Monthly Newsletter of First United Methodist Church

“Snappy”

Matthew 5:22-24: But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca (airhead),’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them;; then come and offer your gift. Jesus says that letting anger or pride get in the way of reconciliation makes you just as guilty someone who commits murder. Being reconciled to someone takes priority over everything else in your life, even worship! If you’re reading this, and just becoming aware of this passage then Jesus expects you to drop everything you’re about to do and to seek forgiveness from these people first. Yes, it’s that important to Christ! When I was in 6th grade I had a school science project that involved caring for a baby turtle for a few weeks. After we bought it I decided to name this turtle, Snappy. I didn’t name it that because it was a snapping turtle, but because turtles are slow and not “snappy.” I thought it was witty and ironic. Don’t worry, the other 6th graders didn’t get it either.

Continued on page 2...

Messenger July/August 2014

Snappy lived in a large glass jar filled with water and fake rocks. His jar rested on top of the storage freezer in our garage. I made sure to feed Snappy, but after I presented my project on turtles I quickly lost interest in him. I quit giving him food, and I quit putting water in his jar. As the days passed, the water level in his home kept getting lower and lower. Each day I would walk by Snappy on my way inside the house, but I was too preoccupied to care for him. My mother kept reminding me him feed him, but I had already moved on to more interesting things, like sports, girls, and, well…. more sports. In an effort to teach me about responsibility, my mother refused to give any water to Snappy. I didn’t learn the lesson soon enough though.

“Snappy” Continued …

Eventually, I started to notice that Snappy was digging deeper into the rocks to drink the water that was quickly evaporating. Each day he dug a little deeper. In retrospect, it must have been pretty hard for my parents to watch Snappy dig for water. Even for a 6th grader I can’t believe I was so heartless. But after a month, I noticed one day that he was no longer in his jar. I mean, he wasn’t actually in his jar! He was gone. I just assumed he went to that great big swamp in the sky, and my mother had disposed of his body. But I was too ashamed to ask my parents what actually happened, so we never talked about it. For years I carried a small tinge of guilt over Snappy’s death, until one day, as I was driving around the Great Dismal Swamp in North Carolina, I noticed an overgrown turtle that looked a lot like my old friend. I thought, “Could it be? Could Snappy really be alive? Did my mother release him into the wild before he died?” So when I got home I called the swamp and asked to speak with Snappy. I had to specify which one though (You would be surprised by how many turtles are actually named Snappy). When I said that he was Snappy “The Box Turtle” from Garner, the swamp operator said he had never heard of him. So I went back to the spot where I thought I saw him. I sat and watched for several hours, but I didn’t see Snappy, until he finally appeared from behind a tree. It was so wonderful to see him so grown and healthy. So I mustered up all my courage and humbly asked for his forgiveness: “I know it’s been several years and it probably doesn’t matter to you anymore, but I need to apologize. You were my friend, and I let you down in a major way. I hope you will forgive me….” I actually had a human friend like Snappy and maybe you do too. This is someone you may have wronged in your past. Or maybe someone in your life right now that you’ve wronged, but you’ve never had the courage to apologize. Because of our pride, we often ignore our wrong doings and expect time to ease the pain of our guilt. But time has never forgiven anyone. Jesus’ challenge to you is this: Don’t wait till it’s too late. Turtles don’t actually come back to life. Pastor Russ

Celebrations!! July Birthdays: 1st - Sherry Smith 2nd - Jean Herring 3rd - Isabelle Moore 7th - Cary Kornegay 11th - Jimmy Ball, Scottie Bryan, Freddie Ellis 12th - Jean Davis, Betty Wilkins 13th - Erin Davis 14th - Kathryn Sessoms 16th - Catharine Reinhardt 18th - Norma Carole McDonald 20th - Katelynn Morgan 21st - Eleanor Brubeck 23rd Lindsey Nanney 24th - Cindy Bell 25th - Byron Bryan 28th - Beth Culbreth 30th - Tony Winstead July Anniversary: 28th - Warren and Emily Lancaster August Birthdays: 1 Debbie Vickory 2 Jane Pfaffenberger 3 Jimmy Adams, Lula Smalley Michael Adam Livengood, 6 Sue Davis 10 Walker Lancaster 13 Brenda Davis 16 Kenneth Pickett 21 Erin Kelley 27 Ruby Kornegay 29 Alice Vickory August Anniversaries: 10 Kenneth and Diane Joyner 12 Jim and Marie Kelley

Weird Animals VBS was a blast! What a blessing to see this church filled with children and “child-like adults” at vacation bible school last week. Based upon the smiles and laughter, I would have to assume that everyone else was having as much fun as I was. Did you really observe the children? I thought about Jesus telling the disciples in Luke 18:16, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth;; anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” I’ve wondered what Jesus meant by that. Could He have been speaking of their carefree joy, childlike faith, humility, and passionate worship? We would do well to observe the children. They have a lot to teach us. Blessings, Marsha

Jack and Kay Crum Award for Prophetic

Ministry

First United Methodist Mount Olive was honored to receive the Jack and Kay Crum Award for prophetic ministry during the N.C. Methodist Annual Conference on Friday, June 13 in Greenville. Pictured to the right is David Francis receiving the award from Kay Crum. Also pictured are Ray McDonald, Rev. Russ Nanney and Jack Crum. With the award came a $3,100 grant that will be used to help spread the word of these dinners to other families in the community. Thank you so much to everyone who participates in creating these community dinners.

First United Methodist Church

120 East James Street

PO Box 420 Mount Olive, NC 28365

Church: (919) 658-3169 Fax: (919) 658-8691

www.fumcmtolive.com

Pastor Russell Nanney 919.412.2026 rnanney@nccumc.org