In Memory of Rose Daniel

I am reminded of a statement made by the Apostle Paul, "Seeing we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses let us run with patience the race before us." That is not a direct quote but close enough. This past week another "Witness" has finished her race and is standing on the sidelines cheering us on.
I will never forget meeting Rose Daniel for the first time forty years ago this next December. I had heard so much about her and her family. They were taking a Home Bible Study and after each lesson Mike and Margie Power would come to our house and update us on what had taken place. Then one Sunday morning, in December 1970, Rose and her family came to Church. We were so excited to have a new family visiting the Church. Then I found out that I knew their son, David, having gone to school with him for three school years. David and I soon became close friends.
Just a few weeks later Rose and Slim, along with others from the Bible Study group, were water baptized in Jesus Name. A few months later, in March, she received the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Rose began a different life than she had lived before.
Early in her relationship with Jesus Christ Rose developed a love for the Word of God. She loved good preaching. She loved good Bible teaching. As time passed, this love grew. I remember a Fellowship meeting not long after Rose had received the Holy Ghost. She had been studying her Bible trying to understand the Oneness of God. During this Fellowship meeting in Arcata, Brother John McDonald was preaching and began to talk of the Oneness of God. I was sitting behind Rose and suddenly, in a loud voice, she said, "I see it! I see it!" She had received a wonderful revelation of who Jesus Christ really is.
As a young person I spent a lot of time in Rose’s house. David and I were good friends so I was in and out frequently. I soon found out that Rose was a wonderful cook and so I tried to take advantage of that discovery. She was the only person who could bake a Blackberry Cobbler that I liked, and oh could she bake one!
I was a young man, just thirty-three when the United Pentecostal Church of Rio Dell asked me to be their pastor. I had grown up in this Church. Like I said, I hung out with David so his family knew me. I had some deep reservations about becoming Pastor to people who knew me "when" and could remember "what." However, I must say that not one time did I ever get the feeling that Rose Daniel did not look to me as her Pastor with honor and respect. I am sure there must have been occasions when she wondered if that "young fella" knows what he is doing, but she never voiced any doubts she might have had.
I was going through some pictures this week trying to find a good picture of Rose. I have stacks of them and it took several hours. Mainly because I was having to stop and wipe away tears and sometimes just cry. The memories were so precious. I was looking for some good candid shots of her. To my amazement I only found three. What I did find, however, spoke volumes of this precious woman. They were pictures of her worshiping her God. Her hands were raised! Tears were streaming down her face as she prayed as only Sister Rose could pray! Pictures of her with her hand on the shoulder of a fellow saint as she prayed with them. Encouraging them to keep praying until they received what they were needing from God.
Oh, I will never forget, in fact I can hear it right now in my mind, how she could pray and touch God. She had a voice that would ring with authority and familiarity as she would begin to pray in the Spirit, interceding for others before the throne of God. She wasn’t a stranger to God, you could tell they were on first name basis. In fact the song I remember her singing so often said it for her, "He’s my Lord and my God! He’s not just a stranger to me . . ."
There were several times when I would call the Daniel family, while I was their Pastor, to ask them to pray about a need. I recall one time feeling fearful and bewildered. I knew I had to have someone help me touch God. I called Sister Rose and just said that I needed her to pray about a situation with me, would she pray? There were no questions asked, just the assurance she was headed for her altar. What a peace that came over my soul knowing she was praying.
Melinda and I were talking one night and she reminded me that Sister Rose had been her Sunday School teacher for several years. I asked her, already knowing the answer, if she was a good teacher. Melinda, with teary eyes, told me of the love and dedication Sister Rose had for her class. She was teaching Junior Girls about the love of Jesus Christ and the importance of making Him first in their lives.
In many ways Rose was full of surprises. She was a private person. Yet she opened her home, for several years, to the Adult Sunday School Class to meet there each week. She took in a young man, Doug Giest, when he was in need of a place to live and she made him part of her family. She was giving to others, adopting some, mothering others. Rose was a precious lady. She was full of fun, a person who loved to laugh. She was a great friend with deep loyalty.
I, again, think of what must be going on in heaven. Another "Warrior" has gone home. There is a "song of sweetest praise drifting back from heavens shore" telling us that it is well worth the fight. The voice of Rose Daniel is assuring us that it is well worth every mile and every trial. Yes, there is a "Great Cloud of Witnesses" saying come on home! Sister Rose Daniel, we love you and will see you soon.

Father's Hands

Father’s hands, so rough and scarred,
Father’s hands, so strong and bold,
They fix, they work, they are there to hold.

Blunted fingers, callused palms,
Weathered, cracked, broken nails
Missing fingers, life’s story it tells.

Rough but gentle, hard yet soft,
Familiar with a hammer, accustomed to a saw,
Used in correction, extended in love.

Hands holding a Bible, God’s Holy Word,
Hands that were familiar with the pages,
A friend, a comfort, a confident through the ages.

Father’s hands, so strong and caring
Father’s hands, treating all alike,
Helping the old with a window, the young with a bike.

Father’s hands, so much like him,
They tell who he is and how he lived.
With them, to so many, he loved to give.

They are a picture of those hands,
Nail scarred, battered, splintered and bruised,
Hands of your heavenly Father, extended to you.
　
By Don Doran

In Memory of my father David L. Doran 1930-1999　

Oops! They Were At the Airport!

There is an old expression I have heard many times, “I am waiting for my ship to come in, but when it does come in I will probably be at the airport.” It is a classic example of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Another old expression I have heard is that you can’t get respect at home. You will always be remembered as you were not as you are.
Jesus had paid a visit to His home town of Nazareth. He shows up at the synagogue, as He usually did. He is given the book of Isaiah and begins to read a very powerful passage of scripture to them:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” Luke 4:18-19
Jesus then hands the book back and makes this statement, “Today is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
What a wonderful opportunity was given to the people of Nazareth. Here was Jesus, the Messiah. Here was the one they had been looking for, waiting generations for His coming. He is standing in their midst telling them the prophecy was being fulfilled right then and there. Oops! They are at the airport!
Jesus is telling them they can have their hearts, which have been broken by life, healed and made whole again. He is telling them that the chains of life that has held them captive, those chains can be broken and they can be delivered. He is telling them that those who have been blinded by life, by the lies of the enemy, can receive their sight again. He is promising them that those who have received bruising blows from life and sin, blows that have left them hurting, can experience the liberating power of the blood flowing through their lives. He tells them it is happening right there, at that exact moment, this prophecy is being fulfilled. Oops! They are at the airport!
Instead of excitement! Rather that being exuberant! They look at each other and their response is, “He speaks well. Where did he get this information, this knowledge? Isn’t he the son of Joseph the carpenter?” Oops! They were at the airport!
Jesus then shares a thought with them which was not well received, yet you and I should really pay attention to what He said, “There were a lot of widows in Israel in the days of the draught during Elijah’s ministry, but God sent him to a widow in another country. There were a lot of lepers in Israel during the days of Elisha, but again Israel missed out on the blessing as a man from Syria received the miraculous healing.” He was telling them Israel was at the airport!
The opportunity for a miracle was right there. Many widows were in desperate need of a miracle of oil and meal, yet they were not open to a miracle. They were at the airport. Many lepers were in need of being healed and restored to their family yet the faith and trust in God was not there. They were at the airport.
How often do you and I miss out on blessings from God because we are “at the airport?” I am talking about things that we are in desperate need of. Our heart might have been broken. Some tragedy in our lives that has left us crushed feeling like we will never be whole again. Yet we don’t trust God to heal that broken heart. We don’t believe He will do it. We are “at the airport!”
Have you been held captive by the past? Mistakes you have made in times gone by can hold you in chains of fear and doubt. Are your eyes blinded by the lies of the enemy? Is he tearing down your faith and confidence in God to the point you cannot see the possibilities God has for you. Are you bruised by life? Has the failures of yesterday left bruises in your life? The scripture tells us that God is the remedy to our situation, yet too often we don’t think He will do it for us. We are “at the airport!”
We read and hear about miracles taking place in Africa, South America and other distant places. We hear of wonders and signs happening in great numbers and then wonder why it doesn’t happen to me? We are at the airport. We have the confidence God can do it for everyone else but not us. We are looking for our ship at the airport!
He said the anointing was there for the healing, for the deliverance, for the opening of the eyes, for the liberation of the bruised. We can have it! It is a promise to the child of God! We just need to believe it can happen to us and then accept our promise. This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears! Where are you at? Are you at the airport waiting for you ship to come in?
Just a thought! God Bless…

In Memory of Sis, Jean Daniel.

Three days ago my phone rang and when I seen the name on the caller ID my heart sank. I knew the message the call was bringing. I couldn't take the call at that moment and when I returned it neither of us could talk very well because of the emotions we were experiencing at the news that Sis. Jean Daniel had received her long awaited promotion. In the past days so many thoughts and memories have run through my mind, all revolving around Sis. Jean.

I first met Jean and Will Daniel in December of 1970. They had been studying Search for Truth with Mike and Margie Power for several months and that Sunday they came to Church for the first time. A few weeks later, in a Watchnight Service, they were baptized in Jesus Name and God miraculously filled them with the baptism of the Holy Ghost in March of 1971.

So many things changed in our lives and in the Church from that time on. There was a new energy that came to the Church. Never one to do anything half way Sis. Jean was involved in everything. She started off as a soul winner, recruiting others to join her and Will in their home Bible Study, Slim and Rose Daniel, Peggy King, David Daniel all joined in at different times and all were baptized and received the Holy Ghost during the same week as Sis Jean.

Tragedy struck her life, as well as the Church, with a tragic boating accident that took the lives of Will and Maureen Power in August, just five months after they had received the Holy Ghost. Our concern was would this new spiritual baby survive such a blow? Although it was hard and there were many questions and lonely hours, she immersed herself into the Word of God and prayer. She gave herself to the Work of God and fought her way through the battle.

We were just talking about what a giver she was. Some of you might remember the 1971 yellow and black Datsun that she drove the wheels off of for Jesus. Miles were put on it selling Peanut Brittle in Rio Dell, Fortuna, Ferndale, Crescent City, Ukiah, Fort Bragg, Garberville and points in between. Driving to fellowship meetings in Oroville, Chico, Redding, Yuba City. Driving to Dinsmore, Bridgeville and Carlotta to teach home Bible Studies. Loading it up with 7 and 8 kids to carry them to Sunday School week after week. When she finally retired it with over 300,000 miles on it she bought another car and ran the wheels off of it for Jesus.

I remember my dad asking her to teach the Jr. High class. She had only been in the Church a short time and felt inadequate but she never said no when asked to do something, so she taught the class. Her students were David Doran and Mike Power, Jr. They should have never been allowed to be in the same class anywhere and here was a new teacher with these two "star" students. Every Sunday after Sunday School the teacher and the students had a meeting with the Pastor, but she stuck it out. Both students are living for God today and active in ministry.

She worked as a Sunday School teacher, Sunday School Supt. Outreach Director, Home Bible Study Director, Choir Leader. She played the piano, taught several to play the guitar. She made candy, sold candy, made crafts and sold them. She baked and sat at bake sales. The list goes on.

However there are two things about Jean Daniel that stand out in my mind when I thought about her life. One was Jean Daniel was a pastor's best friend. Not only was she a hard worker in the Church, but she went out of her way to take care of her pastor in any way possible. Many years ago several came to my dad and asked if he would go full time for the church. They pledged to pay 20% tithes to help him do this, they felt it was that important. Many years later, after Dad had retired and I was pastor, Sis. Jean was still paying 20% tithes to help her pastor and the work of God. I don't know how many times I had called her and said I need you to pray about this or just with me. I would hang up the phone and know that she was already on her knees praying. Dinners, after church refreshments were all taken care of by Sis Jean. I was 13 years old when we met. She watched me grow up, learn to preach. She saw the mistakes and failures I made as a young man. When I was asked to become pastor my reservation was the people I would be pastoring were people who had known me "when." Yet, I can honestly say there was never one time when I felt Sis. Jean did not honor and respect us as her pastor, although I am sure it must have been difficult at times.

Sis. Jean was a nourisher, but naturally and spiritually. Although she never had any natural children of her own, she adopted every little stray that came by and made them her children, even to the discomfort of some. It was just natural for her. When she taught some one a home Bible Study, she adopted them spiritually. She prayed for them. She visited them. She called them on the phone. She drove miles to bring them to church. She talked to her pastor about them. Anything she could do to help them to live for God, she did it. They were her children.

Just before he died, Sis. Jean's father, Bro. Burl Horn asked her to promise him she would take a Bible Study. She promised and kept that promise. When the news came of her promotion I couldn't help but think of what must be taking place in heaven this weekend. There are some warriors of the Cross who are welcoming home another warrior, saying Well done. There is a heavenly jubilee taking place as Burl Horn, Will Daniel, Maureen Power, Mike Power, Ronnell Tyler, Dora Estes, David Doran and others welcome home another one.

We will all miss Sis. Jean... but will never forget her, she has left too many fingerprints on too many lives to be forgotten...

Just a Thought...