Monday Musings of Pastor Ron - August 24, 2026

Friends,

I was sitting in the Church office this morning looking out the window across the field toward Pine Forest Country Club. I enjoy looking at the beauty of a golf course: manicured fairways, rolling greens surrounded by sand bunkers, trees lining the course. However, what really caught my eye was a chameleon on the window of my office. I watched as it turned green, then turned a shade of brown as it moved from the rose bush to the brick.

You know, as a society we have become very chameleon like. We just want to blend in. We avoid standing out. We are conflict averse. We just want to do our thing and not cause any issue or stir up any trouble. Just blend into the crowd. The problem with that is two-fold. First, not expressing our views, Going along with the crowd can lead to mob mentality. It can lead to acceptance of whatever seems to be the norm. Acceptance of whatever everyone else seems to be accepting even if we don't really agree with it.

More importantly the problem created is not following the example or the teachings of Jesus. We talked about this on Sunday. Jesus calls us to act upon his example. And his example is simply not one of blending into the crowd. Jesus may have told his disciples not to tell anyone he was the Messiah (Matthew 16:20); he may have told those he healed not to say anything (Mark 1:43-44); he may have vanished after healing the lame man (John 5:12-13) but he was never afraid to step into the middle of anything to make a point about his Father, or the kingdom, or life, or anything else.

We aren't supposed to blend it. We are supposed to stand out. Not in some obnoxious way, not in some pompous way, not some "holier than thou way", but in an honest, open, grace filled, loving and caring way. We are supposed to follow the example of Jesus. Caring for the sick and the lame, welcoming the sinners (by the way that is all of us), feeding the hungry. We are called to share the Gospel with our actions. How we live our lives. If the way to share the Gospel is through how we live, then we certainly can't live blending in with the world. No one is going to see that.

Be bold. Step out of the crowd. Show the world it is loved even when it doesn't seem very lovable. Let someone know you care. Don't blend into the crowd. Proudly clothe yourself in Christ. Stand up. Stand out. Actions speak louder than words.

God bless you. See you Sunday