Dave Travis Now

Grandma Turns 100 - Today!

My grandmother turns 100 today - September 11.

Elsie Beech Travis Fitzgerald lives in Smyrna, Georgia now, near two of her children and in the same county another daughter.

She is not an old lady though.

Grandma still lives alone, still has a car (though she rarely drives now), and is very active.

I think she has stopped teaching swimming but still takes water aerobics. She teaches in the English as a Second language school. She used to play piano for the Childrens choir but they do music she has a hard time learning now. She teaches third grade Sunday School and is at church pretty much every time the doors are open.

In fact, a few years ago she cracked an important body part while teaching Sunday School. “I was turning around to lay a picture on a table and I just fell”.

At the hospital the doctor said – “well since you are 89 there is not much we can do.”

My aunt quickly let him know – “She is 99 and teaches swimming to stroke victims so you’d better get her fixed fast.”

After a few weeks of rehab she checked herself out of the facility because “they weren’t working me hard enough.”

God has blessed her life (and through her, my parents, and family blessed me as well).

She has five surviving children (one died as a baby), all educated, prosperous and happily married. My dad is the oldest and I am the oldest of her 13 grandchildren.

All of those in my generation are educated, prosperous and have good lives.

Her great grandchildren number around 23-25. I can’t keep track of all my cousin’s children. Grandma’s has 3 great grandchildren in college and several infants and all in between.

We are all fairly close to Atlanta area with a few exceptions and so we get to be with her often.

She has outlived many of her friends of her own generation including two husbands. A few years ago some of her last travel companions died.

Like many of her generation she enjoys watching “the Wheel” and “Jeopardy” on tv.

She enjoys the company of good friends, eating out, seeing her great grandkids, reading.

A few years back Jerry Falwell called me out on his TV program (he had his facts a little off) and while my friends were worried, grandma said “Jerry called your name on TV.” So she was proud that one of her favorite preachers knew who her grandson was.

So here’s to Grandma Fitz at 100. May God continue to bless her and her family.

What A Day at Mars Hill

No, not that Mars Hill. I spent the day Sunday at two special occasions worth mentioning. I’ll share the first one here tonight – Mars Hill Baptist Church near Watkinsville, Georgia.

It was their 210^th church anniversary and I had never been there before and neither had my mother, but she wanted me to go.

An ancestor named PH Mell was being honored that day both in the church service and in an afternoon plaque dedication near his grave. My mom and dad are traveling so I was designated to go and bring a report.

Mell was an educator, pastor, denominational president, College president and Chancellor of the University of Georgia. A quick google will pull up many documents about his life.

As a young man I read his biography written by his son, that book is now online. Mell has enjoyed a revival of his reputation partly due to his hero status among the Calvinist wing of the Southern Baptist convention.

Mars Hill Baptist is a beautiful facility and very friendly folks. I felt most welcomed there and Pastor Charles Jenkins led a worshipful and inspiring service. The preacher for the morning was Dr. David Smith, president of Brewton-Parker College, a Baptist College in south Georgia.

Pastor Jenkins mentioned that Mell also had a small hand in helping start Georgia Tech so I will have to investigate further.

I can’t recall how exactly we were related to the Mell’s but there were several rows of direct descendants there and I was pleased to meet and share some stories with them. They all live in south Georgia.

I was also blessed by the music led by Mike Sarratt. It was one of the best blends of contemporary praise and classical hymns I have heard in a long time. In speaking to Mike after the service I discovered that he is the son of the late Ray Sarratt.

I knew Ray as a friend of my grandfather and during my college days occasionally attended a prayer meeting at the Baptist Tabernacle in downtown Atlanta. Ray was a former star Ga Tech football player but never mentioned those exploits instead encouraging me in my studies and ministry. Ray died last year and I was grateful to be able to express my condolences to his son. And he remembered my family mentioning those that had taught him in Sunday School over the years.

I also got to speak to the family of my old friend, the late Claud Healan. Claud was an Associational Missionary in a neighboring association back when I served the similar role at Stone Mountain Baptist Association. He was a great encourager to me, inviting me to speak at several events, helping to send massive volunteers to the disaster relief team and being an all around fun guy to hang out with. He died suddenly a few years after I started working with Leadership Network and I didn’t learn of his death until weeks later. I was pleased to express to his son, daughter and wife my appreciation of Claud.

I knew Claud had been a pastor at Mars Hill in his younger days and had lived nearby. I remember when their old church building burned in the early 1990s and speaking to him afterward. Sometime I will tell you that story but his parting comment was “You watch, God will use this to his glory.”

After a good lunch and chatting with several good folks I made my way into Athens to the grave site of Dr. Mell. The Georgia Baptist Historical Society had an afternoon ceremony to dedicate a plaque next to his grave marker. I didn’t get to stay for the actual ceremony but did speak with a member of the Historical Commission briefly, Dr. Stewart Simms, pastor of the Beech Haven Church in Athens. He said the honor for Dr. Mell was long overdue. Dr. Simms seemed like a great guy and I wished I had more time to speak with him, but I did thank him for his part in the memorial.

My interview with Brother Dave

I have a cousin visiting me today, Brother Dave the Revivalist. He is in town doing a revival somewhere around here. I let him listen in to our Leadership Network Team call today. There were lots of questions from my staff about Brother Dave so I did this interview with him to help give context. Unfortunately my camera is broken right now so I don’t have a photo to post.

What was the name of the church where you pastor?

I presently pastor the Big Sandy Baptist Church of God Holiness in Christ Tabernacle #2.

Is it a multi-site and that is why it is called “number 2”?

No we split from the Big Sandy Baptist Church of God Holiness in Christ Tabernacle #1 a few years ago and we wouldn’t want anyone to confuse us with those heretics down the street.

And what was the reason for the split?

It was over the doctrine of hairology. There are some deacons wives in that heretical church with bobbed hair.

And where is this church?

It is sort of near Hahira.

How are you related to Dave Travis, Managing Director of Leadership Network?

Well, you see my cousin and his cousin, but also……well it’s complicated.

Is your church a growing church?

Actually BSBCOFHICT #2, we use that to shorten the name, is growing. We started with 8 members, grew to 9 the next year, and then 10 and we presently have 11 on the rolls. But we suspect that one of those is also a member at #1 so we aren’t really sure how to count him.

And also we went down to the peanut gin and weighed on the truck scales when we started and have grown from 1283 pounds to almost a ton. Of course that includes our new members.

Was there anything about that call today that you learned about Leadership Network?

Yes, I fear so cousin. I was shocked that none of the staff chose the King James Bible as their favorite book for the summer.

I think that was because of how I asked the question today.

Nosir. I think all books are evil.

What about other translations of the Bible?

What do you mean? If the King James was good enough for Peter and Paul, it’s good enough for me.

Thanks for being with us today cousin.

A special Father's Day remembrance

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I went to church with my mom and dad.

Both of our families are active workers in  our own churches but we converged at Eastside Baptist Church in Marietta, GA with other family members to remember a loved one during a special God and Country Sunday observance.

My second cousin, Ed Springer, had submitted the story of our family member for the possible inclusion into the service.  Each year, Eastside Church tries to tell the stories of service to our country and love of our God in a meaningful way.

For my entire life I feel I have been told the story of Frank Bettis Jr. He was known as Junie to the family, Frankie to friends. I only knew him through his parents, my great uncle Frank and my aunt Tee. Of my mother's first cousins, he was the oldest who survived childhood. All of them seemed to live in a small area of Atlanta, right in amongst each other.

I am told he always had a passion for flight and when World War 2 started he was able to enlist in the Navy Reserve to begin his flight training. His unit began training in 1944. On September 1st of 1944 he married his sweetheart and was off for further training.

1945 began the move up the training ladder and towards the Pacific theater. His unit, VBF 94, hopscocthed through the states, onto Hawaii and finally on ship the USS Lexington.

During his training and while on ship there were frequent letters exchanged between Junie and his wife, parents, aunts and uncles, grandparents, cousins. Some years ago the box of letters ended up with me, while other artifacts were scattered about the family.

My cousin Ed has been trying to centralize and digitize these for safekeeping.

Frank Jr. was assigned a special bomber version of the Corsair to fly on and off the carriers.

As the Lexington supported the battle in the Pacific one can read Junie's flight log book of each flight and its purpose. On June 20 he saw his first battle. "STRIKE" on Midway Island.

The pains of battle brought a new reality to Junie. Shortly thereafter a letter from the chaplain on board the Lexington was written to the pastor of the Baptist Tabernacle in Atlanta, Georgia stating that on ship Frank Bettis Jr. had desired to commit his life to Christ and be baptized. Lacking the proper facilities to do it like Baptists they had to settle for a sprinkling but the Chaplain asked that this might suffice until a later time as Frank would like his name placed on the roll at the Tabernacle.

On August 15 as the squadron was preparing for a strike on Japan the news was broadcast that hostilities had ceased, the flyers were ordered to drop their bombs into the ocean and return to base.

The letter home that day "The War is OVER, OVER, OVER" reflects the joy of the day on board the ship. And the letters written to him that day the same from stateside.

The mission changed from bombing to finding Prisoner of War camps and dropping materiel support to Allied prisoners in Japan. The squadron won recognitino for finding multiple camps earning a special medal from the Navy.

On September 1, 1945, his first anniversary and one day before the signing of papers ending the way, the squadron took off from the Lexington on a recon mission. Fifty miles out the ran through a very bad storm. Two planes did not come through the storm.

After extensive searches, Frank Jr and the other pilot, were declared lost.

The hardest letters for me to read are those written to Frank by his parents in hopes that he would be found. He never was.

My aunt and uncle were convinced that one day he would walk through the door. They remained in that stance until they died, now some twenty or more years ago.

Since that time I have been to the war cemetery on Oahu and seen his name on a monument there, as well as to the Lexington, now static museum in Corpus Christi where he is remembered as well on a plaque.

But yesterday's service was a fitting reminder of his sacrifice but also his testimony of faith in Christ. That is often a difficult challenge for churches in these types of services but the leaders at Eastside did a good job with it.

Thanks Eastside.

blast from the Past - 10 years ago

(this article I wrote 10 years ago. Since then Tiger has become the best player. With every challenge he has risen higher. Will his surgery and recovery this year do the same again?

Is Tiger Woods the best player in Golf? The World Rankings say so. But ask any golfer, including Tiger, and they will say the best golfer right now is someone else.

Two years ago Tiger Woods became a full time player on the PGA Pro Golf Tour. In his first year he ran away from the field in the Masters Golf Tournament and won Player of the Year. He electrified golf spectators and terrified his competitors. Augusta National, site of the Masters Tournament, has even redesigned some holes so they will be harder for Tiger.

Some said at the time that "Competition raises every sport to a higher level. The uneasiness we feel from being bumped (or shoved) out of our comfort zone is understandable." Commentators speculated that golf was going to get even more boring as one man would dominate the tournaments.

One group of golfers decided the talented young man was not going to dominate them. It included Wood's friend and neighbor Mark O'Meara. Some said O'Meara was too old to be competitive any more. Playing in the neighborhood course with his new buddy Woods, he took his game up several notches and won the Masters and the British Open last year.

Another young man decided to lose some weight and refine his game. He has become the most dominant golfer on Tour. David Duval has won 9 out of the last 28 tournaments he has entered. Two weeks ago he shot a record tying 59 to win the Bob Hope Golf Classic. That score has only been equaled three times in pro golf history. Duval had already won the Mercedes Championship two weeks before that. In between the two tournaments, he took a ski vacation.

Even Tiger Woods said of this accomplishment: "What you want to do out here is to prove you're better than any other player," Woods said. "David has been doing that."

Woods initiallly raised the bar and now Duval is raising it higher. Tiger set a new standard and expectation of excellence two years ago. The true competitors are going beyond.

I stroll down this path not just because I am a Duval fan, (hey, we went to the same school), but to illustrate how expectations of excellence motivate Champions to improve themselves.

I had confirmed again this week that when I find one large, healthy congregation in a community or county, I will also find at least two others. They may not all be the same size but they are all of significant scale and scope to be viewed as the leading churches of the area. I have also noticed that at least one of the congregations is relatively new. The clusters rarely share the same denominational label.

When you explore the history of these clusters, I find one of the churches began the growth path first. The others saw it could be done and followed.

In conversation this week with a pastor he told me of a mid sized city with 6 very large congregations within several miles of each other. Only two shared the same denominational affiliation. All had emerged in the last 10 years. Even more amazingly, it is not one of the fast growth cities of Florida.. The population is relatively stable in that city.

A recent Harvard Business Review article by Michael Porter, one of the leading authors on strategy, describes cluster effects. (See HBR – November/December 1998)

Porter describes the various industrial and service clusters in the US and Europe
The Silicon Valley would be one example for high technology while Dalton, Georgia would be the one for carpets would be one for carpets. In these company clusters groups of similar companies emerge to spur one another on to greater innovation and efficiencies. Suppliers and services to these clusters emerge. Peer pressure and civic pride spur the leaders of these organizations to excel. The companies find themselves constantly comparing their performance to their counterparts.

I don't want to equate churches to the same characteristics of the companies but churches on the growth edge do tend to compare themselves to other churches on the growth edge, not to another smaller church within their denominational tradition. An advance or innovation by one church in a community cluster will lead to adoption or reinvention in one of the other congregations. The expectation of excellence has increased in that community. I also usually find a lay organization or para church organization within those communities which acts as an informal network of shared ideas among the lay leaders within that community. In this way, innovations can be explored and normed before adoption within those congregations.

Leadership Network has built its ministry through the years through gathering the innovative, creative leaders who want to encourage one another to do great things for God. This is the story of all of our various networks. We want to help raise the expectations of excellence.

Our founder, Bob Buford says that the day Roger Bannister broke the four minute mile, every high school miler in the country lowered their time by 10 seconds. (How should I know it was 1954 and I wasn't around.)

Fifteen days later, Bannister's record was broken by 1.4 seconds. Within a year, 12 others had broken the four minute mile.

A challenge had been issued by Bannister, the expectation of excellence had gone up.
From the elite runners to the average high school athlete, the standards had been raised.

 How are you raising the expectation of excellence in the churches you serve? God does not call every church to be large but I do think God wants our best. Are the churches that you serve being encouraged on to excellence?

 

(this article originally appeared in a 1999 edition of Church Champions Update)