thank/fully w/Eric Rowell

Well, it's also my pleasure to

Welcome one of our elders Eric Rowell to be delivering the final message in the fully series

we've we've covered a lot and

This week we get to end with a message on thankfully for mr. Eric Rowell. Thanks, sir

Thank You Greg I

Really appreciate those warm sentiments and I will do my best to

Try to deliver a wonderful message today that hopefully will resonate with you all

I am very thankful

To have the opportunity to bring to you the message

I've been a member of the house church for over ten years and I can honestly say that these have been the best

church going years of my life and

And pastor Greg and pastor Jen and pastor Chris along with so many others who have kept me strengthened with their messages

I am blessed to have such wonderful people look after my soul

It's curious that our church is called the house because normally when we think about a house we consider a place where people live

not simply visit from time to time a

House is a place that we rise within as in the morning

It is a place where our family exists and is a place where we are fed

But perhaps this building called the house is actually what we imagine it traditionally to be

Because it is a place where our spirits rise regularly

It is a place where we see our church family

And is a place where we are fed good words that nourish both our minds and our bodies

So many times I've come to this place hungry and I left full

Today I'm charged with bringing a message about being thankful or thanking fully

This is the last in the fully series as pastor Greg mentioned which began earlier in the fall

How appropriate this topic is annually this time of year with the American celebration of Thanksgiving being on our doorsteps

We're loving people gather with those they hold dear to dine and revel with in those grand notions of family and love

And please if you will when you say your prayers at those tables this week

Please try to acknowledge the ones who for whatever reason are not able to be

The people that they hold dear I

Like to mention a few passages a few passages from the good book that focus on being thankful and

When we quote the Bible here at the house, we ask the congregation to stand if able

Psalm 95 verse 2 states

Psalms 95:2

Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving

Let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise

And we definitely heard songs of praise a little while ago. Do we not passage in that's the Greg and Marissa

And lastly from 2nd Corinthians chapter 4 verses 14 and 15

Because we know the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead

Will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself

All this is for your benefit so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving

To overflow to the glory to the glory of God

You may be seated

When I was in the sixth grade

the age typically of 12 years I

Began to notice that my knees would get very sore from time to time

Whether I had been involved in a physical activity or simply walking around the house

They would also from time to time fold involuntarily on me

Causing me to crash to the floor when all I had been doing was simply standing

Initially my mother figured it was just growing pains, but she took me to the doctor anyway

And it turned out I suffered from a childhood ailment called Osgood's slaughters

Osgood's slaughters probably named after two doctors who discovered it is a disease typically affected affecting kids during their

pre-adolescent growth spurt so yes growing pains I

Was told it would be something that I would that would go away soon, and it did

But it was only after nearly a year that I would be able to participate in gym class again

I

When the swelling and soreness subsided I was able to try out for my eighth grade basketball team which I made and played pitifully for

for a full season I

Made the team yes, but was I any good no in

Fact I was so bad. I hated being reminded that I was so bad that I quit the team midway through

Until I was coached back onto the team by our coach who was also the first coach to be sent to the gym

Until I was coached back onto the team by our coach who was also the school disciplinarian I

Did manage to make a few baskets over the course of that first season

And I guess I was satisfied satisfied enough with my efforts that somehow I'm guessing it was based purely on potential I

Was given I was I commandeered a spot on the basketball team at my high school

Four years on the south side of Chicago

I spent playing where nearly every team I played against had at least one be one player if not sometimes seven

Even my high school had multiple D1 players on it and no I was not on that list I

Did at least become decent at the sport because the basketball coach at Augustana College heard about me came to watch me play and

Again, probably based purely on potential told me he wanted me apart to be a part of his NCAA Division three team though

I had no though. I had not during my doing my high school years

Don't know that I had not played very well during my high school years

I did not have any pain in my knees during my high school years

But immediately when I got to college all of it returned

I don't know why

The odds of good slaughters was gone because that was a childhood ailment, but it was replaced by something called chondro, Malaysia

Which is the breakdown of the cartilage underneath the kneecap causing it to rub against the thigh bone?

Nearly every practice and game over my four years was either preceded or followed by ice bags or ice baths

It was quite the experience waiting for your legs knees and toes to go numb and water

temperatures in the low 50s

Despite the pain I endured I managed to have four fantastic years of my alma mater

Experiencing a wonderful education and making the best friends of my life

What is interesting about my college days is that it is likely that none of it would have happened

Had it not been for a man. I have not seen or spoken with since my first initial time meeting him

In my senior year of high school way back in 1989. I'm dating myself

There was a college fair at my school where representatives from various colleges from around the state of Illinois and around the region

came to visit me and my classmates

We walked around from table to table saying hello to everyone

Not knowing the differences between colleges. There were big schools and small schools

And I happened to stop off at a table of Augustana College

Having never heard of the school nor anything about a small private liberal arts college

We all got family members that went to the University of Illinois, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois

We all know people that did those things, but I knew no one that went to a place like Augustana

The man standing behind the table was named Terry Chambers, and he was an admissions counselor

at Augustana College

Augustana was an institution I had never heard of

but he was enthusiastic about his school and he shared with us the virtues of his institution

He appeared particularly interested in me when I told him I was captain of the basketball team and I was also senior class president

The only words that have remained in my memory from that time is when he said I'll tell the coach about you

This is how the coach at Augustana College came to see me play

and ultimately make it plain that he wanted me to be on his team

I did not apply nor visit any other college because I had no real plans for college or guidance to rely upon

And again, I only met

I'm sorry the name of the man who recruited the students again was Terry Chambers

And again, I only met him once and that is because by the time I got to Augustana College in September that year

He had already moved on

from the institution

What I find a little bit more interesting is even though I met him once I still remember his name

I often attribute every success and joy I've had in my life since that particular moment

to that particular person

And ironically in this present day, I hold the exact same position as Terry Chambers

at Augustana College

It is my charge like it was his to spread the gospel of Augustana

With a glee and enthusiasm because of what he did and what that institution did for me

Often

What we can be most thankful for are those we can thankfully or those we can thankfully are the people that come into our lives

Who seemingly have been placed there divinely who can be present for the length of a lifetime or you may only spend brief moments with

The two minutes for one question about who in your life has greatly impacted yours

Brings to mind the parable of the good samaritan

A man who cared for someone he did not have to

But then again, perhaps he did have to

Loving and caring people are often compelled to assist others

As if it has been placed in their hearts to do so and thankfully this is the case because much of our success and joy in life

Has come from the relationships that we have

With the people who cared for us

Perhaps some of you told stories of your parents

siblings spouses

Maybe you talked about coaches or neighbors

And maybe even perfect strangers

Regardless of the position of the person there they are

That cared for you and becoming the wonderful human being that you are

What matters most is that they were there for you

I would only ask of you now

That if there is someone in your life who has had a major impact on it

That you somehow find them and you reach out to them

And you tell them what they have done for you

Sadly

I do not have that opportunity with terry chambers because

Before the notion showed up for me to reach out to him. He passed away

So if you have that opportunity

Please do so

As I mentioned earlier

In a few days many of us will be spending time with people that we hold dear

The legend of the celebration of this celebration involves the

Native peoples sharing their bounty with newcomers

And regardless of its verity the spirit of the day unites most americans every year

Providing us all something to be greatly thankful for or again people we should thank fully

If you allow me a little more time

I would like to share a story with you

But I hope we're crystallized a little bit more of what it means to be thankful

In 1927 a good man stood on a pier in the town of jonesport, maine

He was watching his older brother cast off his boat to go fishing

It was early spring and many of the fishermen used their weekends to fish for lobsters scallops mussels and clams

And the close waters off the atlantic

Some fishermen sought their catches for food and they were able to do so

But the good man's brother was unable to do so because he had no family

After a few hours of restocking the shells of his bait and tackle shop where he sold every fishing ware known to the fishing industry

The good man decided to close up for the day and head towards his own boat tied up at the dock

To clean out the refrigerator on his boat

He was able to do so because he was able to get a little bit of a sense of what he was doing

The good man decided to close up for the day and head towards his own boat tied up at the dock to clean out the refrigerator on board

Something something he's been needing to get to for months

And throw out a bin of sardine cans his favorite boat food that seemingly he had seemingly he had been stockpiling for the last four years

His wife told him the year before to get it get this done as the lower cabin reeked to high heaven

And then she wouldn't step aboard again until it was cleaned

And she had held true to her word

When he made it back down to the pier he noticed out in the distance over the atlantic dark clouds forming with flashes of lightning

He hadn't checked the weather on the radios. He kept at his home in his shop or on his boat the last couple of days

But he did know that most of the week it was supposed to rain but not too heavily

It didn't matter to him if it rained or not

As he hadn't been out on the water for the last month being busy with the shop

And fixing the roof of his house that had leaked in the corner of his boy's bedroom

After a fast thaw which preceded a freak winter freeze that dropped northeastern united states temperatures back in january to minus nine degrees

It hadn't been that cold of 57 years and the freeze caused a break in the corner shingles of the house right where the boy slept

Right over the bed rusty latin his youngest 12 years old and a bit of a crybaby

Complained all the time that water was dripping on his head

Rusty complained about everything

Because since he was born his older siblings his four older siblings made his life miserable with their teases and taunts

As the good man stepped on to his boat he decided to turn on his radio to try to catch some of the red sox yankees game

It was the beginning of the season and he had hopes his team could somehow best their hated rivals

And their blowhard right fielder who was a former pitcher for the red sox

When he clicked on the radio

To tune it towards the game he stumbled upon the jonesport station run by the local coast guard

The broad that normally broadcast the maritime matters concerning mostly the numerous commercial and passenger vessels traveling within range of jonesport shore

On this station he heard the frantic wails of a fisherman yelling for assistance

Stating that water was coming in on the starboard bow of his boat because he had drifted over a hidden reef that ripped a hole in the bottom

He didn't think he could pass the hole in time before his boat sank and if it was if it was to sink

He hoped someone would reach him in time

The good man immediately recognized the voice of his brother

And quickly cast it off leaving the mess of the refrigerator in the cans for another day

He set sail knowing where his brother liked to fish and he knew he could be a good man

Before his brother liked to fish and he knew he could get there before the coast guard

As he pushed his engine pushed the engine of his boat. He noticed the ocean's waves getting stronger and choppier

As he picked up speed his boat bounced up and down causing sardine cans to fall out of the overfilled bin

And land around his feet

He kicked at them so as not to step upon and be distracted

The wind started to turn and although

Or there should have been more light to see with darkness fell unusually early on this day

He couldn't see more than a thousand yards ahead

And when he leaned in to look up through the cabin window

He saw the darkest heaviest clouds he had ever witnessed in his life and there were swirling overhead

Almost a full circle

Dammit he said out loud

Not only fearing for his brother trying to patch a hole in a boat

In the middle of a storm that appeared to be turning into something more vicious

he was now worried about his own neck.

The good man was about a mile away from where he thought his brother would be.

When a large flash of lightning ripped through the sky,

followed by another, then another.

His heartbeat quickened, then he hit the crest of a wave that rocked his boat and

caused the bin of sardine cans to completely topple over,

sending uneaten sardines and their brain all over the floor.

As he closed in on what he thought would be the length of about three football

fields from his brother's position, the sky briefly calmed and

a ray of sunshine cast it down onto his boat.

He looked out through the cabin window again to see the phenomenon,

hoping that the storm had somehow miraculously abated.

For a few seconds he could see clear blue through the swirl, but

just as that moment, the clouds reformed and a bolt of lightning shot straight down,

striking the top of his mast,

sending 30,000 degrees Kelvin straight through to the engine of his boat.

His boat was called the Mad Hatter, named by his oldest daughter,

who was currently pregnant with her first child, the good man's first grandchild.

When the lighting boat hit the engine, the engine exploded,

creating an enormous hole both in the deck and through the hull.

The good man was thrown backwards into a wall where luckily he had hung numerous

life preservers, mostly for his family when they joined him on fishing trips.

The vest braced his impact, but they didn't know what was going on.

They didn't know what was going on, but they did nothing for

the gas that was quickly widening in the Mad Hatter.

Citing his peril, he reached for a vest, but right at that time,

the boat lifted, then tipped to its right, causing everything,

including the disgusting refrigerator to fall on top of him,

taking him into the ocean without a vest and seemingly without a prayer.

As the waves bounced, the good man, luckily unharmed by the refrigerator,

swam up to the surface of the water and

watched the Mad Hatter bop up and down in two sections.

The sky was still dark and rain pounded the water with flashes of lightning

seen all above in all directions.

One of the lightning strikes illuminated a white buoy,

one of several that had been tied to the side of the Mad Hatter,

floating just out of reach.

The good man swam desperately for it, his arms, legs, and lungs burning

with relief or for relief.

He reached the buoy and stuck his right arm through it and grabbed a hole with

his left arm, the shoulder pocket of his right sleeve of his jacket.

Holding on for dear life, the rain and waves tossed him for the next several

hours until the storm passed and night time had fallen.

The good man bobbed up and down in the calm water.

His arms were near exhaustion, having to switch from right to left periodically

through the buoy to give relief to one arm at a time.

He had done it so often that both arms were equally fatigued

and he didn't know how much longer he could hold on.

He was about to raise his eyes to the moonlight, to the moonlit sky,

to launch a prayer for rescue when suddenly something heavy bumped against his back.

And he let out the loudest scream he could, hoping it would scare away any

sea-going predator he feared would happen upon him.

Spinning around, he found himself staring at a large piece of wood he believed came

that it would not tip over when he did so.

from the deck of his boat, floating calmly next to him.

He managed to feet.

Without thinking, he cast the buoy aside and lunged for the wood, hoping he would

After 10 minutes of heavy breathing, his heart calmed and his body warmed slightly

from the hypothermia he was beginning to experience from spending so much time in

the cold northeastern waters.

The waves were palatial now, and through the light coming from the

wind, he was able to reach the shore.

He was able to reach the shore, and he was able to reach the shore.

He was able to reach the shore, and he was able to reach the shore, and he was able

to reach the shore, and through the light cast down from the bright moon, he noticed

several pieces of his boat scattered all around him.

He suddenly burst into tears, thankful he was alive.

He didn't know if the Coast Guard would be in search of him now that the storm

had passed, or if they would wait until the first light in the morning.

He also didn't know the fate of his brother.

He hoped they had gotten to him, but perhaps he was able to patch his boat

before it sank.

Both would have to have been miracles, but the good man thought that perhaps

God was doling out miracles on the coast of Jonesport on this day, and maybe

his brother was safe.

Guessing sunup would be in a few hours, and fighting sleep, the good man started

to think about his life, not certain if he could get back to what he had had, or

if his last minutes on earth were presently being spent.

He fought off the negative thoughts by thinking about his family, particularly

his children, particularly his young son, Rusty.

Suddenly he laughed, and he laughed hard.

He remembered that just two days ago, he nearly lost an eye, and a whole lot of

brain cells at the cost of Rusty.

That Christmas, the good man bought his son a BB gun, modeled after the famous

Chesterfield rifles used by the great hunters of the world.

He bought it with hopes that his son could develop a sharp eye, so that one

day they can go hunting along with his brothers for deer and rabbits in the

timber about a mile inland.

The good man hoped this could toughen up his voice, so that he wouldn't be so

intimidated by his siblings.

What made the man laugh so hard was what happened two days ago.

Rusty actually did develop a sharp eye with the BB gun, and wanted to show the

good man how skilled he was, and how much skill he had developed over the last

four months.

Rusty called his father from outside the house when his father was standing in

the kitchen drinking a glass of water.

The good man opened the back door and saw his son lying on the ground about 15

yards in front of him, with one eye closed and the rifle pointed directly at

Before the good man could raise his hands to cover his face and yell at his son to

hold up, Rusty pulled the trigger.

The BB sailed fast and true, hitting the man in the left cheek.

It stung so bad, he threw both his hands up into the air, hitting the cover of

the porch right above him with a hard thud, all the while spinning around

towards his son and down the three steps to the porch backwards.

Before the good man hit the ground, a cascade of water drenched his head, only

a few seconds before a metal bucket holding the water.

What Rusty was actually aiming for also hit him on the head.

He crashed to the ground with another thud and laid there, having put the

entire scenario together of what his son was actually trying to do.

By the time his 12 year old got to him, already in tears, pleading how sorry he

was, the good man, seemingly going 15 rounds with Jack Johnson, smiled amidst

the sting in his cheek and the lump forming on his forehead and said, need

to aim a little higher next time.

Rusty's tears stopped as he hugged his father and the good man hugged him

back.

Thank you, God, the good man said.

Out loud while floating on that piece of a boat.

I don't deserve anything you have given me.

Suddenly the good man's eyes closed and he just drifted peacefully into sleep.

That Thanksgiving, a chair was left empty at the dinner table at the

Layton family Thanksgiving celebration.

The next year, that chair was filled with a smiling baby boy.

Who ate his food happily and messily while being fed mostly by his great

uncle who had no kids of his own.

In 1997 on Thanksgiving Day in a very large home in Jonesport, Maine, a

prayer was said, giving thanks for the opportunity for the Layton family to

gather again.

There was a main table where the oldest members sat and there were two

additional tables in the front row.

There was a main table where the oldest members sat and there were two

additional tables lined together in the living room.

There were also people sitting on couches when there was no room left at

the tables.

All in all, 47 people had gathered at the Layton home with three separate

turkeys needed to serve all members of the family.

At the main table, a very old man sat calmly watching all the people eat and

laugh.

He picked at his food not being very hungry as he was captivated by all the

faces that he did not recognize.

They seem to be a loving collection as there were people of all ages sitting

hither and yon in different rooms, all stuffing their faces, all seemingly

excited to be there.

He wonder why he was there and why everyone had been so nice to him.

He was followed everywhere he went in that home and everyone helped him with

everything.

A woman to his right cut up his food for him and a young boy possibly in his

teens sitting across from him got out of his chair to pour brown gravy over his

mashed potatoes.

He had been asked if he was too warm or too cold.

He had been given hugs and kisses by seemingly everyone and he had been doled

on like he was someone very important.

Yes, these people were very nice and although he did not know any of them, he

was happy to be where he was and enjoyed watching them dying.

Before the first pie was cut was cut into, there came an eerie silence, a

complete void of noise in the house.

It lasted for only a brief moment and the old man who didn't know anyone

decided to fill that void.

He looked around the room and said through the quiet, I shot my father in

the face with a BB gun.

Everyone in the house, all 46 other people, were there to help him.

Everyone in the house, all 46 other people, watched the old man.

It looked like a photograph.

Mouths that were in mid-bite held firm.

Eyes that were motionless.

Eyes that saw were motionless and fixed.

Then the old man said, my father was a boat captain.

Still all eyes were on him.

His words were weighty to the crowd as if they had been so far, so few and far

between that any utterance from him should cause all to listen and glean.

Then finally the old man said, I loved my father.

A younger man to his right, sitting at the head of the table, reached his arm

around the old man and pulled him close.

He said with tears in his eyes, I love you, dad.

Then with both arms hugged his father as if oxygen was being given to him

through that hug. The old man looked to the stranger to his left and although he

did not recognize him, he felt so much love in that hug that he nestled into

the man's shoulder, allowing the younger man to kiss him on the forehead.

And when he kissed him, the old man looked into the younger man's eyes and said,

I love you too, son.

As it seemed like the right thing to say, for the old man was thankful to be in this house.