If This Guy Is Looking For A Bass Player, I’m Available!

One of the great joys of preaching at Harderwyk for me is the chance to collaborate with my friends Pastor Aaron VanDerVeen and Pastor JB Wernlund. We pray and study together each week sharing ideas and resources. It was JB that introduced us to Daryl Davis and his story as we prepared for our sermons on Sunday, November 21. CLICK HERE to see that service.  The sermon begins at about 28:00 and the illustration come in around 51:00.

But there is soooooooo much more to Daryl’s story than I was able to share on that Sunday, so I’d like to collect all that I learned for you to enjoy as well.

 An African American Confronts the Klan in “Accidental Courtesy” - This 2016 article in Christianity Today magazine gives more focus on his Christian faith.  CLICK HERE- or go to www.ChristianityToday.com and enter "Daryl Davis" in the search box.

Accidental Courtesy: Daryl Davis, Race & America – Is the documentary film mentioned in the article above. In my search, I have found that it is no longer available on Netflix, but can be streamed – for a price – on Amazon.com.  CLICK HERE to purchase access. Because of my schedule, I have not yet seen it, so check back for my comments in a week or so. 

Daryl Davis - Who Lights The Way for Jesus? – This is a 2-minute YouTube by the Veritas Forum where Daryl Davis recounts the story a conversation he had with a “Klans-friend” where he points out that the Klan worships a different Jesus than Christians do.  CLICK HERE

Daryl Davis – Amazing Boogie Performance – Not sure what “Boogie-Woogie” is all about? In this 3-minuted YouTube - CLICK HERE, Daryl explains with his fingers on the keyboard. If this guy is looking for a bass player, I’m available!

 Daryl Davis – Sermon Illustration - Finally, here is my text from the sermon telling Daryl’s story edited from a March 18, 2020 article in the British daily The Guardian.  CLICK HERE for the full article.

The story starts in 1983, at a roadside juke joint called the Silver Dollar Lounge in Frederick, Maryland. Daryl's band was the headliner that night and being the only black man present did not perturb him at all.

After he and his band finished their set, Davis was approached by a patron who was around 15 years his senior. Not an unusual occurrence for a working musician. However, while praising Davis on his performance, the patron candidly noted that he had never seen a black man who could play like Jerry Lee Lewis.

More curious than offended, Davis used this encounter as an opportunity for friendly discourse rather than outrage. “I explained to this older white guy that Jerry Lee Lewis was influenced by the same black boogie-woogie and blues piano players as I was,” Davis says with a chuckle. “He didn’t believe me. Then I told him that Jerry Lee is a good friend of mine and well, he didn’t believe that either, but he was fascinated.”

“So he asks me to join him for a drink,” Davis continues. “Now, I don’t drink so I had a glass of cranberry juice and then he took his glass and cheered me. Then he said, ‘You know, this is the first time I ever sat down and had a drink with a black person.’ I was instantly curious and thought, ‘What’s going on here?’ So I asked him why. He didn’t answer at first but eventually admitted that he was a member of the Ku Klux Klan.”

Daryl has continued to engage and befriend members of the KKK. Growing out of these conversations, many of them centered on Christian faith, over 200 have left the Klan, and given Daryl their robes!!

Friends that is the adventure of the Grace-Gifted Body of Christ

          Living in the adventure of our moment as a Missional Minority

Joining the Journey with others

          To be Found In, Formed By and Following Jesus

Grow Your Heart In The Gospel This New Year

 The New Year Is Coming

I am not typically inclined toward “daily devotionals.”  You know the books that have a one-page thought for each day of the year? For my own life – and for those I am discipling – I usually focus on developing the spiritual discipline of daily Bible reading, especially with the Lectio Divina method.  Think of it as getting to the source itself, rather than getting second-hand thoughts from someone else.

That said though, I have had a great time over the past few years meeting twice per month with a group of men over breakfast where we take a gospel-centered “daily devotional” and use that as our starting point for spiritual conversation. Every other week we order breakfast and then ask each other, “So what did you underline over the past two weeks?”  This format seems to have given us all the right balance of focus, content and freedom, so that the participation, reflection and growth for each of us has been wonderful.

The key to this all working seems to be having a really solid and “Gospel-Centered” devotional book as the starting point.

 It is not about “inspiration for my day:” an engaging illustration to ponder, or a memorable moral or a nugget of Bible knowledge. Instead, the devotionals that we have found and used help us navigate the pathways of our heart and be fed on the Good News of our new life “in Christ” as adopted children of the great King. The conversation has been rich because of the richness of the Gospel of God’s Grace.

Here are three of the devotionals that I can say are “tried-and-true.”  Why don’t you consider picking one up for yourself, or giving one as a Christmas present or better yet, get several and commit with some friends to a regular time and place to sit down together and as, “So what did you underline since we last met?”

New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional  by Paul David Tripp - Paul David Tripp is one of the best writers I know for navigating the depths of my heart and motivations in light of the Gospel.  His pastoral background shines through in these daily readings. CLICK HERE for Amazon.com link

God’s Wisdom for Navigating Life: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Book of Proverbs by Tim & Kathy Keller – I call Tim Keller my “Gospel Yoda” and the people of Celebration know well the appreciation I have for him. These reflections on the wisdom of God in Proverbs are written with his wife and marvelous for facing the issues of daily life.  CLICK HERE for Amazon.com link 

Mockingbird Devotional: Good News for Today (and Every Day) by Ethan Richardson and  Sean Norris - This one was a surprise for our group. I love the website MBird.com. The movie, music and pop culture illustrations were more natural to the Millennial demographic, but the Gospel was so richly permeating everything written, that each time we met we had great spiritual conversations. Plus, I learned more about the movies my kids are talking about!  CLICK HERE for Amazon.com link