Gayle Erwin’s Newsletter
Volume 26, Number 1
Jerry
The intensity in his voice foretold the nature of our phone conversation. When he determined that I was Gayle Erwin, he blurted out, “The Jesus Style is the most powerful book I know other than the Bible. It has changed my life. But I have a story to top that one.”
I waited, little knowing on that mid-August afternoon that his story would have us both crying before the conversation was over.
He continued, “I went on a ten-day Hawaii cruise and took your book to read again as a part of my morning devotions. In one of the ship lounges, I sat with my Bible open and The Jesus Style laying face-up beside me. An 84-year-old gentleman stopped as he walked by, pointed at your book, and asked, ‘What is that?’”
“I quickly explained that the book described Jesus. ‘Here, would you like to read it?’”
“I can’t read with my eyes like this at my age. Anyway, I am on a ‘goodbye’ cruise with my family. I sold everything I had to bring my family on this trip. The doctors gave me two months to live with my cancer, so I have paid for this cruise for all my family to say goodbye to them.”
“Will you let me read it to you?”
“Sure. Why not. I have been an alcoholic all my life. In fact, I plan to get so drunk I won’t even know I am on this boat. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to hear this.”
“So, for the next four mornings, I read the entire book to him. On the fifth morning, he accepted the Lord and asked Him to forgive his sins. I marveled at the timeliness of our meeting and thanked the Lord for the power of The Jesus Style to reach into his heart.”
However, the story had only begun.
On the flight home, as this 84-year-old sat beside his son, the son asked what had happened to him that he wasn’t drinking and was no longer so foul-mouthed. The father told him what had happened and brought out the copy of The Jesus Style that Jerry ultimately gave to him.
“What is it about?” the son asked.
“Here, read it for yourself,” the father replied as he handed the book to his son. By the end of the five-hour flight, the 57-year-old son had also begun his walk with the Lord.
But the story was not over.
The 57-year-old son had two sons in Georgia, who, like the rest of the family, lived as far away from Christ as they could. When the grandfather died three days after the cruise, they both accepted the Lord. He strongly urged them to go to a church in that town that was the same kind that the “Jerry” fellow went to. The Gospel quickly penetrated their lives.
Jerry interrupted this story to exclaim again how anointed he felt the book was. Then, he asked, “Do you have a few minutes? Would you like to hear my story?” He didn’t need to ask.
“I grew up as a Christ-hating pagan myself. My grandmother was the only godly woman I ever met other than my wife. I had a brother-in-law who was a strong Christian, but that was my only interface with Christianity. In fact, this brother-in-law told me once that God had revealed to him in a dream that I, Jerry, would become a Christian before he, my brother-in-law, died. To this, I only laughed.
“For twenty-five years my wife prayed for me every day, until the power of what the Holy Spirit was doing brought me to the crunching moment.
“Ten years ago, my brother-in-law lay in a coma on the hospital bed. Doctors said he would not live through the night. I sat beside him, holding his hand, remembering the prediction of his dream and feeling the incredible pull of the Holy Spirit.
‘“God, I don’t know how to pray. I don’t know what to say, but if you will take away my morphine habit and my other bad habits and let my brother-in-law die tonight, I will try to make the best Christian I can be.’ Peace settled across me. I noticed that tears had filled my brother-in-law’s eyes and I felt a squeeze from his hand. Twenty minutes later, my brother-in-law died.”
As Jerry continued our phone conversation, he tried to cover his choked-back tears by telling me he pulled off the freeway to call me, because he knew he couldn’t drive while telling me this.
“Now,” he continued, “I am a business man and I have noon-time Bible studies for anyone interested. We are using The Jesus Style and four of my employees have accepted Christ.”
However, the story still wasn’t over.
Back to the family of the 84-year-old man. At last count, 47 members of his family have begun to follow Jesus. All of this between July and December of 2005.
Somehow, I don’t think the story is over yet for that family or for Jerry Patrick or for The Jesus Style.
ISRAEL, AGAIN
I am planning another trip to Israel March 5-16, 2007. If you are interested in receiving the details, call our office at 1-888-321-0077 or email me at gayle@servant.org.
Servant Quarters, Vol. 26 #1
Published several times a year.
Available by request by e-mail or by post.
PO Box 219
Cathedral City, CA 92235
760-321-0077
FAX 760-202-1139
VOICE 760-321-0077
ORDERS 1-888-321-0077
Email: gayle@servant.org
Website: www.servant.org
Katrina
How terrible to put such a sweet name on such an awesome disaster. Many of you know that my parents live in Pascagoula, Mississippi and that their home was badly damaged by Hurricane Katrina. Because of surge water, they lost all of their furniture and appliances along with a lifetime collection of mementos and important papers. The house had to be virtually gutted and all the interior doors and cabinets replaced.
I flew down and retrieved them (ages 88 and 92) shortly after the hurricane to live with us for the next three months. Some of you felt the effects because of what I had to cancel in my schedule.
My job was to work with FEMA, since I was the only one with internet capability at that point. Meanwhile, my two brothers, J.M. and Wayne, began the complicated work of restoration. Wayne lives nearby and had to work on his own damage as well as help restore the damage at the company that employed him, so he had multiple jobs. His wife, Kathy, added great decorative skills.
Rebuilding supplies were scarce, so J.M. and his sons, regularly brought trailer loads of building materials from Virginia where he lives. He is a construction superintendent, so his skills were much needed. J.M.’s wife, Janet, spent much of her time there working on the house. He totally lost the houses they owned in Pascagoula and has no plans to rebuild them since insurance companies have called it flood water and refuse to pay.
However, this is not just a blood family story. This is a kingdom story. Here is how.
Churches across the nation poured their hearts and substance out to help. Sandy Adams and his fellowship at Calvary Chapel of Stone Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia, became the director and funnel of help along the coast. My first cousin, Steve Mayo, joined as on-site coordinator. Now, churches from across the nation sent their skilled and caring workers to simply serve the Katrina victims. Workers arrived from as far away as Washington State, Oregon, Michigan, New York, Virginia, Missouri, Kentucky and Tennessee, to name a few.
As they say, “When the dust cleared…,” people from 18 different churches had worked on my parents’ house—clearing, rebuilding, restoring. My superintendent brother, J.M., was totally impressed with their skill and care. Some of them were impressed with my brother Wayne’s seafood cooking.
In mid-January, my parents returned to a better home than they had before.
We, as a family, pray God’s blessings on the 17 Calvary Chapels (maybe more) and Church on the Rock of Pascagoula for their expressions of the Love of God to us.
Perhaps, You Wondered…
Perhaps you wondered if you were off the mailing list for this newsletter, but now you discover you are still there. What happened? Let me explain.
Through the years the mailing list for Servant Quarters has grown beyond our ability to handle it in-house. To improve our production we are now having it printed outside without Gayle Erwin’s schedule and with a volume number rather than date.
We are also deleting rather than updating returned newsletters and encouraging email reception rather than by regular mail.If you need further information, please call us at:
1-888-321-0077
Letters!
Thank you for your writings. I appreciate your stories especially realizing what it took to trust God and your parents through a dramatic accident. I am thankful that your brother needed stories to help him calm down at night. I keep your stories and teachings on my nightstand.
When our area received CSN, I set my morning priority around the radio with Bible, notebook and pen. I fill my son’s Bible with notes. My heart experiences a transformation as well as my face. Hopefully, my son, who also loves your stories, will trust in the nature of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. I pray that he can see that nature lived out in me. I feel that I drag the flesh around with shock paddles to resurrect it.
In watching the TV show “Three Wishes,” I pondered what wish I might have if asked by the show. You came to mind. It would be a joy for my family to visit yours. I just didn’t know a smiling Jesus. You have put a smile on his face and, possibly, an Hawaiian shirt on his back.
Susan McCloskey
Virginia Beach, Virginia
I picked up the DVD and what a message you gave! John 5 is one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, and I had never before thought about the fact that the sick man could have refused Jesus and given the reason, “I don’t want to give up my spot”. After watching the DVD I thought about all of the “spots” in my life that I fight against giving up for the wonders God has for me. It is something that I told my daughters would alter the way I argue and make excuses with God in my ignorant times when “I know better” than Him.
Louis Escarcega
Menefee, California
Some time back, my friend, Sonya, and I were studying your series “The Jesus Style”, “The Father Style”, and we have yet to watch the videos of the “Spirit Style”. Sonya wanted to call you but she has cerebral palsy and has great difficulty in speaking. We did call you but she was so excited she couldn’t speak. You told us that you wanted us to get back to you when we were finished with the series.
I just wanted to let you know how much she has loved the series and how much she would like to meet you. She is confined to the Extended Care Unit in Tahoe Forest Hospital in Truckee. I don’t know what your schedule is like and I am afraid even to ask, but would you please consider stopping at the hospital to see her. She is so amazing, she loves the Lord and has been so terribly handicapped all her life. She has a wonderful sense of humor and so she just loves your tapes. She has been such a good example to me!!!!!
Eileen Milligan
Truckee, California
My mother and I have been listening to your show for awhile now. It is a huge blessing to turn it on and hear your messages, especially with what we’ve gone through in the past few years. My father cheated on and walked out on my mother when she was sick with double pneumonia 2 years ago, and she is still hurting from it. Your messages have been the only thing to make her laugh in years. I wanted to ask, is there any way possible for her to get any of your tapes?
A Friend
New York
I have recently begun to return to church and I have never felt or understood too much until I heard you speak. Thank you for being there.
Suzie
California
Thank you for once again blessing me with your witty insights to God’s word. My wife and I brought our children to an evening message of yours knowing they’d pay attention to your delivery style. They did. And, best of all, my two teenagers both experienced a Holy Spirit conviction for things in their individual lives. Thank you for saying yes when God calls.
A Friend
Washington
I have been listening to you from my friend’s CD and would love to share you with my friends and family.... I think you are a true blessing. Great balance of truth and love, exhortation, mercy and grace, oh, and did I say HUMOR...half the fun in re-listening to them is to hear the whole-hearted laughing in the background...there have been a few that made me laugh EVEN MORE. A sign of a great teacher!!!
Thank you for sharing the Love of Jesus with us all, in a very real way. You have become a sort of surrogate grandpa for me. And I feel fortunate to glean from the wisdom the Lord has imparted on you through experiences, and just out of His bountiful mercy and grace.
Andrea Bell
Portland, Oregon
I’m giving you opportunity to flip through your memory cards and see if you can find “Betty Reber”. It might say “she attended a weekend conference in Santa Ana where Lloyd Ogilvie also spoke.” Or it could say, “was director of Released Time Christian Education in Orange and asked you to speak at their board dinner.” Or perhaps, “saw her up at Calvary Chapel Lake Arrowhead.” If you find no card at all, it is not necessary for what I want to share with you.
I got a tape of your talks at Santa Ana. We listened to them often and with great joy and laughter.
In 1999 we moved to San Antonio. The following year I was asked to give a workshop on Storytelling at an Awana teachers conference. I had the workshop pretty much together when I thought of your Frog kissing story. I played the tape over and over—stopping and starting until I had copied the story. I put it in a giant lily pad shaped book and used it as an example that sometimes a story just needs to be read.
This last Oct. I went to Croatia and Bosnia with our church team (four members). In my storytelling workshop I used the story and they loved it.
Last month I was asked to speak at the Annual Teachers’ Appreciation Banquet at our church (Wayside Chapel) which will be held in March. They wanted me to use the “frog” story. We have marvelous table centerpieces featuring frogs. (of course!)
I wanted you to know how God uses messages in ways we can never imagine—or seldom hear about.
I am 76 now and when they asked me to go to Croatia I began to wonder if I could have anything to share at my age. On the Sat. before we were to leave I got a call and a man asked if I were the Betty Reber who taught RTCE at LaVeta school in Orange. He had been searching to find my phone number. He said someone he called said “I’m not sure she is still alive.” He wanted to tell me that I had introduced him to Jesus and he had gone into full time ministry and was going to Israel.
I was so in awe and was able to tell the teachers over there that it may be a very long time—that was 25 years for me—or we may never hear—but when we share it goes on and on. My age proved to be my greatest asset.
I thought that “hearing back” had meant so much to me that I should pass on the encouragement.
I am so enjoying being a Princess!!! You see, I was a frog myself once.
Betty
California
For a few years I taught a Christian Ethic Course in the Department of Corrections which was taken from Jerry White’s book about Honesty, Morality and Conscience, coupled with your Servant Quarters tapes and most importantly founded on the Word of GOD. Strangely enough the course became the only recognized Christian program by the department as a program with promise...little do they know “How much Promise”.…
I pretty much wore your tapes out—they are beat-up! Is there a DVD set you can send me...? I will continue to share your precious love for our KING through them.
Bryan & Linda Gaston
Trinidad, California
I wrote to you about 8 years ago—Becky was nine and she had a set of your cassettes, and she would sit in the back of the car with your messages on her head phones. Every once in a while, we would hear her giggle from the back seat, as she was listening—it brought me great joy to hear her chortling over the Word.
Things haven’t changed a whole lot, except that now she is in the driver’s seat, and listens to you on her MP3 player that she somehow has affixed to the radio of her car. She still giggles a lot. She has grown up in a slightly similar situation as you described in one of your messages. She is pretty bright, and is geared toward a medical career. God has graciously allowed her to score pretty well on her testing (see—we should tell everyone who seeks improved standardized test scores to listen to some of your messages weekly) and she is at present agonizing about which college to pick. I try to tell her it doesn’t matter a whole lot, but it isn’t sinking in at this age. She is just weighed down by thinking the decisions she makes now will change her whole life.
We listened to your message about how you ended up walking away from a medical career, and I am not sure the Lord does not have something similar in mind for her. I was hoping that maybe you would pray for her from time to time, as God brings it to your mind—that He will just guide her into whatever role He has chosen for her, and that she will sense his presence in all this. I am very grateful that you made the choice to be a true healer, instead of a medical doctor.
Berta
LANGUAGES
The Jesus Style in Portuguese is now available and we have copies in our office. Call us if you need one or more.
Also, we have copies in German now in supply. Once again, call us, 1-888-321-0077.
NEW BOOK
By the time you receive this newsletter, my next book called Not Many Mighty will be in production. Pre-production price is $10 if you want to order ahead and wait. After that, the normal $12.95 which we usually drop to $12 for your orders.
RESOURCES
These messages are in CD and video DVD.
See below for DVD descriptions.
Audio CD $5
1. The Nature of Jesus, Part 1
2. The Nature of Jesus, Part 2
3. The Nature of Jesus (Mind of Christ passage)
Part 3
4. The Nature of Jesus (Mind of Christ passage) Part 4 (1-4 sold as
set only)
5. Are You the One? John 1
6. The Last Supper, John 13
7. Dealing with Manipulators
8. The Nature of the Father, Part 1
9. The Nature of the Father, Part 2
(8-9, 14-15 sold as set only)
10. All that God Is, Colossians 1,2
11. The Jesus Style of Leadership
12. Jesus, the Great Hunter, Luke 19
13.
Worship in Spirit and Truth
14. Spirit Style, Part 1 (Joy)
15. Spirit Style, Part 2
16. Hearing the Voice of God
17. Clues to the Nature of Jesus
18. Examples of the Nature of Jesus
19. Training of the Twelve
20. Peter, Before and After
21. One-Hour Seminary, Deut. 10
22. Three Great Relationships
23. Feed My Sheep, John 21
24. Portraits of Christ
25. Jesus and Family
26. Freedom and Bondage, Luke 19
27. For the Glory of God, 1 Peter 4
28. The Garbage Is Gone, 2 Cor. 5
29. The Two Prodigal Sons, Luke 15
30. Forgiveness, Col. 3
31. Hall of Fame, Mal. 3:16
32. Digging Wells, Psalm 84
33. Jesus vs. the Pharisees, Luke 5
34. Jesus Is Enough
35. Guaranteed Happiness, Matt. 5
36. Humanity at Poolside, John 5
37. Faith and Grace, Romans 4-5
38. Purpose of Discipline, Hebrews 12:1-12
39. Access to God, Luke 11:1-13
40. The Urge to Live, John 3:16
41. Communion, 1 Cor. 11
Video DVD Sets
These sets are in video only.
Israel - (4 hrs) DVD $30
Home Fellowships -(4 hrs) DVD $30
Couples Retreat- (4 hrs) DVD $30
The Holy Spirit - (10 hrs)DVD $40
The Gospels - (16 hrs) DVD $40
Video and Audio Sets
These sets have both video and audio availability.
God’s Nature (8 hrs) DVD $40, CD $25
Evangelism (4 hrs) DVD $30, CD
$15
Leadership (4 hrs) DVD $30, CD $15
Encouragement, (4 hrs) DVD $30, CD $15
Books $12 each
Audiobooks ( CD) $15 (Read by Gayle Erwin)
The Jesus Style
The Father Style
The Spirit Style
The Body Style
Handbook for Servants
That Reminds Me of a Story
That Reminds Me of Another Story
MP3 $25 each
MP3-2 All seven books read by Gayle
MP3-1 Messages 1-41 plus The Lord’s Prayer
Call us toll free at 1-888-321-0077
If you get only one item from this page, get The Jesus Style book.
If you get two items, get The Jesus Style book and also God’s Nature Video.
DVD DESCRIPTIONS
Each of our single DVDs contains two messages. Each single DVD is $15.
Our best set is God’s Nature which contains 8 of the numbered messages.
GN God’s Nature (1-4, 8-9, 14-15) ($40)
1. Are You the One (5); Jesus Is Enough (34)
2. The Last Supper (6); All That God Is (10)
3. Dealing with Manipulators (7); The Jesus Style of Leadership (11)
4. Jesus the Great Hunter (12); Humanity at Poolside (36)
5. Worship in Spirit and Truth 13); Purpose of Discipline (38)
6. Hearing the Voice of God (16); One-Hour Seminary (21)
7. Clues to the Nature of Jesus (17); Examples of the Nature of Jesus (18)
8. Training of the Twelve (19); Peter, Before and After (20)
9. Three Great Relationships (22); Feed My Sheep (23)
10. Portraits of Christ (24); The Two Prodigal Sons (29)
11. Jesus and Family (25); Freedom and Bondage (26)
12. For the Glory of God (27); Digging Wells (32)
13. The Garbage Is Gone (28); The Urge to Live (40)
14. Forgiveness ((30); Faith and Grace (37)
15. Hall of Fame (31); Guaranteed Happiness (35)
16. Jesus vs. the Pharisees (33); Access to God (39)
17. Teachers Handbook; The Lord’s Prayer