much of an exercise as it is on Earth. Also there is next to no chance of a rope failing under the conditions. As hilarious as this sounds, it makes a lot of sense. Ultimately it was scratched because it would look ridiculous to have a multi billion dollar space program with the most advanced technology culminate it a simple rope. Well, that and there were concerns about the astronauts getting back up if one of them was injured or if there was another emergency. In the end, the ladder was a good choice. It’s still simple, and made out of the right material it’s not super heavy either. But I still like to think about Neil swinging onto the moons surface instead.
When it comes to church, sometimes we throw away the simple ideas because, like the rope, we think they are just ridiculous. But it’s often those simple ideas that really have the most impact. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen people come up with elaborate ideas for how to get people involved in small groups or to get them to volunteer for a project, or even to get them to come to church. The truth is, the most effective way is also the simplest way. You invite them. That’s right, it’s a simple invitation. The kind where you walk up to someone and just say, “Hey, I’m heading up to the church right now to decorate for VBS, you should come with me.” You are the best solution for church growth. You have all the tools you need to bring people to Jesus. Forget all the gimmicks, you are enough because God has made you enough.
When You Hear The Words
When you hear the words VBS, you may think about rooms full of screaming kids, glitter, crazy contests, and wild theme songs (none of which is inaccurate.) But if you give me a moment of your time, I'd love to reframe vacation bible school for you. Just in case you've missed the eNews updates, the Facebook updates, the in-church announcements, and the giant "CandyLand" decorated cart in the church lobby, our very own VBS is around the corner! In fact, by the time this blog post hits, it will only be 31 short days away. Many of you have signed up to donate items, and some of you have signed up to volunteer the week of June 19th through 23rd- and for that, I am so grateful.
This year, our list of kids filled up in record time. There was a big need within our church, and our community, for a safe and fun place for kids to go this summer. Kids have invited their family, friends, and even neighbors to join them this year. While some of these kids already come to NUMC, and others go to different churches in our area, there will be kids coming that do not know Jesus. We get the incredible opportunity to capture their attention for a few short hours and give them life-changing, and life-giving information. We get to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Our entire theme for VBS this year is "knowing Jesus changes the game." Right in the middle of all the fun, chaos, and noise will be Jesus, (who is a big fan of kids by the way). This wide array of attendees will come together- different ages, different backgrounds, and different denominations, all united as the body of Christ. It's going to be beautiful, and I absolutely cannot wait.
Now, an event of this size and magnitude does not materialize on its own. It takes the love and time of our faithful volunteer base. VBS takes people showing up to help for it to be successful. This truly is a Kingdom event, and a Kingdom effort. My heart was touched to see volunteers signing up from other churches to help our VBS. Even pastors from other churches in the community! They see the "why" and the eternal significance of the work we will be doing that week. It truly is a capital "C" Church event. And although it is a blessing to have others from the community partnering and helping, we need more help from right within our own church body. This is an opportunity to truly show up and make a difference in the life of a child. If even one kid comes to know Jesus that week- every hour of planning, prepping, organizing, scheduling, setting up, decorating, training, money spent, and time spent pleading for volunteers is worth it to me. All of it.
So here it is...the big ask. Our VBS is June 19th through 23rd from 9 AM to Noon. Our biggest need right now is for adult small-group leaders. You do not have to be a teacher or a Biblical scholar to do this. You just need to love Jesus and be willing to have fun with some kids that week. We will do the Bible story teaching for you, and we will help and equip you to wrap up the lesson with some applicable ways to talk to the kids about it. It's not hard or scary- I promise! We also could use some security and people to grill on Friday for the big family lunch on the final day. I know getting off of work all week is not always an option, so if there is a day or two that you can work, that would still be very appreciated! For the protection of all the kids, we do have safety measures we take for everyone working with children. There is a VBS training meeting to get everyone's safe sanctuary certified/renewed and background checked after church on May 21st at 12:15 PM or June 8th at 6 PM (food is provided!). If you want to join the volunteer team this year, please email me at christineg@navarreumc.org.
Last, I would like to ask every one of you to commit to praying for the kids and volunteers that will be joining us that week. Kids are going to have fun, relationships will be built, and the Gospel is going to be the heart of all we do. Pray for ears to hear, and hearts to receive what the Lord has for all of us that week. I am counting down the days!
Rest for the Weary
We go through so many seasons in life and so many ups and downs. Life throws us curveballs and we encounter twists and turns that are unexpected. Ok, I’m done with the figurative speech. But it’s true! Life is hard. People respond to these seasons in different ways depending on a variety of factors: genetic makeup, life experiences, trauma, mental health struggles... All of these are contributing factors that make up who we are and how we respond to our circumstances.
For me, there are times when I get so overwhelmed with everything going on that I tend to shut down. Zone out. Withdraw. Do you know anyone like that? What used to be an incredibly active, funny, outgoing person is suddenly gone and you’re scratching your head about what happened. I know a lot of students from my time as a teacher and now as a youth pastor that enter these episodes. In fact, we are seeing very concerning numbers when it comes to mental health among youth. The pandemic certainly didn’t help this trend either. More than 200,000 children lost a parent or primary caregiver to COVID-19; what I believe isn’t talked about enough is the fact that every family that lost a loved one were denied traditional mourning and goodbye rituals because of pandemic protocols like social distancing and public health policies.1 The 2023 State of Mental Health in America Report points out even more concerns. Over 50 million Americans are experiencing a mental illness. Over 1 in 10 youth are experiencing depression so bad that it is severely impairing their ability to function in school or work, home, with family, or their social life. Unfortunately, 28% of Americans with a mental illness are unable to receive treatment they need and 42% can not afford treatment. Almost 60% of youth with major depression do not receive ANY mental health treatment. Finally, in the US there is ONE mental health worker for every 350 individuals that need treatment.2
The kids are not alright.
What is contributing to this? One of the main reasons is loneliness.3 Which is an incredible discovery considering how “connected” we are supposed to be with today’s technology and social media. Despite all the tools in the world that are supposed to connect us, there is no substitute for authentic, personal relationships.
We have got to be mindful of this problem in our communities because guess what? The church itself can offer solutions to this problem! Connectedness, purpose, growth, encouragement. These are all elements that happen when we are at our best and do so with a spirit of grace and love. Jesus modeled this for us in the gospel of John:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (John 11:28-30)
I’m not sure how to solve this mental health crisis, but I do know this: we have a lot to offer this world when we gather and represent the body of Christ – the one who offers rest for our souls. When we begin to focus on things that mattered to Jesus the most, we will begin to see transformation in the lives of people that may have never thought they could find peace and rest for their souls.
May we gather, love, and represent our Lord with all grace and peace.