Gayle Erwin’s Newsletter
Volume 27, Number 3
All The People
You hear the sales pitch, “Order now. Quantities are limited,” or, “You
have been selected for this special offer,” or, “You can be seen
with a rich or famous person.” Why advertise this way when it shouts
deception? Because it works.
Everyone wants to be recognized as special. So few are. The poor vastly outnumber the elite, but TV and newspaper space only exists for the rich and famous.
Now, join a handful of men gathered at night for little extra security and a human voice to break the terrible loneliness of their jobs. What might their conversation be about? They knew they were a despised lot and could never rise above their lowest status. Would they have bothered to talk about God? Not likely. Would they expect that God would even take note of them? Not likely. Would they expect to become owners of the greatest news ever to hit this planet? Never.
Then why did it happen? What strange logic would cause the creator of the universe to send special messengers to set the gate of eternity before such a despised and distrusted group? Who could they tell? No one would believe their report. Fixed News Channel might interview their employers, but never talk to them. So, why?
The answer arrives in the report itself. To the shaken shepherds, the angels declared, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
All the people.
The news had to come to the shepherds first, otherwise they would consider it only for those higher than themselves. In this marvel of poor advertising methods, the God of Glory extends his love dramatically to “all people.” No one, regardless of his status, lives beyond the boundary of his reach and his love. No one.
And, to any who feel or believe that this all-time-greatest news is only for the few, reread the anouncement. Then, read it again.
True, the gate may be straight and the road may be narrow, but the sign over the gate reads, “Everyone Invited, Everyone Welcome.”
If I read the great banquet invitation story of Jesus correctly, the rich and famous, the movers and shakers are actually invited first, but they seem to have other pursuits on their minds.
I guess the traffic on that road will be composed largely of us down-the-roaders, and back-alley dwellers and country folks beyond the hedges.
— Gayle Erwin
Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!
Half A Century
About the time you receive this newsletter, Ada and I will (at least I will) celebrate 50 years of marriage. I still marvel at the wisdom of God to bring her into my life. Her remarkable skills and companionship have enlarged every part of my life and so blessed the lives of our children. We are still on our honeymoon. I have cleared a large block of my schedule in order to celebrate.
— Gayle Erwin
As this issue completes 27 years of publishing Servant Quarters Newsletter, once again we receive great pleasure in thinking of you, thanking God for you and praying that your own celebrations of the coming of Jesus will be filled with the knowledge of his presence and the joy of his salvation.
Gayle
and Ada Erwin
Clyde Erwin
Valerie Cottingham
Dave and Audrey Bjur
The Great “With”
I write this in Tucson, Arizona, in the midst of speaking at banquets for the Crisis Pregnancy Centers. They work faithfully and effectively below the attention of the media, out of love for God, for life and for the protection of the unborn and newborn. They also declare that their first goal is salvation for mother and father, and that the saving of the child follows as a natural consequence. I hear the distinct sound of Jesus.
No one values the salvation of people more than Jesus. No one loves and honors children more than Jesus. No one proves it more than Jesus by entering this human life as a child. His birth, though dramatically announced, occurred to a small group of shepherds whose reputation hindered the belief of their report.
Though visited by the wise, God pointedly sent the wise secretly away. Herod, the king, as rulers today still do, could protect his power only by killing all the small children. Off to Egypt until the death of Herod, Jesus and his family return to begin the awesome fulfillment of his descriptive name – Emanuel, God with us.
He moved among the common people, not searching out the elite to surround himself, but giving good news to people not accustomed to good news and healing people once resigned to their disabilities. Though the crowds kept following him, he only ran from them when they wanted to take him by force and make him king. Had he permitted them to do so, his days of being with would be over.
Kings and rulers are never with. Great care goes into protecting them. Contact is carefully limited and reserved for political influence. In the same way, executives of great corporations build levels of protection around themselves. Just try to phone one of them. The apostles tried to fulfill typical bureaucratic protection of Jesus as they rebuked mothers for bringing babies to him. Indignant displeasure demonstrated his desire to be with people by declaring that children were the substance of the Kingdom. The application for the Apostles and for any who wish to represent him screams at us.
If I choose to be and sound like Jesus, I need to also be close enough to be seen, heard and touched. If I choose to be and sound like Jesus, I need to value and serve people in the way Jesus did, especially in the way he cared for children.
God records the beginning for us, “Unto us a child
is born….”
Jesus records the finish, “Lo, I am with you always….”
Enjoy his presence.
— Gayle Erwin
Letters
I enjoyed your sermon “Hearing the Voice of God.” Is there a tape I can give a non-believer? He despises religion all together; however, he is curious and asks me questions in reference on Heaven. Most of the questions deal with where we are going after dying. I do tell him it is only through the blood of Jesus Christ that we are saved, but he believes being good will get him into heaven. I also tell him it is not about religion but the relationship he has with God.
Helen T.
(I recommend “Jesus the Hunter” or “Humanity
at Poolside.” –
Gayle)
Each Sunday morning, as I place signs in the neighborhood announcing our services, I am most pleasantly distracted/encouraged by your teaching on KWVE. Your style gets through the truth of God’s Word and connects with daily life.
Rob Carter
In a very unique manner, our lives have been touched in an eternal way. I believe today I am a greater, more effective ball of mud than ever before!
Phyllis and Gary Hall
I dusted off The Jesus Style book I received 20-plus years ago to see if you addressed any of the issues relevant to the emerging church cultures that we are experiencing today.You were without question ahead of your time and I enjoyed pulling some excerpts out that are right on target with what we are discussing at our church today.
Now, we have the emerging church, post-modernism, and the post-Christian cultures to contend with, but your book is still in style.
Our church, like many, is struggling to reach out to the fifth largest mission field in the world – the USA – while breaking out of failed church structures and still maintaining scriptural integrity.
Doug Sloan
Oklahoma City
What a blessing it was to hear you on WZXV 99.7 FM here in New York the other day – I giggled and came away with a big smile, not just from the humor but from the fresh look at scripture.
Bristol, New York
Some years ago you visited The Fellowship of The King in Bristol UK, and George who was playing the piano there was very taken with “The Jesus Style” message.
I am now married to George, and wherever we go, he hands out CDs of the MP3s that you said can be copied and passed on. He listens constantly in the car, tells your stories particularly one from a pod cast about the little man in George Street.
Whenever we meet people who might be even a little receptive George has handed out sets of your talks, even to people in restaurants…people on the next table talking about God, or estate agents, or friends, Pastors etc. This is more astonishing as George is not someone who would do this normally; he does not push any doctrines towards people, for instance. So to hand out Christian CDs is surprising, yet he is keen to do this. He has become a Jesus Style evangelist!!
Anyway I thought you should know you have an ally in George Chauvet here in Bristol/Bath UK. We hope to buy a house in this area and develop Christian things – in my case with arts, in George’s he likes to serve and cook and he is a computer programmer.
We are glad you are promoting a style that is kind and encouraging and we so wish more churches would walk in this here. We love the braces.
Claire
and George
Bristol, United Kingdom
I have based everything I have been led to do in ministry on servanthood
and it has worked to the glory of God and blessing the people who give and
receive this style of Christianity. It is a win-win for everyone. We continue
to reach out to the working poor in our community as well as going to Africa
and South America. I ask our group to read The Jesus Style and then keep
their focus on the Lord and his servant style throughout the entire trip.
It works! The proof is that they want to go on another mission trip and they
become servants back home. I hope to continue to build on the foundation
of the gospel and your teaching of scripture of the character of our Lord.
I am indebted to you and the Lord for changing my life.
Mike Nelson told me about what you said to the freshmen when you taught in college. In general, you said that you hoped that all their ideals would be shattered so that they might learn the truth of the scriptures and build their lives and make their decisions based on these truths. In my life I have had my ideals shattered about church, Christian life, and my family. I have gone through times of confusion, anger, and depression, but every time the truth of scripture and the character of God as revealed through Jesus would give me hope.
Today I have no ideals. I do have faith in our Lord and know He will never leave me or forsake me. He is in control. It sure makes it easier to go through life and just follow Him, anywhere in the world. My hope today is that my family and the people I have any contact with will follow our Lord to heaven. For me, life has become much simpler. Vision is clearer and there are more ministry opportunities than I can handle. I finally learned to let go and let God have it. Thanks for that teaching, it has had a huge effect on my life and now I try to teach it to others.
Bruce Coble
Smyrna, Tennessee
As I was tearing down the highway on my way to work one morning
and spinning the dial in search of a bit of teaching, I happened upon one
of your radio
broadcasts and was totally blessed by it, and miracle of all miracles, remembered
the website address long enough to actually check it out!
I would very much appreciate anything you could share that would help me
know more about serving, loving, and following our Lord! I’ve been
a Christian for some time, but am just now really learning to go deeper into
Him, experiencing the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Awesome!
AMH
Aztec, New Mexico
(My first recommendation is always “God’s Nature,” CD
or DVD)
My wife and I reside in Vernon, New Jersey and have been listening to you for about nine months or so and hoped you’d up your time to AT LEAST another 15 minutes. Gayle, you are part of my day as I have “The Bridge” locked into my truck radio. I’d rather listen to static in dead areas than anything else but God’s word. You do have a unique style of preaching. As a retired Sheriff Sergeant, I developed my humor over the years, but I’m trying to now incorporate that into getting the word out as you do. Send any pointers that you can, will ya?
Chris Janiec
(Either the DVD, “Teacher’s Handbook,” or the book, Handbook for Servants, is the best source.)
The DVDs you gave us are being played and viewed about two days a week for
two to four hours each day, and you’ve gained quite a following from
here. About nine of us view all the teachings and read and study the books.
We’re all wearing suspenders now! Ha! Just kidding. We don’t
have suspenders available.
Everyone is very, very grateful for the DVDs and books you sent. We have now added them to our library.
Westville Correction
Facility
Westville, Indiana
My family and I enjoy listening to all of your podcasts. We listen to “A Story A Day” or “The Jesus Style” during our evening meal. I wasn’t sure if my children appreciated listening to the podcasts until one night I forgot to play a podcast. They all (5 children still at home) asked if I was going to play my iPod. That lets me know that they really appreciate listening to you.
I recently purchased The Jesus Style. My only regret is that I had not done so earlier. You have a great perspective on Jesus and how we should live our life.
Joseph F. O’Keefe
Arizona
I am a pastor at Life Center North Foursquare Church in Spokane, Washington. I took your class on “The Gospels” and am about to take your class on “The Holy Spirit” from Pacific Life Bible College. I enjoyed your class on “The Gospels” so much as well as the book, The Jesus Style. I think we all need a refresher course on who Jesus is. Thank you for pointing me to Jesus and to servanthood and to being others-centered. I wrote a paper titled, “Others-centered” for the class and through writing that paper I saw that I have much room for improvement but, in a way, that is very exciting and good news.
Dan Bursch
Greetings from the High Desert of Southern California:
(It’s called the High Desert because so many residents are cooking
home-based pharmaceuticals)
I heard your message regarding “Humility” this morning on my way to open my business. I was openly laughing while understanding the message even better. I would like to get a CD of the entire message.
Best message I’ve heard in a long time and the only one I’ve heard on this topic. Gotta have it!!
BTW
Hesperia, California
A God thing happened to me a couple of days ago when I accidentally changed my radio station and came across one of your teachings about the nature of Jesus. I sat there in a parking lot for 20 minutes listening to your message and it just blessed my socks off!
Marie Gill
Suffolk, Virginia
I recently completed your course on “Understanding the Holy Spirit” offered by Pacific Life Bible College. I LOVED IT!
I’ve heard a bunch of people teach on the Holy Spirit over the years, but this is the first time it didn’t have some kind of slant toward the instructor’s preferences of gifts. I can’t remember ever having that much fun learning.
Rick Worlitz
St Helens, Oregon
It was certainly a treat to receive your “Servant Quarters” this morning. I really got so much from reading it. For the past year or so, I have been making copies of documents such as yours and passing them on to an older lady in my church and she passes them on to some friends in a nursing home. With your permission, I would like to copy your first page particularly and get it to these ladies. My church lady says these friends of hers really look forward to the copies I make for them. I would be proud to let them know that an old high school DJ friend of mine did this.
Roy Meeks
Everything in Servant Quarters can be freely copied and distributed except
articles by someone who specifically has a copyright notice on it.
The Barber
A man went to a barbershop to have his hair cut and his beard trimmed. As the barber began to work, they began to have a good conversation. They talked about so many things and various subjects. When they eventually touched on the subject of God, the barber said: “I don’t believe that God exists.”
“Why do you say that?” asked the customer.
“Well, you just have to go out in the street to realize that God doesn’t exist. Tell me, if God exists, would there be so many sick people? Would there be abandoned children? If God existed, there would be neither suffering nor pain. I can’t imagine loving a God who would allow all of these things.”
The customer thought for a moment, but didn’t respond because he didn’t want to start an argument. The barber finished his job and the customer left the shop. Just after he left the barbershop, he saw a man in the street with long, stringy, dirty hair and an untrimmed beard. He looked dirty and un-kept. The customer turned back and entered the barber shop again and he said to the barber: “You know what? Barbers do not exist.”
“How can you say that?” asked the surprised barber. “I am here, and I am a barber. And I just worked on you!”
“No!” the customer exclaimed. “Barbers don’t exist because if they did, there would be no people with dirty long hair and untrimmed beards, like that man outside.”
Ah, but barbers DO exist! What happens is, people do not come to me.”
“Exactly!” affirmed the customer. “That’s the point! God, too, DOES exist! What happens is, people don’t go to Him.”
Servant
Quarters, Vol. 27, #3
Available by request by e-mail or by post
PO Box 219
Cathedral City, CA 92235
FAX 760-202-1139
VOICE 760-321-0077
ORDERS 1-888-321-0077
E-mail: gayle@servant.org
Website: www.servant.org
DON’T FORGET
1. Go to the Web site www.servant.org for Gayle’s speaking schedule.
2. We have added the Horizon Network of radio stations where “The Jesus Style” can be heard. These are concentrated in Mid-America. Again, check our Web site.
3. Renee Settles is adding more streaming videos of our messages. www.theschoolmaster.org
4. Don’t forget that you can get three free
podcasts on our Web site:
The Radio Program (weekly)
A Story a Day (daily)
One-String Guitar (weekly)
5. You can receive this newsletter sooner by e-mail.
Blessings
to you,
Gayle Erwin
Let us assist you in your Christmas giving with an opportunity
for eternal effectiveness.
If you wish to give ten or more of our books this Christmas, you can have them for just $6 each.
Call us.
1-888-321-0077
Resources
Audio CDs
GN. God's Nature Set, 8 CDs (1-4, 8-9, 14-15), $25
Audio CDs
$5
1. The Nature of Jesus, Part 1
2. The Nature of Jesus, Part 2
3. The Nature of Jesus Part 3
4. The Nature of Jesus 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, Heb. 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 are available in both video and audio.
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
Not Many Mighty (new!)
MP3 $25 each
MP3-1. 44 hours of messages
MP3-2. All eight books read by Gayle
Call us toll free at 1-888-321-0077
Remember, if you only get one thing from this list, get The Jesus Style book. If you want our most important teaching, add the God’s Nature Series.
DVD DESCRIPTIONS
Each of our single DVDs contains two messages. Each single DVD is $15.
Our best set is God’s Nature.
GN God’s Nature (1-4, 8-9, 14-15) ($40)
A. Are You the One? (5) and Jesus Is Enough (34)
B. The Last Supper (6) and All That God Is (10)
C. Dealing with Manipulators (7) and The Jesus Style of Leadership (11)
D. Jesus the Great Hunter (12) and Humanity at Poolside (36)
E. Worship in Spirit and Truth 13) and Purpose of Discipline (38)
F. Hearing the Voice of God (16) and One-Hour Seminary (21)
G. Clues to the Nature of Jesus (17) and Examples of the Nature of Jesus (18)
H. Training of the Twelve (19) and Peter, Before and After (20)
J. Three Great Relationships (22) and Feed My Sheep (23)
K. Portraits of Christ (24) and The Two Prodigal Sons (29)
L. Jesus and Family (25) and Freedom and Bondage (26)
M. For the Glory of God (27) and Digging Wells (32)
N. The Garbage Is Gone (28) and The Urge to Live (40)
P. Forgiveness (30) and Faith and Grace (37)
R. Hall of Fame (31) and Guaranteed Happiness (35)
S. Jesus vs. the Pharisees (33) and Access to God (39)
T. Teachers Handbook and The Lord’s Prayer