Leadership

The Giant Portion

by Terry Barlow
10/06/25
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  Early in my spiritual journey there was a big drawling Texan named Sherman who invested a lot of time and energy into discipling me. He was a special education teacher on the high school level, which, interestingly, is what I would later become myself after several years of teaching. In those early years, He took me fishing and hunting, and invited our little family over for dinner. I don’t remember the main course that evening, but I do remember vividly what we had for dessert: ice cream. And, maybe partly because they like to do things big in Texas, he served me the largest, most generous portion of ice cream I have ever been served in my entire lifetime! More than anything he ever said, I remember that gigantic bowl 🥣 of ice cream.
  I was so impressed with Sherman's grasp of Scripture that I surrendered my Sunday School class to him, (he didn't refuse the offer) something our pastor informed me that he didn't intend for me to do. During one of those Sunday School lessons he was teaching on Peter's denial of Jesus and Sherman broke into tears. I was very moved by that teaching. He was also an excellent song leader and showed me how to lead a song by tracing the shape of a shepherd's staff in the air as we led. When I do that now (and I did it this very day!) I think of Sherman. Later I was given an opportunity to preach and I strayed off topic into popular psychology, Sherman confronted me afterwards and scolded me sharply to "just preach the word." At the time I bristled and rejected his rebuke, but now I know I probably deserved it. During the years that I knew him and immediately following I took for granted his tutelage. But if I could talk to him today I would thank him for his caring enough to invest in me. Jesus, if Sherman has left this earth (he was much older maybe twice my age) please tap him on that shoulder no longer afflicted by bursitis and give him a big Texas-sized hug for me and tell him "thank you" for me from the bottom of my heart. I now see better the importance of what he was trying to do for me.