Motorbikes, Convenience Stores & Fruitfulness

Vrrrooom! It was the most unexpected beginning to an 80th birthday party I had ever seen. (Not that I’ve been to a lot of 80th birthday parties.) While all the guests awaited the birthday girl’s arrival, Lena Stowe made the grandest of entrances, one I will never forget. Riding up on the back of a motorcycle piloted by her grandson, she looked as cool as a cucumber. The octogenarian motorcycle mama later told me that if former president George H.W. Bush could parachute out of an airplane on his 80th birthday, she could certainly ride on a motorbike on hers. I was impressed. I hope when I’m 80 I’m as spry and as “with it” as Miss Lena.

Senior saints like Lena Stowe are an inspiration to me. I love to be around them because they’re so full of joy and life.

Just prior to Miss Lena’s party, Sandy and I had made a quick trip to Florida to see our parents. We flew down to Orlando on Sunday night so I could wish my dad a happy Father’s Day.

My dad is my hero. When I was six years old I wanted to grow up and be like him someday. Interestingly, now that I’m fifty, I still want to grow up and be like him someday! My dad is one of the kindest and most selfless people I’ve ever met. He’s always been vitally interested in other people, no matter who they are. Dad only had one child (me) and one grandchild (my son), but he has numerous "adopted" children and grandchildren in both Kentucky and Florida. Although he's only lived in the Orlando bedroom community of Clermont for slightly less than three years now, he has a large established network of friends all over town.

For example, while Sandy and I were in Clermont the other day, we accompanied dad to one of his favorite local haunts. The BP Connect convenience store is a company chain store that more than rivals 7-11, offering hot soup and freshly-made sandwiches in their Wild Bean Café. Some people would think it odd to dine out at a gas station, but dad goes by there 2 or 3 times a week. He knows all the staff and they love him. Like the folks at the local Cracker Barrel restaurant and the nearby Washington Mutual Bank, they’re part of his extended family. He wanted me to go by and see the BP staff while I was in town. Cary, the store manager, a young lady from Puerto Rico, is a big fan of my dad’s. When the managerial position became available, Dad actually advised the district manager that they needed to promote from within and hire Cary. Next thing we knew, she had the job. Dad even was an honored guest at her wedding last year. In his home, he has a framed wedding portrait of Cary and her husband. Another young lady, Amy, works behind the food counter making sandwiches at BP. She formerly lived in Honduras. I had sent Dad some photos of my recent mission trip there and she loved seeing all those images of familiar places. Amy wanted me to come by the store when I came to town so we could talk about her former country. All of these people—and many, many more—love and adore my dad.

But they're simply giving back to him what he gives to them. He takes time to get to know them, to find out their backgrounds, their interests, etc. He knows their family members by name. He remembers their birthdays and anniversaries. He takes gifts to them. A former high school and elementary school principal, as well as a college professor, he encourages them in their educational and career pursuits. He also encourages them to go to church. He is vitally interested in them and cares about them…and they know it. My dad is so busy loving people, that he simply has no time to be negative or selfish. When I “grow up”, I definitely want to be like him.

Among the many things I’ve enjoyed in coming back to Danville is the delightful discovery that a lot of our senior adults here at Mount Hermon are just like that. They’re living vital, active lives. They have an interest in other people. They invest themselves in others. And, one thing I really like about our seniors is that they have the whole church at heart, not just their age group. They care about and are interested in our children, our teenagers, our young families—all segments of our church family. I think that’s great!

I love going to the monthly Keenagers meetings when I can. And not just for the great food! They shower such love and affection on me. I can’t get enough of it! It’s like I’m much more than their pastor. It’s as if I’m their adopted son, or their favorite nephew.

My first church was like that, too. Melville Avenue Baptist, here in Danville. It was virtually an all-senior adult church when Sandy, Jordan and I first arrived. I was all of 28 years old, ready to take on the world. Jordan was just about to turn four. Sandy was a teenager, I think! And they just loved us and encouraged us and lifted us up constantly. Jordan had tons of surrogate grandparents and we never were found wanting for a babysitter. It seems that there’s just something special about the senior adult Christians in Danville. They’re a unique breed. But here’s something I’ve discovered over the years. People don’t just turn out to be joyful and positive and productive by accident. I’m sad to say that some people, the older they get, become increasingly cynical, bitter, isolated, selfish and inwardly-focused. What makes the difference? It has to do with the seeds we sow throughout the course of our lives. It has to do with how we invest ourselves along the way.

Philippians 2:4 says “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Every commandment of God is given for our welfare. This one is no exception. We should realize that when we fail to heed this command, we become less than God intended for us to be.

Psalm 92:12-15 tells us that “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree; they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon; planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age; they will stay fresh and green, proclaiming, ‘The Lord is upright; He is my Rock, and there is no wickedness in Him.’” In other words, if we live a righteous life by keeping our focus on Christ (rather than ourselves) then we'll be well rooted and grounded. And we can stay fresh and vital, bearing fruit as long as we live.

What kinds of seeds are you sowing? What kinds of fruit are you bearing? Is it sweet, fragrant and attractive to others? Or it is something less than that?

A lot of our folks at Mount Hermon have definitely learned the secret of staying “fresh and green.” When I “grow up” I want to be just like them.

Pastor Danny