I can’t believe that I’m actually writing this blog. Years ago, it seemed like an eternity before this day would ever arrive. But now it’s here, much sooner than I expected. And there’s absolutely nothing I can do about it. Yes, that’s right. On April 4, 2007, Daniel Wade Davis will officially turn 50 years old. A half-century ago, I was born at St. Mary’s Hospital in the city of Knoxville, Tennessee. Sandy has said that surely the nuns must have been singing in glorious celebration of my birth! (If you believe that, then I have some swamp land in Florida I’d like to sell you.) Seriously, back in 1957, Ike was in the White House, Elvis was topping the music charts, and the space age was just dawning with the launching of the historic Russian satellite, Sputnik. And in the midst of all of that, yours truly was born. A lot of water has certainly gone under the bridge since then.
What is one to make of turning “fifty”? I mean, one day you’re 49 and you’re just going along life’s way, minding your own business, and then all of a sudden—bam!—you’re 50. Just like that! And then, before you know it, AARP starts bombarding your mailbox with membership applications.
Perhaps I should take some solace in the fact that I am not alone. Many other people are turning 50 this year as well. (I’ll use some discretion here and avoid mentioning the names of those in our church family that are passing the half-century mark this year.) But the notable personalities among the birth class of ’57 include persons such as perky Katie Couric of CBS News, her former NBC “Today” co-host Matt Lauer, letter-turning Vanna White of “Wheel of Fortune”, former 1970s teen idol Donnie Osmond, President Kennedy’s daughter Caroline, another Caroline—the princess of Monaco and daughter of the late Grace Kelly, sitcom TV star Ray Romano of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame, golfer Nancy Lopez, Christian singer/songwriter Michael W. Smith, and…(brace yourself)…the infamous Osama bin Laden! (That is, if he’s still living in a cave somewhere. Wow! Do he and I really look the same age?)
As I reflect back on my life, it’s been interesting for me to recall that I celebrated my 30th birthday while I was living in Danville the first time. And, now here I am back in Danville for my 50th birthday…whatever significance that may hold. Without a doubt, a lot of stuff happened between my 30th and 50th birthdays. Most notably, I turned 40.
Do you remember the old saying, “Life begins at 40”? I remember that right after I turned 40, things definitely started happening. Within days of my 40th birthday, I got a herniated disc in my upper back. It was the worst pain I ever dealt with in my life. That was the beginning of other aches and pains. Before moving to Danville from Florida, I tongue-in-check told my personal physician of the last several years that I never really had any health issues until I started coming to him. He laughed and said, “Ah, yes, the forties, that’s when it all starts happening.” That being the case, I’m really glad to be leaving my forties behind.
By the way, it should be noted that a lot of people in life don’t even hit their stride until they pass the age of fifty. Ronald Reagan did not run for his first political office until he was well past the age of 50. In fact, he was sworn in as president just a couple of weeks shy of his 70th birthday! And then Moses, at age 50, still had 30 more years of tending sheep on the backside of the desert before God called him to his greatest work at the age of 80!
If the Lord allows me to stay here at Mount Hermon a long, long time—which I hope He does—then I trust that my most rewarding and fruitful years of ministry will be right here with you. God providentially allowed Sandy and me to start out in ministry in Danville some 22 years ago. It was a great blessing for us, for Danville proved to be a great place for a young pastor and wife to spread their wings and fly. And now, graciously, God has brought us full circle, back to a place that we love. And I’m certainly looking forward to all that He has in store for us in the years ahead.
Oh, one more thing about birthdays. This will sound really strange, but I think the birthday that I had the toughest time with wasn’t when I was approaching 30, 40 or even 50. Rather, it was when I turned 26. (I know you’re thinking—“26? Why 26?”) I suppose it was because that whenever I had to fill out surveys or application forms, there was always a little box that you could check that indicated your age category. Usually, there was an 18-to-25 box, followed by a 26-to-35 or a 26-to-40 box. Suddenly, when I turned 26, I realized that I could no longer check that first little box anymore. “Woe is me,” I said, “I’m no longer a young adult in my early twenties. Now I’m over the hump, headed downhill toward 30!” I think that affected me more than any other birthday. But now that I’m a half-century old, I don’t care about any of that anymore. I’m just happy to still have my own hair.
One final reflection: I really thought that one of the upsides of turning 50 would be that I would be able to start getting “senior discounts” at many of Danville’s fine eating establishments. But I just found out from some highly reliable sources that those discounts won’t kick in for me until I’m at least 55 or older. Bummer.
Pastor Danny
What is one to make of turning “fifty”? I mean, one day you’re 49 and you’re just going along life’s way, minding your own business, and then all of a sudden—bam!—you’re 50. Just like that! And then, before you know it, AARP starts bombarding your mailbox with membership applications.
Perhaps I should take some solace in the fact that I am not alone. Many other people are turning 50 this year as well. (I’ll use some discretion here and avoid mentioning the names of those in our church family that are passing the half-century mark this year.) But the notable personalities among the birth class of ’57 include persons such as perky Katie Couric of CBS News, her former NBC “Today” co-host Matt Lauer, letter-turning Vanna White of “Wheel of Fortune”, former 1970s teen idol Donnie Osmond, President Kennedy’s daughter Caroline, another Caroline—the princess of Monaco and daughter of the late Grace Kelly, sitcom TV star Ray Romano of “Everybody Loves Raymond” fame, golfer Nancy Lopez, Christian singer/songwriter Michael W. Smith, and…(brace yourself)…the infamous Osama bin Laden! (That is, if he’s still living in a cave somewhere. Wow! Do he and I really look the same age?)
As I reflect back on my life, it’s been interesting for me to recall that I celebrated my 30th birthday while I was living in Danville the first time. And, now here I am back in Danville for my 50th birthday…whatever significance that may hold. Without a doubt, a lot of stuff happened between my 30th and 50th birthdays. Most notably, I turned 40.
Do you remember the old saying, “Life begins at 40”? I remember that right after I turned 40, things definitely started happening. Within days of my 40th birthday, I got a herniated disc in my upper back. It was the worst pain I ever dealt with in my life. That was the beginning of other aches and pains. Before moving to Danville from Florida, I tongue-in-check told my personal physician of the last several years that I never really had any health issues until I started coming to him. He laughed and said, “Ah, yes, the forties, that’s when it all starts happening.” That being the case, I’m really glad to be leaving my forties behind.
By the way, it should be noted that a lot of people in life don’t even hit their stride until they pass the age of fifty. Ronald Reagan did not run for his first political office until he was well past the age of 50. In fact, he was sworn in as president just a couple of weeks shy of his 70th birthday! And then Moses, at age 50, still had 30 more years of tending sheep on the backside of the desert before God called him to his greatest work at the age of 80!
If the Lord allows me to stay here at Mount Hermon a long, long time—which I hope He does—then I trust that my most rewarding and fruitful years of ministry will be right here with you. God providentially allowed Sandy and me to start out in ministry in Danville some 22 years ago. It was a great blessing for us, for Danville proved to be a great place for a young pastor and wife to spread their wings and fly. And now, graciously, God has brought us full circle, back to a place that we love. And I’m certainly looking forward to all that He has in store for us in the years ahead.
Oh, one more thing about birthdays. This will sound really strange, but I think the birthday that I had the toughest time with wasn’t when I was approaching 30, 40 or even 50. Rather, it was when I turned 26. (I know you’re thinking—“26? Why 26?”) I suppose it was because that whenever I had to fill out surveys or application forms, there was always a little box that you could check that indicated your age category. Usually, there was an 18-to-25 box, followed by a 26-to-35 or a 26-to-40 box. Suddenly, when I turned 26, I realized that I could no longer check that first little box anymore. “Woe is me,” I said, “I’m no longer a young adult in my early twenties. Now I’m over the hump, headed downhill toward 30!” I think that affected me more than any other birthday. But now that I’m a half-century old, I don’t care about any of that anymore. I’m just happy to still have my own hair.
One final reflection: I really thought that one of the upsides of turning 50 would be that I would be able to start getting “senior discounts” at many of Danville’s fine eating establishments. But I just found out from some highly reliable sources that those discounts won’t kick in for me until I’m at least 55 or older. Bummer.
Pastor Danny
