This is the Life
This is the Life
This year marked a significant milestone in my life - my 50th birthday as a Christian - and I can say without equivocation, I am a bona fide product of the Christian life. Yes, there is a Christian life, and it is not unlike every other life in its highs and lows, troubles and triumphs, failures and successes, laughter and tears, except in one very significant way. It is a life that has been informed by the work of the Holy Spirit in me and through each of you.
I was very fortunate to find Christ as a teenager, because it exposed me very early in life to people who understood my struggles and my new-found desire to please the One who gave His life to save me and promised He would stay with me to the “very end of the age.” You see, with Christ we receive a new family with the God-given mission (Matt 28:20) to teach us to obey everything Jesus taught them and to walk in the footsteps He still leaves on the pathways of our lives.
It will always be a mystery to me why God has has chosen to pour His precious Spirit into flawed, cracked, and empty vessels like us, but He does. First, “He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness” (Philippians 2:7). He set aside His own divine privilege, so He could walk in our shoes and be tempted and suffer as we do, even unto death. Then when He had gone, He sent the Holy Spirit to us, so we could do as He did – immerse ourselves in our culture, being fully in it, but not of it – bringing with us the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6). His presence is the key to the life of the church. It is in and through the church that Christ encounters, calls, transforms, equips, and sends His people into the world. He has called the church to (1) introduce salvation to those who don’t know him, and (2) to nurture the faith and edify the life of believers.
Last week, I began this three-part series by pointing you to the banners hanging on the eastern outside wall of our sanctuary. There are three of them and they read, “Light,” Life,” and “Love.” I explained that those banners describe the three elements of the NUMC church vision –
“To be the Light, Life, and Love of Jesus Christ.”
A vision is simply a statement of WHAT we are working to BE. It offers a view of what we wish to become and what we hope to be known for in the community. As I said last week, It is a leadership responsibility to articulate and cast a vision for the church, and it is our individual responsibility as members to interpret that vision in the light of what God is calling each of us to do to make it a reality. That can be a little challenging. What does it look like for a church to be the light, life, and love of Jesus Christ? It takes a lot of prayer, a lot of preaching, a lot of Bible study, a lot of service, and a lot of good discipleship to help us understand what the vision means to each of us and how it can inspire and energize our work.
I am doing this series in the hope that sharing my personal understanding might make that challenge less daunting for some. Last week, I began the series with the first element of our vision – Light. Today, I will continue with the second element - Life.
Here’s a heavy thought for you. Whether you totally get it or not, YOU and I are instruments for delivering His love and grace to the world, and that is our primary purpose. Whatever else we choose to do with the time we have here, there is no more pressing responsibility placed on our lives. When I open my daily calendar in the morning, the top priority on my to-do list better say, “be the hands and feet of Jesus in my world today.” I must do whatever it takes to remember I don’t just represent Jesus to this world. I bring Him. The “why” is simple - Jesus filled the church (that’s us) with His Spirit and put us here so He could be here.
So, here we are. What now? In last week’s blog, The Light of the World, I said that discipleship always begins with a rescue mission. The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20) gives us three clear tasks. The first is to go into world to make new disciples. We are to introduce the world to the saving grace of Jesus Christ and rescue them from the consequences of separation from God. Our second job is to baptize these new believers into the faith and family of God. The third task is to assume the life-long responsibility of teaching one another to obey His commands and to live the Christian life.
To put this process in life-cycle terms – the first two tasks are about birth or rebirth (we often refer to people in this stage as being born-again, as Jesus told Nicodemus in John 3:3-5). To me, this last task is about growing in that new birth. In fact, if I were sum up this last task in one word, it would be Growth.
So, the church that is Life will bring Growth. It will give the community a life-enriching alternative to the many competing systems that take far more from us than they will ever give. The church that is Life will build a place where learning and teaching is a priority and service is seen not just as a way of helping others, but as an opportunity to strengthen life-giving relationships. It will promote the Christian life, bringing people increasingly closer to their Creator as they age and offering a solid foundation and framework for overcoming the challenges common to us all, as well as the sins that beset us as individuals.
The church that is Life will provide a setting of openness and welcome; a place for dialogue, asking questions about life, sharing fears and concerns, and finding reasons for hope. It will allow believers to strategize together on how to engage the world in a better way to affirm all people, advocate for all people, and spread God’s message of love, acceptance, forgiveness and peace.
The church that is Life will facilitate a process of life-long growth that starts when we come to faith and does not stop until we go home to Jesus. I see the desire to be just such a church at NUMC, and I want to be certain I am doing everything I am called to do to help us realize this vision. As I regularly evaluate my readiness to support our vision, I find there are several areas where I am in continuing need of growth. They include:
• Teaching and studying the Word of God. The Bible establishes the foundation of everything we know about Jesus and His plan for humanity. Every one of the sixty-six books points the reader to Him in some way. How much do I need to know to teach His Word? Just a little more than the plethora of potential students in my life. I should also always study with the intention of teaching what I learn to someone else.
• Living as a witness to the peace and hope of the Christian life. I need to remember people are watching our lives closely. They know the genuine article when they see it. They also know the hypocrites when they see them. People sometimes ask why I wear the NUMC polo shirt almost everywhere I go. I assure you, it’s not because I’m a slave to fashion. To be candid, I wear it because the logo helps me remember whose I am in those many circumstances each day when I am prone to become frustrated and not so Christ-like. When I do fall short in my witness, I don’t want that to be last thing people see in me. I also want them to see that my failure is always followed by contrition and a desire for forgiveness.
• Teaching and coaching the next generation of the church. We are so blessed to have a church rich with seniors, who have significant experience living the Christian life. Sadly, I now find myself among them! What I love most about our seniors is their willingness to contribute the wisdom of their experience with the next (and next after that) generation. I want to be better at doing that the way they do – not through criticism or judgement, but by working side-by-side our younger people on every project we undertake.
• Offering and accepting loving accountability. I need to develop more relationships that are close enough survive the “rebuke of a brother.” We ALL need correction from time-to-time. Our zeal for Christ alone is enough to drive many of us over the line into behavior that hurts people or misrepresents Christ’s love for people. We will all sin and none of us should be willing to casually ignore or tolerate sin in someone we love – not just because it is repugnant to us, but more because of the damage it does to them. Christ has proven over and over the safest and most effective place for a loving rebuke is inside a healthy and trusting relationship.
• Engaging everyone in ministry and nurturing the growth of our future leaders. There should be no one sitting on the sidelines. I sat in amazement one morning about a year ago as I witnessed a man walk up to one of our previous staff members and say, “Is there anything I can do to help out today?” only to be told, “No, we’re good. We’ve got it covered.” I had to jump in and offer the man some work. Do I really have to say this in church – never turn down help! I want to always have something on my list that someone else can do. In fact this should probably be a list I publish somewhere! Service is at the very heart of discipleship. This is where we learn the most, grow the most, and love the most. Our young people are most eager to take up a cause and do some good. I want to give them all the opportunities they can handle, and one goal for me is to actively encourage more young people to consider careers in full-time ministry and missional service.
Whether it acknowledges it or not, our community is in a daily search for a spiritual mentor. Even with the current culture trying to convince us that the answers to our problems lie deep within ourselves, we instinctively know that’s not true. The church that is Life will be the spiritual mentor for a community that needs to know the Christian Life.
Jamel and I wrote a song about this Christian life. It’s called, “This is the Life.” My favorite verse is the one that describes how the Christian life lived on this earth changes our whole perspective on eternity. It goes like this:
Your mercies are fresh with every rising of the sun;
All things are new – another chapter has begun;
In a story that takes us to glory with Jesus as our Friend;
And happily-ever-after cause this story has no end.
Followed by the chorus:
This is the life you promised we would know.
This is the life of the redeemed;
You are the Way. You are the Truth.
And Jesus – this, this is the life.
I have lived it for fifty years. It is the only life I want to live. L’chaim!!
Grace and Peace, my friends.
Light of the World
"Mayday, mayday, mayday. This is the Alaska Ranger. 5, 3, 5, 3 North, 1, 6, 9, 5, 8 West... We are flooding, taking on water in our rudder room."
It was 2:52 am on March 23, Easter morning, when Coast Guard Station Kodiak picked up the distress call from a point almost 800 miles west, in Alaska's frigid Bering Sea.
"Roger. Good copy on position... Request to know number onboard, over."
After a static-filled pause, the answer came through loud and clear: "Number of persons: 47."
Capt. Peter Jacobsen was in the crowded wheelhouse of the 189-ft. fishing vessel. When the trawler's emergency alarm had first sounded about an hour before, crew members descended below decks to see water rising fast in the ship's stern compartments. They had pulled out a pump, but the effort soon looked futile. Now Jacobsen, 65, a veteran captain who had been fishing in the Bering Sea for 23 years, was making calls to his ship's sister vessels, repeating the coordinates of the Ranger's position 120 miles west of the Aleutian Island port of Dutch Harbor.
Two hundred and thirty miles to the north, pilot Steve Bonn was in the middle of a late-night Xbox duel when the phone rang in the Coast Guard's tiny outpost on St. Paul Island. Bonn, 39, had served as an Army Blackhawk pilot before joining the Coast Guard eight years ago. He was now four days into a two-week shift at the isolated base, where squads of rescuers stand by for emergencies involving the nation's largest—and most danger-plagued—fishing fleet. Bonn rushed to the barracks to wake his crew. Within minutes, they had loaded into SUVs, sped through 3-ft. snow drifts to the hangar and were fueling up a 14,500-pound HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter.
Craig Lloyd, 46, captain of the Coast Guard cutter Munro, was on patrol near the ice edge south of the barren Pribilof Islands when the mayday call came through. He ordered engineers to switch the 378-ft. cutter from its standard diesel engines to Pratt & Whitney FT4A engines, similar to the ones that power Boeing 707s. Several of the 160 crew members onboard were jarred awake in their bunks as the 18,000-hp turbines kicked in, and the Munro began to sprint toward the sinking ship at a speed of nearly 30 knots, or 35 mph.
David Hull struggled to pull a bright-red survival suit over the sweats he had been sleeping in minutes before. The thick, neoprene "Gumby" suit, which looks a little like a child's footed pajamas, has a zipper up the front that is supposed to form a tight seal at the neck to keep the body dry. But as Hull stepped into the flopping legs of the oversize suit, he felt his thermal socks soak through. Inside, there was already standing water.
Hull had been asleep on his "rack" in the bunk room that he shared with three fellow fishermen when another crew member opened the door: "Get your suits on. We're flooding." Like the rest of the crew, Hull had reported to a muster station near his designated life raft on the ship's deck. Now the anxious men were cycling through 5-minute warmup shifts in the wheelhouse, where they could barely recognize each other in the bulky, hooded suits.
Outside, the deck was slick with ice, and waves were beginning to crest over the stern. The temperature was only 12 F. As Hull leaned against the front window of the wheelhouse, awaiting his turn, the Alaska Ranger went dark. Oddly, it seemed to shift into reverse. Then the trawler took a sudden, violent list to starboard. Hull lunged for an icy rail and held tight as crew members clinging to the rail below him gazed up in horror. "Don't let go, don't let go," he heard someone yell. If he lost his grip, Hull would hurtle down the deck like a bowling ball, knocking the men into the sea.
Amid the chaos, the captain issued the order: Abandon ship. The men struggled to launch the ice-crusted life rafts. They had been told that they would lower ladders to board the rafts in an emergency. But because the Ranger was moving astern, the rafts shot toward the bow instead of floating in place near the side of the vessel. Hull watched them drift away. Then he jumped. He swam for the closest raft, hauled himself in, then peered out of the tented shelter. All around, the lights attached to his friends' survival suits were spreading out in the 32 F water, blinking in and out of view as the men bobbed up and down in the 20-ft. swells.
One of those lights belonged to Ryan Shuck, a soft-spoken 31-year-old from Spokane, Wash., who had joined the crew of the Alaska Ranger 10 months earlier. Shuck had been one of the first to jump. He'd leaped from the middle of the ship—and was quickly sucked under and beyond his raft. Now he was farther downwind than anyone else. Gazing back in the trawler's direction, he could see the tiny, solitary beacons flickering among the waves and, by the light of the moon, the outline of the vessel bulging out from the ocean. Shuck watched as the bow of the Alaska Ranger turned up toward the sky. Eerily, the lights in the wheelhouse flickered on for a brief moment. And then, in a matter of seconds, the ship disappeared, sinking swiftly below the waves.
Not a movie, not just a story. Before dawn on March 23, 2008, the Alaska Ranger sank in America's deadliest waters. As 47 souls fought for survival, the US Coast Guard launched one of the most daring and dramatic rescues in history, saving all but five of them. If you want to read the whole story, pick up a copy of Kalee Thompson's book, Deadliest Sea: The Untold Story Behind the Greatest Rescue in Coast Guard History. The excerpt above is from an article she published in Popular Mechanics Magazine, June 30th, 2008.
I am a huge fan of the US Coast Guard. I served in the US Air Force for 12 years, and I am not ashamed to say the Coast Guard is my favorite of the US armed services. In my previous career, I held several contracts with the Coast Guard and became very familiar with the work they do both here at home and around the world. I know at least one of our church members, Rick Koch, is a Coastie and, if you know him, you know he represents very well the characteristic selflessness and bravery that flows freely in the veins of all his service brethren.
Because of my business relationship with the Coast Guard, I believe I have been made more acutely aware than the average American of stories like these. I have watched press conferences where rescued survivors described through tears the trials of despair they endured in the darkest of nights, the fears that welled over them like the waves that held them hostage; and the unspeakable joy of spotting that first tiny flicker of light on the horizon. The stories I heard may all have varied in detail, but one constant ran through them all. The grateful survivors always thanked the Coast Guard, but it was the Seamen who pulled them from the deep they all hugged and kissed. How could they not? When you think even for a moment of the risks these heroes take, the safety and security they gladly lay down, and all they sacrifice to save just one of us, all that’s left to feel is utter gratitude – for the rescuers and for the ones who sent them.
I think if the Apostle Paul had been called to start a service-related branch of government, he would have founded the US Coast Guard. I say that because of what I read in 1 Corinthians chapter 9 where Paul describes his determination to set aside his own rights, his own comforts, and his own glory for the benefit of others and reveals his strategy for making disciples for Christ in verse 22, “…I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some.”
You may have noticed the banners hanging on the eastern outside wall of our sanctuary. There are three of them and they read, “Light,” Life,” and “Love.” What you may not know is that those banners describe the three elements of the NUMC church vision –
“To be the Light, Life, and Love of Jesus Christ.’
A vision is simply a statement of WHAT we are working to BE. It offers a view of what we wish to become and what we hope to be known for in the community. It is a leadership responsibility to articulate and cast a vision for the church, and it is our individual responsibility as members to interpret that vision in the light of what God is calling us to do to make it a reality. That can be a little challenging. It takes a lot prayer, a lot of preaching, a lot of Bible study, a lot of service, and a lot of good discipleship to help us understand what the vision means to each of us and our work here – and once complete, all that must be done again, and again, and again, as we grow in our knowledge of and our service to the Lord.
It is a routine part of my walk to measure my calling with respect to our church vision, and I thought it might make that challenge less daunting for some if I shared my current approach and interpretation. I will do this in three installments of this blog from today through October, covering all three elements of our Vision statement. Today, I will start with the first element, Light.
For me, the church that is Light will bring Illumination. Where the Coast Guard mission depends on bringing physical light, the church’s light must illuminate much more than just our physical surroundings. It must shine into places we cannot see with our eyes. There is an effort in keeping that light as bright and as focused as possible, and I think my experience with the Coast Guard can offer some ideas that will make that effort more effective. Maybe I can follow their example and:
Do my homework. Whether I like to look at the world in its present condition or not, I must make the effort to understand the real problems and needs of my community. I need to understand more about the people that need God’s help and the environments into which He is calling me. I should know my neighbors, read the paper, stop avoiding social media, and get to work with others in my small groups to regularly engage with the community in some way. It is important to learn about my world and get to know the people in it.
Be prepared. A committed disciple will never stop growing and learning in Christ. I can keep my spiritual and physical muscles strong. Read that Bible, listen to that sermon, and be in church when the doors are open. Join a small group and combine all of the spiritual gifts in that group to build unstoppable teams. Train for those rescues that will occur and stay sober of mind and spirit.
Be in constant search for the hurt and lost. Stay tuned-in to hear the cries for help and to recognize the signs of danger. Use technology as a force multiplier and ask daily for discernment from the Holy Spirit to lead me to people and their needs. Remove those concerns in my own life that serve only to block my reception of the faintest of distress signals.
Run toward the suffering and unchurched offering help, encouragement, and the peace of the Gospel. Don’t just try to draw people to the church. The first action verb of our mission in Matthew 28:18-20 is “go” – so go out and get them. Yes, I abhor what social media has become, but that’s where the people are. So suck it up and get back out there. Find places on line and in town to get involved with unchurched people and take the love and grace of Christ with me. Be ready to drop what I am doing, anytime day or night, to answer the bell.
Remember the light I carry is to be shone on others, not on myself. Like Paul, set aside interest in my own comfort, safety, security – even be prepared to give my life – so others can be rescued, and as he demonstrated, “be all things to all people, so I might save some.”
Two verses later, in verse 24, Paul inspires us to press on with these words:
Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
I do not claim to know what that prize will be, but for me, I hope it will be walking through the gates of Heaven to find a long line of rescued souls waiting anxiously to throw their arms around my neck and to say “Thank you! – to me and to the One who sent me.
One of my very favorite songs is Lauren Daigle’s, “Rescue.” Perhaps, we can get Jamel to let Hailey Neely sing this song one Sunday. This is the last chorus of that song:
I will send out an army;
To find you in the middle of the darkest night, it’s true;
I will rescue you.
I will never stop marching;
To reach you in the middle of the hardest fight, It’s true;
I will rescue you.
Below is a link to this song for those who have not heard it.
That army she sings about…that’s us. As we carry out our mission to make disciples, we can never forget that every act of discipleship always begins with a rescue mission. As the Light of Jesus Christ, our church will be the spiritual first responder for our community, and – as we know from our own experience - that light we bring with us is the only one that can pierce those darks nights of the soul.
Grace and Peace, my friends.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6xJxeaHODo
My Tribute to the Leader of the Band
Reflecting over the years, I can look back and see where the Lord blessed me by placing individuals in my path who greatly impacted my life. These individuals came into my life at pivotal times and helped instill traits like a strong work ethic and the importance of integrity and accountability. They provided me opportunities where I was blessed to form life-long friendships and bonds that made me a better person than I could ever have been alone. God used these individuals to help mold and shape me into who I am. One of these was my high school band director, Ernest O. Hebson, Jr.
This past week, I learned Mr. Hebson, age 84, joined the Lord's Heavenly ensemble. He was the founding director of the Fort Walton Beach High School "Pride of the Miracle Strip" Viking Band. He invested 30 years (1969-1999) and touched thousands of young lives, building a program rooted in tradition through the motto, "Excellence Without Exception." I was blessed to be one of those lives touched and changed when my family moved to Fort Walton for the final two years of my high school education in the summer of 1977.
Mr. Hebson's legendary leadership taught by example several life principles that went well beyond music and impacted many lives, mine included. One principle was the importance of being a part of something bigger than self. Only someone of Mr. Hebson's caliber could consistently take a group of teenagers with a wide range of abilities, motivations, and talents and mold them into a high-performing machine. His ability to do this gave us opportunities to perform in prominent events like the Rose and Orange Bowl Parades, the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, and Ronald Reagan's Inaugural Parade, to name a few - events that only a very few high school bands would ever have the privilege of participating in.
The last thing any Viking Band member wanted to do was to let their section or our band leader down, which led to another lifelong Hebson principle: the power of high expectations combined with support and the push for continuous improvement. It didn't matter if you were a naturally gifted musician or an average player, Mr. Hebson fostered a desire to take what was already "good" and make it even better. How often did we hear him say, "One more time"? More times than any of us could count!!!
I can't help but think of some of the lyrics of Dan Fogelberg's beautiful song, Leader of the Band:
"But his blood runs through my instrument
And his song is in my soul
My life has been a poor attempt
To imitate the man
I'm just a living legacy
To the leader of the band
I am a living legacy to the leader of the band."
I join many in offering my heartfelt condolences to Mrs. Hebson, Trey, Reed, and their families. I hope you will feel a sense of the admiration, love, and gratitude so many of us have for this remarkable soul - Our Leader of the Band.
Robert Trigg
Class of 1979
Regrets
I tend to look back at my actions a lot since I have given myself to God. Things I've said and things I've done. "Why did I say that? Why did I do that?" The two most asked questions when you are dealing with regret. So, if I have never given myself to God, would I still think that way? Only he can answer that. I do know this, if I had to do it all over again is there anything I would change? Absolutely not. It was a life challenge that was given to me and I made some wrong and bad decisions. Look where it got me. I'm not in jail, I'm not a drug addict or an alcoholic. I work for the Lord. I have a beautiful family who are very healthy and happy for what the great Lord has blessed them with. Some would ask, now how does that happen? Well, I gave myself to the Lord. I confessed all my sins to him and now all is forgiven. Yes, God does forgive you, but if you think he's gonna snap his fingers and everything is gonna be awesome again, then you are wrong. I can say this though, confess to the Lord and you will feel better about yourself. That weight you've been carrying will finally hit the ground and break. That is a good way to start.
Remember that it is a new beginning for you and it's time to rebuild your foundation in life.
I've been in construction for over 30 years and you know what? I STILL MAKE MISTAKES!
It happens to everyone. Learn to address them and correct them. The Holy Spirit has got your back and he/she will help you. Just remember, you have to believe. Know that there are demons you will need to battle and you will prevail if you believe and ask for help.
So, back to my regrets. Those are my demons. I've been knocking them down one by one. When I think of my past doings, I often think of the negative. What's even crazier is I think that that's all God looks at. No he doesn't. I have a huge heart. He knows I've done more good than I have bad. He knows that right now I am thinking of something negative I've done , but yet I am thinking of all the good too.
So when you start thinking about your regrets, give yourself the strength to focus on the positive things you've done. Remember that we all deal with demons and the last thing they ever want is for you to be positive. By being positive towards yourself and other people is a huge blow to them demons. That little saying, treat others how you want to be treated. Well, treat yourself how you want to be treated. Think positive, love others, show compassion and stop dwelling on the past. God has got something big for you! That should be exciting! Note to self.
God bless you all!
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.