With No Convenient Segue

March 11, 2026

Leadership Notes

     First things first. Yesterday {Monday, March 9} we turned our furnace off. We also slept with a window open in our bedroom. Such a beautiful thing. I’ve got spring on my mind.

     With no convenient segue at hand, I’ll simply jump in with a book recommendation. If you like historical non-fiction, enough cannot be said about “The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald,” by John U. Bacon. It is most excellent in so many ways:

> Tribute to the memory of the 29 men who died on November 10, 1975.

> Economic history of Michigan, in particular, and the Great Lakes region in general.

> The beauty and wonder of our geology and geography.

> How people, during the most difficult of times, come together with grace and

love.

> Even some background to the Gordon Lightfoot hit song.

This is a story that will stay with me, in so many ways, for a long while.

     With that book behind me, I’ve moved on to “How the Scots Invented the Modern World: The True Story of How Western Europe’s Poorest Nation Created Our World & Everything in It,” by Arthur Herman. Here’s a quote from chapter nine {I generally thumb through a book before starting it to get a lay of the land}:

“Call this war by whatever name you may, only call it not an

American rebellion; it is nothing more or less than a Scotch Irish

Presbyterian rebellion.”

-      Anonymous Hessian officer, 1778

I think I’m going to like this book.

     Lastly, transitioning from books to movies, I read an interesting breakdown of the 2001 classic, “Monsters, Inc.” I don’t remember much of it, which is why I depend on others to keep me in the loop. I do know that, as it was released in 2001, much of the liberal/progressive garbage we see injected in today’s movies and television programs wasn’t around. Cultural wickedness was still waiting to blossom.

     To set the groundwork for the lookback at the classic Pixar film, first, here’s a quote from Roman philosopher Lucius Annaeus Seneca:

“WE SUFFER MORE OFTEN IN IMAGINATION THAN IN REALITY.”

Next, from 1 John 4:18:

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear

has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been

perfected in love.”

As I am wont to say, fear is a heck of a drug. Fear is antithetical to our Christian faith.

     Which leads us, thematically, to “Monters, Inc.” In the movie, the City of Monstropolis runs on fear. Literally. Screams power the city. And when power runs low, the establishment’s answer is…scare harder. Scream louder. And never question the system.

     Two main characters, Mr. Waternoose and Randall, threaten to silence anyone who questions the system. But then Sully discovers something by accident. Boo’s laughter generates more energy than fear ever could. The very thing the system was suppressing…the joy of a child…was the most powerful force in the room. Which reminds me of this, from French writer Nicolas Chamfort:

“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”

     Our Christian faith runs on the exact opposite of fear. Remember, the opposite of faith isn’t unbelief. The opposite of faith is fear. As the Bible reminds us, while we were yet sinners, God sent Jesus to die for us. It is the love of God that compels us to obey Him, not the threat of wrath. Never listen to or trust anyone who wants to keep you in fear.

     In the end, Boo changes hearts, representing divine love, while the shift from scream-energy to laugh-energy mirrors a move from fear-based living to a life of joy. In the end, the city is led into a new era, using love and joy as a new system to run on. Seems to me like that’s the role of the church in a culture driven by fear and hate.

     So, Jesus Christ has done away with the fear of the law and judgment, giving us hope in his righteousness. In Christ, we can come boldly to the Father as His forgiven children.

     Here we have moved from the Edmund Fitzgerald to Monsters, Inc. What a lovely day, indeed.

     With Much Love and Affection,

                         Richard