This past Sunday we continued in our latest series New Life at the Movies with the movie “Saving Mr. Banks”. The movie is the story of Walt Disney and the author of the book Mary Poppins, P.L. Travers. Walt Disney made a promise to his daughters that one day he would turn Mary Poppins into a movie. For 20 years he attempted but was constantly turned down by P.L. Travers. Until one day when her agent convinced her to fly to CA and meet with Walt Disney. What we quickly come realize is that this movie is less about Saving Mr. Banks and more about saving P.L. Travers.
Her youth in Allora, Queensland in 1906 is depicted through flashbacks, and is shown to be the inspiration for much of Mary Poppins. Travers was very close to her handsome and charismatic father Travers Goff, who also suffered from alcoholism and eventually died from “consumption”. Or what is more commonly known as Tuberculosis.
Saying P.L. Travers was a difficult person to deal with is an understatement. “Walt”, as he prefers to be called, finds out that “Ms. Travers”, as she prefers to be called, is not her real name. Through researching her past he comes to learn of her difficult childhood. He realizes that P.L. Travers is the product of an alcoholic father. What Walt also comes to realize is that while Ms. Travers adored her father, she was holding onto some very deep hurts left by his alcoholism and death at such a young age.
So many of us (most of us) have grown up with some level of disfunction in our families. Many of us are hanging on to past hurts, habits & hang-ups. What we fail to realize, like P.L. Travers, is that no amount of hiding, masking, stuffing or suppressing of our past will ever be good enough. That until we are willing to come clean and deal with our past will we never begin to find true healing.
As Brett referenced in his sermon, here at New Life Christian Church we have a program designed to be a safe place for people to begin dealing with their past & present hurts, habits & hang-ups. That program is CR (Celebrate Recovery). CR meets every Friday night 7pm-9pm in the Keg Room. In small groups of men or women, where confidentiality is key and honesty is encouraged, we find a safe place where healing can begin. At Celebrate Recovery you will find others who are dealing with struggles similar to your own. At CR, unlike other 12 step programs, we find healing through our one and only “higher power” Jesus Christ. I encourage everyone to “come & see” and experience how God through CR can offer you true healing from our hurts, habits & hang-ups.
Michael Fewster
Chantilly Campus Pastor