Monday Morning Manna: When One Party Ends and Another Begins

Back in the day, when Monday Night football meant listening to Howard Cosell and Dandy Don Meredith, my favorite part came when the game was almost over, and it was obvious who was going to win, and Dandy Don began to sing, “Turn out the lights, the party’s over. They say that all good things must end.” As I conclude a wonderfully challenging Interim Pastorate of seventeen months, I’ve been singing that same song in my head. I have colleagues who don’t like serving as Interim Pastor. Just about the time you make really, good friends, their loyalty shifts to their new incoming pastor, and your party is over. I love being an Interim Pastor. This was my twenty-fourth such time to serve in this capacity. Perhaps it is because my Pastor-Father moved our family every few years, and just about the time I made really, good friends, good things ended. I learned to enjoy that lifestyle rather then protest it. I had a lot more friends than my peers had. So, I move on, having added another group of friends, watching another church from a distance, as they begin to revitalize and grow healthy again. As much as I enjoy Dandy Don (and Willie Nelson’s version) sing about the party being over, I also enjoy Robert Earl Keen, Jr. singing, “The road goes on forever, and the party never ends.” After all, God told Samuel to “walk before Me forever” (1 Samuel 2:30). So, like Samuel, I will walk on to another place of service, richer in spirit, because of the last stop along my way. Next!

Dr. Dan Crawford, Senior Professor at Southwestern Baptist Seminary, is the WestCoast Baptist Association’s Spiritual Life & Leadership Mentor. Follow Dan on Twitter @DrDanRC and Facebook www.facebook.com/dan.crawford.