ericwreaves.com

My Scalp Feels Great!

I dragged through the back door after a long week at our baseball tournament in Adalusia and our Student Camp in Panama City.  I dumped my dirty clothes in front of the washer and tried to gather my stuff and take it upstairs.  That night I wanted to take a shower but I could not find my shampoo.  I went downstairs to where I had emptied my bags and saw my shampoo bottle leaned against the wall.

It felt good to be at home.  It's always nice to sleep in your own bed and feel clean.  I woke up the next morning and fell into my routine again.  I showered and washed my hair again.  I noticed that my hair combed just like I like it.  It smelled good too. 

As I walked out of my bathroom, I noticed my shampoo sitting on the dresser.  I was confused.  If my shampoo is out here, who's shampoo had I been using?  The moment I picked up the bottle I burst our laughing.  I walked downstairs and handed the bottle to Angie who immediately began her therapeutic laughter.  I had picked up our dog Sadie's shampoo.  No wonder my scalp felt great.  It had a big Collie dog on the front and said, "Oatmeal formula for the treatment of dermatitis due to fleas".  Awesome!

Sadie and I have never been closer.  We have something strange in common now.  I even find myself strangely tempted to try some of her bacon bites.

  

Your Story

In today's world, people are accustomed to hearing truth through stories.  Rather than believing by accepting facts, today's culture processes information based on whether or not it is emotionally relevant to their lives.  Stories connect emotionally.

A skeptic to the gospel may not believe what we say, but he cannot truly deny our experience.  The basic tool you have for sharing your faith is the story of how Jesus Christ gave you eternal life and how He is your hope for everyday life. 

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord.  Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.  But do this with gentleness and respect.  1 Peter 3:15

You can also read the Apostle Paul's personal story in Acts 26.  You can see a simple outline of:

1.  My life before Christ.   2.  How I met Jesus.  3.  How my life has changed.

We have challenged everyone at Harvestfield to write down their testimony.  Now I am challenging you!

There are a lot of things to consider as you write your testimony with other people in mind.  Did you come to Christ as a child or adult?  What were the deep inner issues going on with you?  How did you try and satisfy those issues? 

If you need some help with these thoughts, email us at the church and I will send you the materials we went over in the last couple of sermons.

Write your story down and send it to me.  I know that there are people out there who need to hear how God captured your heart.  I know that you story contains details that will connect with other people.  Write it down so your kids won't have to wonder about your personal decision for Christ.  Bless them with the details that maybe you have never shared with them. 

We are trying to send our stories to as many people as possible.  Hopefully we can stir some hearts to as questions.  Send it to everyone in your address book.  Don't edit your list, take a risk and send. 

Send it to me. 1.  Before    2.  How    3.  Change

Don't forget to paraphrase the gospel in your own words.

1985

My youngest son, Mason, participates in Gadsden Jr. Golf. Its great fun and he is improving at a sport in which I am very much inept. A couple of weeks ago I was walking the course with Mason during a tournament and one of the other boy's dads looked familiar to me.  I asked him, "Do I know you from somewhere?"  "I don't think so." he replied.  We walked on and I kept wondering how I knew this guy.

I asked him a few more questions and found out that he graduated from Boaz in 1984.  Boaz?  I didn't know anybody from Boaz.  He finally looked at me and asked, "Did you work at Putt-Putt?"  Of course I did!  He did too!  After 23 years our paths had crossed again.  We had both worked for Frank Hughes at the Albertvile Putt-Putt!  We laughed and watched our sons tee off on the next hole. 

My brain was playing tricks on me at this point.  I need a psychologist to pull this next memory from my brain but I presented my rediscovered friend with this question, "Did we go to the prom together?"  He looked at me strangely.  "I mean, didn't we take our dates to a Japanese restaurant in Gadsden?  Ride together?"  He looked funny and said the name of the girl he took.  It's pretty funny what you forget.  Or at least what you forget to remember. 

It gets wierder.  After we chuckled about not remembering who we were I casually asked him where he went to college.  He said, "Jacksonville State".  "I did too!" I replied.  "When did you graduate." I asked.  "In '92." He whispered. (One of our sons was putting.)  "I graduated in 1992 too!  I couldn't believe that I had not seen him around.  Final question.  "What did you major in?"  "Marketing." he said.  "I did too!  My wife did too!"  Wow, we're practically related. 

We left that day with a bunch of memories stirring around in our heads.  Our kids did well at golf and we would see them the following Monday at the next tournament.

We arrived early and I saw my common-law friend and he told me he needed to share something with me about Putt-Putt days.  We stood at the edge of the practice green and he told me this story.  "Eric, the night we took our dates to the restaurant on Prom night, I remember that I forgot my wallet and you had to pay for both of our meals.  I also remember that I never paid you back.  (I had absolutely no recollection of paying for the meals but I listened.)  So I did some calculating and with interest I should owe you about $91 dollars.  (23 years interest)"

He handed me an envelope which I immediately began to refuse.  "I can't accept payment on something I don't even remember!"  He kept insisting that I take it.  "You don't owe me anything." I said.  But he kept telling me that it would mean a lot to him if I would take it.  He said, "Its not 91 dollars.  Its just a gift certificate to show you that I appreciate what you did.  I remember that you always made people laugh and since I remember what you did I want you to have this."

I took the envelope and saw the gift certificate to one of our local restaurants.  (The Japanese restaurant is closed.)  I felt funny but appreciated his sincerity and kind gesture.  You never know what might pop up from your past. 

WHAT NOBODY KNEW.  That week was one of those weeks when Angie and I were under a lot of financial pressure.  Our bills were zapping our funds and I literally had no money to eat lunch on for the week.  I had just told Mark in the office that I was going to have to roll some pennies just to eat lunch.  I had prayed that morning, "God, help us make it through this week.  I surrender my finances to you over and over.  I know you will provide."  I didn't know God would take me so literally as to give me lunch money that was secured 24 years ago!  God blows me away at how he orchestrates our lives. 

What Now?

Sherry has been in heaven for three days now and the Lord is giving all of us grace to try and catch up with reality.  We celebrated her life this morning and everyone who sang or spoke during the service was moved along well by the Holy Spirit.  Those who attended were generous in their love and encouragement for the family. 

After the graveside service, many of us were standing around looking at the casket.  Al came up to me and said,  "Well, there's really no use hanging around, Sherry's not here."  Those words were spoken in the great reality that those who are in Christ, and are absent from the body, are present with Him. 

Do not forget to continue to encourage Al and his family.  Stay close to them.  Love them.  Let Sherry's life and death make a tangible difference in you.  Do something. 

Pray for our church.  I know that the Lord has plans.  I know our children need us to be active in our service to Christ.  As for strength to continue, "Strength will rise as we wait on Him."

Seeds

I still can't get a grip on reality.  My wife and children are having a difficult time with Sherry's passing.  Yesterday, when I told my youngest son Mason the news, tears literally shot out of his eyes and we sat in my office together and cried.  Then he choked out these simple yet truthful words, "At least Ms. Sherry is in heaven." 

Mason had heard Ms. Sherry talk about heaven all his life.  He had watched Ms. Sherry walk in the Lord and live out the gospel in front of him.  We had been in her home and been in her life.  So, when the sudden events of the past week ended in death, Mason comforted himself with the reality of heaven.

I read 1 Corinthians 15 this morning.  Let me encourage you with some excerpts for this chapter:

(Paul is comparing what we will be in heaven with seeds that are sown into the ground and spring up as something profoundly different.)

"So it will be with the resurrection of the dead.  The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable.  It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory;  It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body."

"we will bear the likeness of the man from heaven (Jesus)."

"Death has been swallowed up in victory.  Where, O death, is your victory?  Where, O death,is your sting?  The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.  But thanks be to God!  He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.  therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm.  Let nothing move you.  Alwasy give yourseles fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain."

Could we recognize Sherry if we saw her today?  Yes, but she is different.  She has become what God had in mind when He "planted" her on earth.  She has "bloomed" and become a radiant reflection of the glory of Christ. 

I'm sure we will all do a lot more crying this week.  But be comforted knowing where Sherry is and imagine what this life looks like from her perspective.  She would say to us all, "Keep going, keep trusting, hold to the gospel as Christ holds onto you.  You can't imagine what you are becoming, but it's worth every ache, every discomfort, every hardship, because what awaits those who believe far outweighs any difficulty that life may bring."

Sherry

Our Children's Minister, Sherry Gill, passed away around noon today.  We asked the Lord to heal her, but He must have had higher plans.  God used Sherry's life and struggle with death to display His glory.

I have spent as much time with Sherry as I have with anybody.  Time reveals a lot of things about a person.  For Sherry, time revealed her compassion for others, her gentle spirit, her faithfulness to her calling, and a deep love for her husband Al. 

Sherry's illness did not take God by surprise. He was not distracted by other things going on.  He did not ignore our prayers or look beyond our needs.  God took every final breath with Sherry.  In His sovereign perspective, He is unfolding a plan that far outweighs even the necessity for Sherry to remain on this earth.

I am convinced that things look much different from heaven.  Death, life, decisions, all are viewed from an eternal perspective.  We are the Lord's, and whether we live or die, we are still the Lord's.  So, we are mercifully used as vessels to accomplish Jesus' mission here on earth.  Sometimes God heals us from life-ending diseases.  (Sherry had already been healed of breast cancer so she had experienced what it is like to be delivered from death.)  Sometimes the Lord allows physical infirmities to take their course as He views death through the lens of His love, provision, and presence.

One of Sherry's most used verses is Jer. 29:11.  I have heard her teach this to children and adults.  God says, "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."  I used to think that verse applied to this lifetime exclusively.  But as God gave hope to the Israelites who were in exile, He gives hope to those of us in Christ.  God's plans for us extend far beyond what we call life.  Sherry is with the Lord who spoke these words.

I suppose I'll write more later.  Be praying that many people come to the Lord by the softening of their hearts through Sherry's journey.   

A Silent Turkey Season

Where are all the turkeys?  I know, you all see them as you drive along.  Huge toms...flocks of hens...sounds of thunderous gobbles! 

This has been the hardest season for me since I started pursuing the wild turkey about six years ago.  I've only had one bird gobble and the rest of my mornings have been silent.  Why?  I could write pages on why but I've only got 8 days to find some birds who might be interested in getting shot.

I know I'll be a better man after turkey season.  That is, if I prove successful in bagging a bird.  Otherwise, I may come across as one privately conflicted over some deep crisis within.  Or my emotional fervor may be unleashed on some unsuspecting bystander at the gas pump. 

I took my boys to trade day last Saturday and saw the most hidious sight I have ever seen.  (No, not the lady who bought her summer wear at "Too small for you".)  I saw a turkey who had no tail feathers!  They were all gone!  He tried to strut but he only came across as grotesquely humiliated.  The ironic thing was that he was gobbling his head off.  There you go.  That's about the summary of my turkey season.  Standing next to a woman who obviously had no friends who would be honest about her wardrobe selections, my hunting needs were being exploited by a fanless bird who could only get the "gobb" out of the "gobble". 

I feel better after writing this down.  However, if any of you could take me to any of those birds you're seeing as you drive along the countryside, I would really appreciate it.  Otherwise, I might have to return to Collinsville and purchase a tail-less turkey.   

Discipline?

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.  No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.  later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Therefore, strengthen your feeble arms and week knees.  Make level paths for your feet, so that the lame may not be disabled, but rather healed.

Hebrews 12:7a-12

United Prayer

Over the weekend our Children's Minister, Sherry Gill, received an initial diagnosis of liver cancer.  I'm asking all of us to intercede on her behalf.  I would encourage you to seek the Lord and His will as we ask for healing. 

A few years ago, Sherry was healed from breast cancer.  The Lord was so gracious to allow us to experience His miraculous power and has set before us an incredible foundation for our present need.  I know the Lord heals.  I believe that there is no obstacle that can stand in the way of the sovereignty of God.  So, we ask. 

God's goal is to glorify himself in front of a lost world.  We know that is His will.  So let us be diligent to pray and seek Him and encourage the Gill family in His divine process.  Our church family will be staying very close in both prayer and trying to meet the physical needs we can.  Please contact our church offices for meal schedules or updates as to Sherry's progress.

Heal me, Oh LORD, and I will be healed.  Save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise.  Jer. 17:14

Say What?

WARNING:  THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS EXPLICIT LANGUAGE AND MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR YOUNGER AUDIENCES.  AS A MATTER OF FACT, IT MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ANY AUDIENCE. 

I am fully aware that we all experience life from different points of view.  Even those who are followers of Christ have "lenses" of experiences and influences that make things appear different.  So, sometimes I see things in ways that would be considered in the greatest of minority opinions.  Here goes.

We all want our words to have power.  To communicate effectively, we use adjectives, adverbs, and many kinds of colorful descriptors to paint word pictures for others to see.  Many times when we feel our words are not being considered in the magnitude of our desire, we try and jolt our influence with...well...lets say...curse words.  (In Aertvull we called them cuss words.)

Who invented curse words?  Who assigned the vulgar meanings and then repeated them in a vulgar context long enough for a segment of culture to embrace the novelty?  Why is one word considered swearing (even by pagans) and you can change one or two letters and be in the "crude but acceptable to Jesus" catagory?  Strange isn't it.

In no way am I saying that I am above what I just described.  While I have mastered the art of refusing to use the predefined list of cuss words,  (at least the big ones)  I am tempted to go to the list approved for Christian swearing.  After all, nobody thinks anything about what are called "vulgarisms".  I've heard the most devoted spiritualists eloquently spatter slightly altered curse words in streams of glorious frivolity without blinking a blackened eye.  Cool.

The Bible is clear about such speech.  In Matthew 12:34, Jesus says, "For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks."  Oh no!  Is it really true that your words reflect the real condition of your heart?  In James, the Word says, "Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing?  My brothers this should not be."  I could go on to fill this page with other Scriptures describing the task of controlling our tongues by controlling our hearts.  What am I trying to say?  The indictment is easily on us all.  What do we do?

Col. 3:8 "But now you must rid yourself of all such things as these:  anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips."  Pretty clear that cursing does not show that a person has given control of his heart to the Holy Spirit.  But by the Spirit's power, you can "rid" yourself of such things.  "Rid"?  Isn't that some kind of lice extermination medicine?  Cursing is like lice in your hair.  It lies just beneath the surface waiting to be scratched.  The more you scratch it, the more it itches and it won't go away on its own.   

My hypothesis is this: the same amount of filthy language we hear in the pagan world is said in the same frequency in the church.  Ouch!  Also, vulgarisms and curse words are the same thing.

One of the movies that was huge when I was growing up was Smokey and the Bandit.  Buford T. Justice could rattle off a line of cussing poetry that would make Bill Clinton blush.  It also made us laugh.  I never saw the movie at the theatre but I did watch it on the tube.  Hollywood censors substituted vulgarisms in the place of the real thing to make it acceptable for television viewing.  Do they really think that by saying a vulgarism that your mind would not automatically go to the "real" dirty word?  Hollywood has written the vulgarity script for the church.  Don't believe me?  Take the following test.  (Then spend some time in prayer.) 

Shoot __________________          Freakin'  ________________   Dad Gum  _____________________

Crap  __________________          Sheesh __________________  Darn-it ________________________ 

Son of a Biscuit ________________  Snap __________________  Chad _________________________

Gall Darn _____________________  Oh Lordy _______________  and the list goes on beyond my ability to keep typing them.  Maybe you have developed your own custom curse words. 

This may seem very trivial to you.  Through your lens of life it may even sound to legalistic to worry about such norms of society.  But my prayer is that we try to better manage where our source of power in words comes from.  We don't need the adjectives of the world to give weight to our words.  We don't need some sort of expletive to portray the indescribable emotions of our hearts. 

Please just try.  Try to get "rid" of anything that undermines the true devotions of the heart.  Cursing is one of the easiest things to stop doing.  It's a choice just like anything else and its usually one of the first things to return to our vocabulary as our "fire" for God lessens.