Have A Safe Drive

My last Wednesday night at Roseville had a most delightful serendipity… from the sweetest source ever… Lizzie Garza. Sylvia ushered this big eyed sage of little girldom to take audience with me and with a motherly whisper instructed Lizzie Bug, “Tell Dan…” And in her sweetest voice yet bolstered with one part performance and two parts mischief Lizzie clearly instructed me, “Drive safe on your trip and please… don’t run into a pig (big smile).” Let me explain. In the conclusion of my last sermon on Sunday I retold a story I had told in my very first sermon. It seemed not only fitting but allowed me to rib Vaughncele Kiser who maintains that she remembers the first sermon I had preached at Roseville. I told the audience that she didn’t have that good of a memory but what she did remember was the following story.
Brothers and sisters I don’t know if you are familiar with the road between Ukiah where we now live and Interstate Five but there are parts of it that are ribboned with hairpin curves. While driving here and approaching one of these curves a car came screeching around the corner with a woman leaning out of her front window waving her arms and yelling, “Pig! Pig! Pig!” Well, being a man of the cloth and in full control of my faculties I slammed on the brakes and hopped out of my car and shaking my fist at her I yelled, “Swine! Porker! Snout bearing McSnorter! Arrrrghhh! Then I got back into my car and drove around the curve and ran into a pig! So, you see that Lizzie did not want me to hit any pigs!
Besides being the best going away gift that I received it really set the tone for making the transitions that Pam and I will be making in leaving our home of several decades to start a new adventure on the Oregon Coast. We are going to make it our motto not to hit any pigs or squeal about how hard it is to leave family and friends or root around for any opportunity to lament the past. Our eyes are on the future and how God will use us for His kingdom. We have planned and long for an opportunity to live permanently in our little house by the sea… so, here we go full speed ahead with great expectations for what lies around the curves of life!
And Lizzie… we’ll try real hard not to run into any pigs! -DAN

Have a Holly Jolly Christmas

I had to apologize to Jacki. O, I didn’t want to apologize because I had only been the victim of not paying close enough attention. You see, I had bet Jacki a million (not real but hyperbolic you-bet-I’m-sure-on-this-one) bucks that the song we were listening to was not Burl Ives singing but Gene Autry (the singing cowboy) belting out the “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” lyrics. I was wrong… it was “curse that Sam the Snowman” Burl Ives! I can just hear that goateed fake-snow gliding stop animated troubadour chiding me with, “Have a holly jolly Christmas...” I tell you if I wasn’t the minister for the Roseville Church of Christ… Hey, wait a minute this is my last Sunday maybe I’ll pancake that orbed holiday nuisance and silence his cherry little tune! Yes, yes, yes… I’m just kidding and I really do believe in the next Johnny Marks’ lyrical line, “It’s the best time of the year!” Christmas has its fair share of bad traffic, bad attitude shoppers, bad Santas and holiDAZED nonsense but it still is the best time of the year!

Johnny Marks wrote the song “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” and “Have a Holly Jolly Christmas” along with the lively “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” His lyrics are simple but really do invoke the Christmas spirit in us all. The fascinating thing about that is that Johnny Marks was Jewish and to my knowledge never wrote a Chanukah song. However, that really is the Christmas story after all. Now, don’t get me wrong I believe that the reason for the season is Jesus. Whether historically inaccurate or not the celebration of the Christ child is the glory of the season. If angels could sing from on high of this glory we should celebrate the holy night as well. With that said… the real spirit of Christmas is the spirit seen in the Christ child, in a jolly elf named St. Nick, in a Dicken’s character scrooged up with greed and in a Jewish lyricist that proclaims it’s the best time of the year. It is the human spirit freed from sins darkness and warmed by love, kindness and joy. It is a summon to know the power of giving and the unity of sacrifice that dissipates the general sad state of affairs. It transcends ethnicity or cultural bias and unites mankind in the joy of a season of love expressed and generosity unchained. It really is the best time of the year!

So… in this last article that I will write for the Roseville Church of Christ my home for 23 and a half years let me say with the angels on high, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests (Luke 2:14).” It really is the best time of the year! -DAN

The Party's Over

On December 5th in a hospital in Santa Fe New Mexico Joseph “Dandy” Don Meredith at the age of 72 succumbed to a brain aneurism and as his wife reported, “We lost a good one.” I have to believe that with a quiet and reverent homage many whispered, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over.” Dandy Don brought to football what many lament is missing in this over compensated narcissistic media driven menagerie of prima donnas who see football as entertainment more than a man’s game. Meredith played hard, played injured and played for the team whether he was on the gridiron or in the sportscast booth. He was “entertaining.” But not driven by a spotlight but rather a passion and love for the game. He is well known for singing Willie Nelson’s lyrics when it was obvious that a game was over… “Turn out the lights, the party’s over!” Rest in peace “Dandy” Don and we’ll turn out the lights and never forget how many times you took us to the party.

“They say all good things must come to an end” are the next lyrics in Willie Nelson’s song. And though I’m at a place in life where many of those who formed my history now make up the obituaries I’m glad that my faith anchors my soul with eternal life and the hope of the resurrection. The Holiday season is always a tough time to lose a loved one. My mother passed away in 1999 the day before Christmas. We were devastated but assured the party was not over but closer to starting when we all will be assembled at the wedding feast of the lamb. The lights weren’t turned off they were burning bright making heaven that much more dear to us! I’m in no hurry to fill my place in the obituaries but I am excited about going to the party. Maranatha is more meaningful to me each passing year… yes, Lord come quickly!

The rest of the lyrics of Willie Nelson’s song are a lament about losing a sweetheart because he had more care for the party than for his gal. Life was more about having fun than it was about making sure his love was true. Sadly, that’s where Nelson’s song leaves you… with the lights out and the echo of “it’s over.” I’m glad that after the gospels we have Acts one reporting the ascension and the comforting words, “This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven(Acts 1:11).” Jesus IS coming to gather those who made sure that their love was true and are ready for the party to begin… an eternal party of praise, adoration and service to the exalted one! The catch phrase for the NFL now days is, “Are you ready for some football?” More importantly are you ready for heaven’s party? The lights will be on and for eternal days the party will be celebrating the victory of faith! -DAN