Pastor Danny Meets Lady Liberty

At last…a dream come true for me. I finally got to meet one of Danville’s most notable celebrities. No, no, no. Not native son Jon Dalton (AKA Jonny Fairplay) of “Survivor” fame. Get real. I’m talking about none other than Lady Liberty herself, the most recognizable (and inspiring) fixture along Danville’s Piney Forest Road.

Yes, it’s the time of year again. Tax season. The time of year that no one likes. But…if there is one bright spot to it all, it’s the annual re-emergence of Lady Liberty, that All-American icon who stands day in, day out—from January 1 to April 15—waving, smiling, dancing, laughing, and greeting all the cars that pass by her spot in front of the Liberty Income Tax offices. Cars beep their horns. Drivers smile & wave. People take photos with their camera phones. Recently, a dad even stopped with his little boy who insisted on meeting (& dancing with) Danville's living, breathing replica of the Statue of Liberty.

I didn’t dance with Lady Liberty--trust me, it wouldn't have been a pretty sight--but I did stop long enough for a photo op with her. But even more than getting my picture made with her, I'd been wanting to meet her for a long time. It was last year, during tax season, when I wrote a blog in tribute to her. (March 1, 2007 - "Rockin' Lady Liberty.") I did not even know her then, but this happy lady with the strong personal magnetism really inspired me. Especially in the way she loved her work and poured everything into it. And so I decided to share my thoughts about her in one of my Internet postings.

Soon after that blog posted, several readers commented to me that they too had admired Miss Liberty's joyful disposition. Then, I got a call from Carolyn Grace, also a Mount Hermon member. I had not been at the church very long, so I didn’t realize that Carolyn was the owner-operator of the Liberty Income Tax franchise here in Danville. Carolyn runs the enterprise and handles the marketing. Her husband Robert is the tax expert. They also employ several other people.

Carolyn was absolutely delighted with my blog and had shared it with Lady Liberty herself (whose real name is Yolanda, by the way.) The blog was a real encouragement to her as well. But it didn’t stop there. They sent my blog posting on to the corporate offices of Liberty Income Tax, and the folks there loved it, too. And all of this was simply further affirmation to Carolyn Grace and the other folks at Liberty as to what a great marketing tool Lady Liberty is. In fact, she’s the best advertising investment the local Danville office makes. People all over Danville recognize her familiar face and they love her undaunted enthusiasm.

But it's more than simply putting a person in a costume and placing them in a promient place. It's all about the person inside the costume. And Yolanda's persona is what makes the Lady Liberty concept work so amazingly well. (Hmmm. I think there's a sermon in there somewhere, don't you?)

Keep up the good work, Lady Liberty! You're an inspiration to all of us. Long may you wave!

Pastor Danny

Roundball Review

Last Saturday afternoon, Sandy and I joined our Royal Ambassadors and Challengers on an outing to an Averett University basketball game. Bobby Jones, our church’s Brotherhood Director, had asked me a few days earlier about attending with the boys. I said that I would love to, but that my wife absolutely had to come with me. Even though it was an all-guy outing, I told Bobby there was no way on God's green earth I could go to a basketball game without Sandy. She’s a big-time hoops fan (especially when it comes to her University of Kentucky Wildcats). Her dad ingrained it in her at a young age. In fact, if you cut her veins, she not only growls; she bleeds Kentucky blue. But she loves basketball in general, regardless of who's playing.

Sandy & I met our busload of Mount Hermon guys & chaperones at Averett’s gym. The hometown Cougars, with an 8-8 won-lost record, were taking on the league-leading Shenandoah University Hornets, at 12-3. The game started slow & it looked like it was going to be a long, long night. Shenandoah couldn’t hit their foul shots & the seemingly timid Averett squad couldn’t hit anything but their foul shots! More than halfway through the first half, the score was a surprisingly anemic 16-8, with the hometown team on the low end of the spectrum. It looked doubtful that Averett would even score 20 points by halftime. But then, all of a sudden, it was like somebody waved a magic wand and Averett became more aggressive and started finding the bucket. By the end of the first half—faster than you can say Mike Krzyzewski—the score had reversed dramatically to 34-24, with Averett now in command. Throughout the second half, Averett continued their domination, ultimately coasting to a 77-54 win. What started out as a snoozer wound up as a pretty exciting Averett win.

Anyway, here are my various & sundry observations from the game:

1. Averett has a nice gymnasium for a school its size. Very nice, new and clean. Good location & parking availability.

2. Not a lot of people seem to go to Averett games. The official recorded attendance was 249, but with all the empty seats, and everyone all spread out, the size of the crowd seemed even less than that. I believe you could have taken a short trip down the road and found a larger crowd at the local Wal-Mart.

3. Averett only has 5 cheerleaders. That’s about the smallest cheerleading squad I’ve ever seen. I wondered, is it that hard to make this squad, or did only five students try out?

4. Mr. Cougar—the school mascot—didn’t show up until the second half. Hmm. Maybe he got caught in a traffic jam at Wal-Mart. But, once he arrived, I didn’t miss the chance for a photo-op with him.

5. Averett has at least one enthusiastic group of diehard fans. A very eclectic costumed group of students paraded in just before the opening tip-off. They made the most noise all night. The menagerie included two Roman gladiators brandishing swords—(leftovers from an Easter pageant, perhaps?)—an Irish Leprechaun in a glittery green top hat—(a castoff from St. Patrick’s Day, possibly?),—a half-dressed guy with an old man mask, another guy waving a hastily spray-painted “A.U.” flag, and two guys dressed as giant condiment bottles—Mr. Mustard & Mr. Ketchup. Sounds strange, I know, but you had to be there. At times, especially early on in the game, they were more exciting than what was happening on the basketball floor.

6. Saturday also was BB&T night at the game. I kept wondering why I was seeing so many bank employees in attendance. Several familiar faces from the bank were there, including a number of bankers that attend Mount Hermon. Unfortunately, they didn't bring along any samples from the vault to distribute to the fans.

7. Averett’s tallest player is “only” 6’ 7”. Yes, I know, that’s a whole foot taller than me (!), but that’s still kind of short for a “big man” in college basketball these days.

8. Averett has one international player. A 6’ 6” backup center from the Netherlands, not necessarily a place known for its stellar basketball. Several years ago, however, we took our son Jordan to Indianapolis to his first ever NBA game to see his then-favorite team, the Indiana Pacers, and their center was a big blonde guy from the Netherlands named Rik Smits. He had a gawky 7’4” frame and was known as “The Flying Dutchman.” So, whenever Averett’s only international player made a good play, I referred to him as “The Flying Dutchman,” which caused a few raised eyebrows around me, I'm sure.

9. Our own C. J. Robertson was invited to engage in a halftime shooting competition. C. J. made enough buckets to secure a $10 gift certificate from Ham’s Restaurant. Yea, C. J., that makes you a professional now!

10. Kids like to eat & talk more than watch the ballgame. The concession stand folks were delighted that we brought our group. A few of our younger guys made more runs back & forth from the bleachers to the concession stand than some of the reserve players made up & down the hardwood all night. I don’t know which ran out first, the game clock or the money in our kids’ pockets. Good thing we didn’t go into overtime! But, after the game, for good measure, we stopped at CiCi’s Pizza & ate again.

Well, there you have it. No great spiritual insights to share in this particular blog posting, but—as they always used to say in the last line of my hometown paper’s society column—“…and a good time was had by all.” And so it was.

Pastor Danny

God's Storehouse "Volunteer of the Year"

This past week, I attended the annual meeting for God’s Storehouse, the local non-denominational Christian ministry that provides groceries for the needy. It was a time for reviewing the past year and celebrating all that God had done in 2007 through this important helping agency. Our church, like many churches in the Danville area, provides regular ongoing support to God’s Storehouse. So this was a great opportunity for me to learn more about the ministry.

One thing I learned is that 2007 was the busiest year in the 20-year history of the ministry. There were more requests for help and more assistance provided than ever before. The needs definitely have been up. But, according to Executive Director Becky Wales, it also was one of the “most blessed years” in the history of the organization. Statistically speaking, 20,284 bags or boxes of food were distributed in 2007. Those allotments of groceries were dispersed among some 16,018 family units (or approximately 1335 families per month). Each bag or box of food stuffs is approximately 20 pounds in weight, which is a pretty nice amount of provisions. And the total bottom line cost to God’s Storehouse in providing this gift is only about $7.50 per box—a figure that includes all of the organization's operating costs exclusive of capital improvements! (That’s a whole lot better than you and I could do shopping at our local grocery stores!)

Of course, one thing that makes all of this possible is the support provided by churches like ours, as well as that provided by other community groups and agencies. But one of the greatest sources of support comes from corporate sponsors, such as Food Lion.

Four Food Lion supermarkets in the Danville area were recognized at the annual meeting for their Herculean efforts on behalf of God’s Storehouse. In 2007, these local Food Lion stores graciously provided some 172,000 pounds of food to the ministry at absolutely no cost! These are food stuffs at or near their official expiration date that—while still good—would normally have been discarded by their distributors. Thus, products that at one time would have tragically wound up in the dumpster—(what a waste!)—now are being redirected to feed hungry people throughout Danville and Pittsylvania County. Praise the Lord!

As I sat there listening to these encouraging reports, I couldn’t help to think back some 20 years ago to when this ministry was being birthed. When I was pastor at Melville Avenue Baptist Church, I remember going to Pittsylvania Baptist Association pastors meetings and hearing Kirk Lashley—then pastor at West Main Baptist Church—talking about the need for this new ministry as well as providing frequent updates on its development. Finally, due to the vigorous efforts of Kirk and other like-minded visionaries, God’s Storehouse came into being in the fall of 1987. And from its very humble beginnings, it has grown into the important ministry that it is today. I don’t think any of us in Danville and Pittsylvania County could imagine life without it. For two decades, God’s Storehouse has met a vital need in our community.

One other thing. What really prompted me to attend the God’s Storehouse meeting was the ministry’s announcement of the winner of their annual “Volunteer of the Year” award. As I knew in advance, that person for 2007 was none other than our own Jolanda Clayton. For nearly 15 years, Jolanda has been a warm ray of sunshine at God’s Storehouse, unselfishly giving of herself in service to others. Jolanda had no idea that she was going to be so honored that night. In fact, her daughter Whitney had to concoct quite an elaborate scheme just to get her mother there. It seems that Jolanda was tired after a hard day of volunteer work and she just didn’t feel up to attending the meeting that night. But at Whitney’s dogged insistence, she finally relented. Even with her husband Buddy in attendance—as well as son Wickham and daughter-in-law Georgina (visiting from England), and granddaughter Catie—it amazingly didn’t dawn on Jolanda that she might possibly be receiving an award. Somehow—thanks to a little bird named Whitney—Jolanda was under the impression that Mount Hermon Baptist Church was being recognized because of our children’s ministry’s efforts in collecting canned goods. So, Jolanda thought she was there for Whitney, our church’s children’s minister. But was she ever surprised when Becky Wales called her name and handed her the plaque!

One of the great joys I have as pastor of Mount Hermon is seeing so many of our members on mission with God throughout this community. We have a great number of members serving in a variety of ministry settings, often flying “under the radar” in unsung roles. None of them do it for personal gain or for individual recognition. They do it simply because they love Jesus and they love people. Although I know that the soft-spoken and gentle-spirited Jolanda is quite embarrassed by all of this recent attention, she certainly is a wonderful example of someone quietly and unselfishly serving others. She has found a special niche and God is definitely using her. May God greatly increase her tribe by calling out more like her!

Pastor Danny

Opening Day of 2008 Virginia General Assembly

This past week Sandy and I traveled to Richmond to be part of the opening of the new legislative session of the Virginia General Assembly. Mount Hermon member Donald Merricks—a newly elected member of the Virginia House of Delegates—was being sworn into office. Donald and Patti wanted their pastor and wife there for the special event, so Sandy and I were honored to be part of a contingent of Merricks supporters in attendance at the festivities. Most of them were relatives. Some were political associates. The vast majority were from our church.

The day started at 7:00 AM with the 42nd annual Commonwealth Prayer Breakfast at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Leaders and dignitaries from both political parties were in attendance. Several key figures in state government were on the program itself, such as Governor Timothy M. Kaine and Virginia Supreme Court Justice LeRoy Roundtree Hassell, Sr. I was inspired and encouraged by the authenticity of faith openly verbalized by many of the participants. There were a few attempts at political correctness on the part of some, but a number of speakers were not ashamed to verbalize the name of Jesus or stress the importance of the Bible and prayer to their lives.

In the process of the morning’s festivities, I learned that Speaker of the House Bill Howell leads a weekly Wednesday morning bible study in his office. Attorney General Robert McDonnell heads up a Tuesday morning bible study. I think Donald may plug into Bill Howell’s group. I met Speaker Howell when he was here in Danville campaigning with Donald in October. A very fine Christian gentleman, with a son in the ministry! Throughout the course of the prayer breakfast program, lots of scripture was read, several prayers were offered, and an African American choir called the Celebration Male Chorus provided inspiring music.

The main speaker was Mark Earley, former state attorney general and the unsuccessful Republican candidate for governor in 2001. After his political defeat, Mark Earley embarked on a whole new career as President and CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministries (the ministry that Chuck Colson founded). Earley’s message was seeker friendly, but uncompromised. Acknowledging that some in attendance might merely admire Jesus as a figure from history, while not trusting Him as their personal Lord and Savior, Mark Earley nonetheless faithfully exalted the Person of Christ. Following the message, the governor offered a response, affirming the words of Mark Earley. Then, Lt. Governor Bill Bolling prayed the benediction, quite notably closing his prayer “in Jesus’ Name.”

After the two-hour breakfast, our entourage paid a visit to Donald’s new office in the House office building. Then, we walked across the grounds and toured the Capitol building. Before the opening legislative session began, we gained entrée to the House chamber, where we saw Donald’s new desk, which is located right next to that of Delegate Danny Marshall of Danville.

Shortly before noon, tickets in hand, we made our way upstairs to the House Gallery where we were able to look down at the proceedings on the House floor below. At 12 noon, the House convened, the delegates were called to order, and the chaplain gave the invocation. Quoting from 1st Timothy chapter two, he recalled in his prayer that God’s people are to pray “for kings and for all those in authority” further noting that it was “God’s will that all men might be saved.” Then, before praying for wisdom and guidance in regard to the day’s proceedings, he prayed for the salvation of all the House members! Hallelujah! There was no political correctness in that prayer. Then Donald and the other members of the House all stood and were sworn into office simultaneously. It was indeed a proud and humbling moment for all the delegates and their families.

The House was still in session when Sandy and I left later in the afternoon to return to Danville. Donald still had a long day ahead of him. That evening, he and his House colleagues, as well as the members of the Senate, would all assemble together in the same room for the Governor’s annual State of the Commonwealth Address. I was proud of Donald. All of us were. And our church family needs to take seriously the scriptural admonition to pray for him in this key leadership role…even more so, since he is a member of our body, and hence an extension of our church family.

Wednesday was a great day. I must admit that I’ve always had a real interest in politics. Both my grandfather and my father held local elective office in Kentucky. I, too, as a young adult was involved in politics on a small scale. But at the age of 25, God called me into the pastoral ministry. So our family’s political involvement jumped a generation to my son, who now serves in Washington on the staff of a member of Congress. If, however, I had ever had the opportunity (or the calling) to run for political office, I would have wanted to conduct my campaign in the manner that Donald Merricks did. He did it the right way. The way a Christian should. And we all should be proud of him for that. On the day he publicly kicked-off his candidacy, standing in front of the county courthouse steps in Chatham, Donald—making his first race for public office—said that as a political novice the only two things he had to offer were his name and his reputation. He went on to say that he intended on keeping both intact. From where I stand, he accomplished that goal with flying colors.

Godspeed, Donald! May the Lord continue to guide you in fulfilling the duties of your office just as He did throughout your campaign.

Pastor Danny

Happy Three Kings Day!

Living in Florida for more than a decade, my wife Sandy and I became quite fascinated with Hispanic culture. One of the things that particularly intrigued us was the way in which our Latino friends observed certain holidays. For example, we learned that historically in many lands of Spanish heritage—Spain, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico and other places—January 6th is about as big a holiday as December 25th. January 6th? That’s the date on the church calendar known as “Epiphany.” In Spanish-speaking countries, it is known as El Día de los Reyes (The Day of the Kings) or Día de los Tres Reyes Magos (The Day of the Three Royal Magi). This day, for people of Spanish heritage (as well as some other cultures) is the true climax of the Christmas season. It is the literal “twelfth day of Christmas” we so often sing about. It is the day (supposedly) when the wise men, with gifts in tow, finally completed their long journey to see baby Jesus, having been guided by a magnificent star in the heavens above. (See Matthew chapter 2).

Now, of course, no one knows for sure how long it took the wise men to reach Jesus. It could be anywhere from a few days up to two years. We base that on the edict of King Herod to kill all baby boys, ages two and under, living in and around Bethlehem, the place where the Messiah was to be born. Herod based his evil order on the timing of the appearance of the star as related to him by the wise men. We also know, according to the Bible, that when the wise men reached their destination, they saw a “child” in a “house”, rather than a newborn babe in a manger or stable. So, contrary to our typical coffee table arrangements of the nativity, the wise men were not there on the night of Christ’s birth. To be historically accurate, it might be better to place those Magi figurines on another table somewhere across the room.

Over the centuries, a number of legends or assumptions have arisen regarding the wise men. For example, we don’t know that there were literally three. We know only that there were three gifts. And we have no clear evidence that they were actually kings, although we can assume with some certainty that they were men of financial means. And we also can safely conclude that they were learned men with a keen interest in stargazing. The Bible makes no mention of their names, although somewhere along the way they acquired the unusual monikers Gaspar (or Caspar, as in the friendly ghost), Melchior and Balthazar. (Definitely not among the most popular baby names for 2007.) Other than the Bible telling us that they came from the east, we don’t know anything about their land(s) of origin, although some have speculated that they came from Persia (modern-day Iran). Others see them as royalty representing the 3 known continents at the time of Christ—Europe, Africa and Asia—and even arriving by 3 distinctive modes of transportation—horse, camel and elephant! (Wow, I’ve never seen a nativity scene with an elephant!) Of course the Bible doesn’t tell us how the wise men traveled. Camelback has always been a pretty safe assumption for that time and locale. I’m fairly confident, at least, that it wasn’t by Greyhound or the Orient Express. Obviously, people like to read between the lines and fill in the gaps. And many people tend to have very interesting imaginations.

Now, back to where I started—the traditional Hispanic observance of 3 Kings Day on January 6th. This is the day that children receive their gifts. The gifts are delivered by the wise men rather than Santa Claus. In preparation, the night before, children—instead of hanging up stockings—place their shoes in a prominent place before they go to bed. In Mexico, children traditionally leave their shoes by the family nativity scene or by their beds. Often, the shoes are filled with hay for the camels. In Spain, the shoes are polished in preparation for the kings’ visit. Food is left for the kings as well as for their camels. In Puerto Rico, the children fill a box with grass or hay for the camels and place it underneath their bed.

I kind of like this idea of the 3 wise men, rather than Santa Claus, delivering presents. Of course the downside is that you have to wait 12 more days before you receive your gifts, which could be problematic if you’re a really impatient person.

I also like the idea of Christmas extending over a period of 12 days. Now, of course, we in North America tend to celebrate Christmas in the weeks leading up to Christmas. Unfortunately, a lot of that has to do not so much with our religious observance of Advent, but rather our excessive commercialization of Christmas (i.e., the ever-expanding Christmas shopping season, which once began after Thanksgiving, but now in many instances starts immediately after Halloween!) But once we finally get to the actual day celebrating the birth of Christ, it just all seems to end so abruptly (except for after-Christmas sales and gift returns!)

Speaking of commercialization, I recently read that some retailers in the United States, located in regions with a sizeable Hispanic population, have been test-marketing a Three Kings Day emphasis in their stores the past couple of years. Traveling Magi have been sighted in Houston and El Paso-area Wal-Marts. One mall in Florida I know of even replaces its Santa with the 3 Wise Men after December 25th. I suppose these merchants see all of this as a new way to increase their profits by extending the Christmas shopping season for 2 more weeks!

Ironically, in Spain, as well as with many of our Latin American neighbors to the south, the 3 Kings tradition has been losing ground in recent years. This is because of our ever-shrinking world and the ever-increasing exportation of American culture to other lands. Many people of other cultures welcome this encroachment, because they want to be like us, and that includes celebrating Christmas the way we do (i.e., an increased emphasis on shopping and Santa Claus).

Anyway, I personally think this whole 3 Kings Day thing is kind of neat. And to me it would be sad to see this old tradition go by the wayside. So, although I’ve never done it before, I think I’ll do my part to keep it alive by putting some grass or hay in my shoes tonight. I know Sandy might not like the idea of a bunch of camels traipsing through our house while we sleep, but I think it’s a lot better than running the risk of reindeer hooves putting a hole through our roof.

Buenos Noches!

Pastor Danny