The origins of “The Prodigal Sunflower” and Parson Bird began in 1980 while I was a seminary student and also pastoring a church simultaneously. The seminary was Duke Divinity School and the church was Leasburg UMC. The concept of using an animated character to communicate the gospel to the youngest members of my flock seemed to make sense. One of the interesting concepts which I picked up in seminary was that adults listen in on children’s sermons without the defensive barriers we sometimes raise during an adult oriented message. So I give credit to the Lord of the Church, Jesus Christ, and His divine presence in the Church, the Holy Spirit, for the inspiration of using His bird kingdom for reaching children of all ages with His Good News.

Early on in this endeavor there was a precious saint of the Leasburg church who was affectionately called “Momma Jean” Davis who first referred to my bird preacher character as Parson Bird. She informed me that there really was such a bird called a Parson Bird. It is a medium sized bird with a distinctive white patch on its throat which resembles a clerical collar. Thus it is called a “Parson Bird”. It is native to New Zealand where it is called the “Tui” bird. And from that point forward Momma Jean’s naming of my bird preacher character as Parson Bird took wings which carried him to several young flocks who have heard the good news of Jesus Christ through the years.

Parson Bird and his interesting friends became a popular concept and medium for communicating the gospel. My family encouraged me to write a book. Since my maternal grandfather, Rev. B.D. Critcher, and father, Rev. Kenneth B. Sexton, Sr., were ministers of the gospel and they encouraged me to develop the character in print. My father, who was a very gifted communicator of the gospel, actually drew the first sketches of Parson Bird. Some family members laughingly declare that Parson Bird resembles my dad. Be that as it may, LOL, Parson Bird dons a hat reminiscent of John Wesley and the early Methodist preachers and circuit riders who faithfully carried the gospel throughout the New World of America with lasting impact.

One of my father’s parishioners was a spirit filled lady who possessed exceptional artistic ability. Mrs. Brenda R. McFarland of Westover UMC combined the text of my book and using dad’s sketch of Parson Bird created the illustrations for the book that really bring the story to life in a captivating way. Her work is truly inspired.

With a fantastically illustrated manuscript I was eager to submit it for publication. After two attempts at publication were unsuccessful a third attempt resulted in a returned manuscript. I was discouraged and packed my book away in a box where it somehow miraculously managed to travel with me for 40 years! During that time each of the above mentioned persons who had been an encourager or a participant in the book’s development went to be with Jesus.

It was only when my wife and I were preparing to move to the home we had built in country for retirement that the manuscript resurfaced. If you have ever moved from one location to another you understand the arduous process of going through the ‘stuff’ you have accumulated through the years. Much of which is stored in the attic in boxes you painstakingly go through to see if you really want to keep this stuff any longer, especially if your storage space where you a moving to is not as ample as it currently is. So in the process of going through boxes and weeding out what I did not need to haul with me into retirement I came across a box that contained my never published “Parson Bird” book. As I emptied the contents of the large manilla envelop containing the manuscript I noticed something else fell out onto the table. They were 3x5 cards with comments on them that I had not seen in the bottom of the envelop 40 years prior. The publisher who had read my manuscript actually liked it and wanted to work with me to publish it!

Miraculously this manuscript survived 40 years and 14 moves! God has a way and a time for every purpose under sun and Parson Bird’s time had now come. Sensing God’s divine timing I began a new journey to get the book published. My sincere prayer is that God will use me and this divinely inspired character to convey the great eternal truth’s of His love for all people.

The redemption of lost human souls is the whole purpose of God sending His beloved Son Jesus into this world. Scripture proclaims the great truth that salvation is found in no other name than the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:12) During His earthly ministry Jesus communicated the Good News of the Kingdom of God on earth through stories and parables. They are a way for our minds to grasp and understand the nature of God’s eternal kingdom. Our prayer, as Jesus taught us (Matthew 6:10), is for God’s Kingdom to come and for His will to be done on earth like it is in heaven. The victory over sin and death that Jesus accomplished on the cross was the beginning. The fullness of His victory will be manifested when He returns to this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. It is a certain and exciting to be a part of His Kingdom and to look for His imminent return. It falls to His disciples to continue making disciples in His name until He returns. Will He find us being faithful to His great commission when He returns?
me.

 Mat 28:18-20
 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to
 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
 and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always,
 to the close of the age.”

 Everyone is a candidate for redemption. If you have been redeemed by Jesus then you
 have a story to tell. Your story has beauty and glorifies Him who gave His life for your
 redemption. Go tell it!