A plan to reprint his grandfather’s book of sermons turned into an 18-month project for Dan LaRock, who will introduce the book in Hills next week.
“I believe my grandfather, as a Methodist minister, would have loved to see his words come forward to a new generation, and, Lord willing, to even more people than the original work was able to reach,” LaRock said.
An open house book launch for “Grandpa’s Gift: How Old Wisdom Can Inspire New Life” will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 8, at Rock Ranch, 355 40th Ave., Hills.
Book proceeds will benefit Rock Ranch, an equine therapy and horse-riding lesson facility started by LaRock and his wife, Marie (Nelson), in 2016.
LaRock’s maternal grandfather, C. Maxwell Brown (affectionately called Grandpa Max), spent 32 years in the ministry, primarily in North Dakota and in the San Francisco Bay Area.
From 1960 and 1965, Brown delivered a series of radio addresses across the Bay Area. Thirty of those messages were included in a self-published book called “Backpacking in a Cultural Wilderness.”
In the book’s forward, written in 1985, Brown thanked his wife, Dorothy, for transcribing and saving copies of his radio sermons.
“She is now in heaven, but I send her my sincere thanks for the accumulated savings, which is rewarding me with interesting memories and encouragement during these retirement years,” he wrote.
Brown’s book arrived as he lived with his daughter, Beatrice’s family, that included a LaRock as a teen.
Brown died in 1992 when LaRock was 22.
Ten years ago, LaRock re-read his grandfather’s book and purchased copies of the book (still for sale on Amazon) to give to family members and friends.
“His words helped me with the cementing of my faith foundation. I feel like I know Grandpa Max better and better each time I read them,” he said. “They are timeless. They are rich with wisdom.”
Family and friends encouraged him to add his own words.
LaRock selected a little more than a dozen of his Grandpa Max’s 30 published sermons to include in “Grandpa’s Gift.”
“I didn’t change anything about Grandpa’s work. I just chose 15 of what I thought to be the most impressionable messages, which still really resonate for the times we’re living in, and added some of my thoughts as a guide through them,” LaRock said.
The book’s forward was written by Adam Weber, the lead pastor with Embrace Church. He read the book’s draft and found that “I couldn’t put it down.”
“It felt like I was sitting down with a wise, older mentor teaching me about God and life,” Weber wrote.
“What struck me most was the timeliness of Dan’s grandfather’s work. Even as I write this, I still can’t believe how relevant they are.”
LaRock partnered with Throne Publishing Group of Sioux Falls to bring “Grandpa’s Gift” to the public in both print and audio versions.
LaRock’s uncle, J. Wesley Brown, supplied the voice of Grandpa Max. Wes, also an ordained United Methodist minister, will also be at the book launch open house at Rock Ranch. Also attending will be Max’s daughter and LaRock’s mom, Beatrice, who lives in Sioux Falls.
The book comes on the heels of the death of LaRock’s dad, James, 87, in March 2022.
“My mom is thrilled with the book,” LaRock said. “It’s good to have that to think about during this season of change in our family.”
RSVP for Thursday’s open house at www.grandpasgiftbook.com