“Filling in for The Boss”
2 Corinthians 5:20, 21
Do you know who died recently? Mickey Mouse! Or at least the man who has given him his squeaky voice. Wayne Allwine provided the voice of Disney’s top animated star since 1977, when he officially took over for his mentor, Disney Legend Jimmy Macdonald. Allwine humbly reflects, "It’s a great honor to keep alive what Walt loved so dearly and what Jimmy kept alive so well."
Born in 1947 in Glendale, California, Allwine has been active on stage and screen most of his life, making his first television appearance at age seven as one of the children interviewed by Art Linkletter on his "House Party" program. While still in high school, he formed his own acoustic music group, The International Singers, which performed in clubs and colleges all over the state. He went on to record with such singers as Dobie Gray and Bobby Vinton, and was a member of The Arrows, a musical group put together by Mike Curb.
In 1966, Allwine opted for a "normal" lifestyle and took a job in the mail room at The Walt Disney Studios. From there, he worked briefly in Wardrobe, then moved to Audio Post Production and began a seven-and-a-half year stint under Macdonald, the Studio’s resident sound effects wizard.
Allwine worked in sound effects editing on Disney films and television shows including Splash (1984) and Three Men and a Baby (1987); as well as Innerspace (1987), Alien Nation (1988), and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier (1989) for other studios.
He received the Emmy® Award and the Golden Reel Award for his contributions to Steven Speilberg’s "Amazing Stories," which he worked on for two years, and a second Golden Reel for his work on The Great Mouse Detective (1986).
In 1977, Allwine went to an open audition for the voice of Mickey Mouse and walked away with the part. He made his debut on "The New Mickey Mouse Club" (1977-1978), and has since provided Mickey’s voice for Disney theme parks, movies, TV specials, records, and video games. In the role of Mickey, he has starred in films such as Mickey’s Christmas Carol (1983), The Prince and the Pauper (1990), and Mickey, Donald, and Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), and the TV series "Mickey’s Mouse Works" (1999-2000), "House of Mouse" (2001-2002), and "Mickey Mouse Clubhouse" (2006-2008). "In time, you actually realize all of the characteristics that this character has in yourself," Allwine says of his prolific performances as Mickey. "I’ve got all his naïve qualities, and all of his optimistic qualities." Allwine is married to Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse and many other popular characters. They head their own production company, Taylor-Allwine Associates, and share four children, including three who think they sound like Mickey, too.
Which is only fitting, given the admonition that Allwine’s mentor gave him decades ago: "Just remember, kid," Jimmy Macdonald said, "you’re only filling in for the boss."
That’s what Christians are doing today:
“Only filling in for the Boss!”
2 Corinthians 5:20-21
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,
as though God were making his appeal through us.
We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us,
so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
(NIV)
Remember the popular saying among Christians a few years ago: “WWJD – What Would Jesus Do”? That’s not a bad question to ask yourself in any and every situation. If Jesus were in my place, what would He do? Since we represent Him and we are only filling in for the Boss, what would He do?
How to discover what Jesus would do: WDJD – What did Jesus Do?
Jesus gave His Life Purpose and Plan at the beginning of His public ministry in His home Church at Nazareth:
Luke 4:18-19
18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor."
(NIV)
Once we have discovered what Jesus did, since we are filling in for the Boss, we should do what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do:
Luke 10:37
Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."
(NIV)
Can we DWJD? Do What Jesus Did?
Pastor Chuck Swindoll in His book, Improving Your Serve, gives the following illustration: “Let’s pretend you work for me. In fact, you are my executive assistant in a company that is growing rapidly. I am the owner and I’m interested in expanding overseas. To pull this off, I make plans to travel abroad and stay there until the new branch office gets established. I make all the arrangements to take my family in the move to Europe for six to eight months, and I leave you in charge of the busy statewide organization. I tell you I will write you regularly and give you direction and instructions.
I leave and you stay. Months pass. A flow of letters (and emails) are sent from Europe and received by you at the national headquarters. I spell out all my expectations. Finally, I return. Soon after my arrival I drive down to the office. I am stunned! Grass and weeds have grown up high. A few windows along the street are broken. I walk into the receptionist’s room and she is doing her nails, chewing gum, and listening to her favorite (radio) station. I look around and notice waste baskets are overflowing, the carpet hasn’t been vacuumed in weeks, and nobody seems concerned that the owner has returned. I ask about your whereabouts and someone in the crowded lounge area points down the hall and yells, ‘I think he’s down there.’ Disturbed, I move in that direction and bump into you as you are finishing a chess game with our sales manager. I ask you to step into my office which has been temporarily turned into at television room.
‘What in the world is going on, man?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Well, look at this place! Didn’t you get my letters and emails?’
‘Sure, got every one of them. As a matter of fact, we have had a letter study every Friday night since you left. We have even divided all the personnel into small groups and discussed many of the things you wrote. Some of those things were really interesting. You’ll be please to know that a few of us have actually committed to memory some of your sentences and paragraphs. One or two memorized an entire letter or two! Great stuff you wrote to us!’
‘Okay, okay—you got my letters, you studied them and meditated on them, discussed and even memorized them. BUT WHAT DID YOU DO ABOUT THEM?’
‘Do? Uh—we didn’t do anything about them.’”
Check which of the following you can do as you fill in for the Boss?
______________________“preach good news to the poor”
__________________“proclaim freedom for the prisoners”
______________________“recovery of sight for the blind”
_____________________________“release the oppressed”
________________“ proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor”
Because of the following verse,
What
Jesus
Would
Do
You
Can
Do!
Luke 9:1-2
1 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
(NIV)
Luke 9:28-42
28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.
29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning.
30 Two men, Moses and Elijah,
31 appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.
33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, "Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters-- one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." (He did not know what he was saying.)
34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud.
35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, "This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him."
36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves, and told no one at that time what they had seen.
37 The next day, when they came down from the mountain, a large crowd met him.
38 A man in the crowd called out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child.
39 A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.
40 I begged your disciples to drive it out, but they could not."
41 "O unbelieving and perverse generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you and put up with you? Bring your son here."
42 Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father.
(NIV)
When you are called upon to do what Jesus would do, since you are filling in for the Boss, what are you going to do? Will you do what Jesus would do or will you let down the Boss and the people who need Him?
Finally, I call your attention to the only description of judgment Jesus, the Boss, ever gave. It is found in Matthew 25:
Matthew 25:31-46
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, ’Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 "Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?
39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 "The King will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
41 "Then he will say to those on his left, ’Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,
43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’
44 "They also will answer, ’Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’
45 "He will reply, ’I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
46 "Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life."
(NIV)
When the Boss comes for payday, what did He say was the only difference between the sheep and the goats?
One of them DID what He Himself would have done!
The other did NOT!
WWYD? What Will You Do?
