"A fool shall not err in it."
Isaiah 35:8
What is truth? (John 17:17) In recent years there has arisen an ever important question. There is much controversy about baptism-both mode and formula. All I ask of you is that you forget what you are, or who you are, and let's study this question together in the light of God's Word.
Too often you hear people say, "We believe this and we believe that." What do they mean, "we"? They mean what their sect, clan, or organization teaches, but the Word of God is personal. It should be, "I Believe" or "I Don't Believe" this or that.
..."Let a man work out his own salvation with fear and trembling." Philippians 2:12
First let us look into the MODE or form of baptism in God's Truth:
"There is One Lord, One faith, One Baptism." Ephesians 4:5
"John also was baptizing at Aenon because there was MUCH WATER." John 3:23
"And they went both DOWN INTO THE WATER." Acts 8:39
"They came UP OUT OF THE WATER." Acts 8:39
"We are BURIED with Him by baptism into death." Romans 6:4
We have been PLANTED together in the likeness of His death." Romans 6:5
The above verses show us the mode or form of baptism. It is a burial in water. It is to be done by total immersion in water. These next verses show us the purpose and importance of baptism.
"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Jesus speaking in Mark 16:16
Peter said, "Eight souls were saved by water." In Noah's time "the like figure whereunto even baptism DOTH ALSO NOW SAVE US."
I Peter 3:20-21
Peter said in Acts 2:38, "Repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (See also John 3:5, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3)
Since baptism is important to salvation, don't you think that you should be fair to yourself, to God, your family, and your friends by checking for yourself, and make sure you were baptized like the early church, by immersion, which is baptism.
According to Church Leaders:
John Calvin (Presbyterian) "The word baptize means to immerse."
Martin Luther (Lutheran) "Baptism is a Greek word, meaning immerse."
John Wesley (Methodist) "The ancient manner of baptism was by immersion."
Wall (Episcopal) "Immersion was the way the early church baptized."
Brenner (Catholic) "The first thirteen hundred years baptism was by immersion in water."
Unto What Were You Baptized? (Acts 19:3
Now let us consider the second question or the FORMULA, taught and used by the early Church. Note the Biblical question, "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was CONFIRMED by those (The Apostles) that heard Him." Hebrews 2:3
Spoken by the Lord at First:
"Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in THE NAME of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Matthew 28:19
Now let us be sincere and honest, for we must stand before God and give an account for every word and thought. It is our SOUL at stake.
Is Father a proper Name?
Is Son a proper Name?
Is Holy Ghost a proper Name?
Any high school student can tell you that these are titles and not proper names!This verse of scripture is not a formula, but it is a prepositional phrase, describing a name.
The Name of the Father
So let us look into the Word of God for the Name. (Note: Name is singular.) What is the name of the Father? In Malachi 1:6, the Father said His name was despised. In verse 11 He said His name would be great among the Gentiles.Then look into the New Testament and see when the Father's Name was great among the Gentiles. Let us go to the Apostles who preached unto the Gentiles, and see what name they preached. "That through His NAME (JESUS') whosoever believe in Him shall receive remission of sins." Acts 10:43 See also Matthew 12:21, Philippians 2:2, Romans 1:16, Acts 8:12, and I Corinthians 2:2.
So the only Name that was ever great among the Gentiles was JESUS which means Jehovah Savior.
Jesus said, "I am come in my Father's Name." John 5:43.
In Hebrews 1:4, Paul said that Jesus obtained His Name by inheritance. We all know that any son comes in, or inherits his father's name. I came in my Father's Name. That's why my name is George, It's my Father's Name. It was a custom to give the child the family name, so when Jesus was born, He was no exception.They would have named him after his earthly family, but He, being a child of the Holy Ghost, the angel said, "Thou shalt call His Name Jesus," because it was his spiritual family name. See also Ephesians 3:14-15, and Matthew 1:18-23. Jesus said, "I have manifested thy Name." John 17:6 What name did Jesus manifest? The Father's Name, Jesus means Jehovah Savior, read Isaiah 43:11 The Father was the only Savior. Jesus is the name of the Father. Isaiah 9:6.
The Name of the Son
There is no need to take up valuable space trying to explain the name of the Son, for any Sunday School Child should know that the name of the Son is Jesus. (See Matthew 1:18-21)
The Name of the Holy Ghost
First of all, The Holy Ghost is God the Father (Matthew 1:18-21).
Mary conceived by the Holy Ghost. Whatsoever a person is conceived by is their Father. Jesus was a child of the Holy Ghost.
See also Ephesians 4:4, there is only one Spirit. God is a Spirit. John 4:24. Ghost is a spirit. If then there is one Spirit, the Father and the Holy Ghost must be the same Spirit and have the same name. For in John 14:26, Jesus said the Holy Ghost would come in His name, and the whole family in heaven and earth are named Jesus, the family name. Ephesians 3:14-15
The Plan
So it is plain that Jesus opened the understanding of the apostles, Luke 24:45 and taught them that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His Name, beginning at Jerusalem, Luke 24:46-48
So the thing we are concerned about is the thing spoken by the Lord, and confirmed by the apostles, Hebrews 2:3. Jesus said that repentance and remission of sin should be preached, beginning at Jerusalem, in HIS Name, Luke 24:47. ..."But tarry in Jerusalem until you be endued with power from on high. (verse 49)
So it is plain that the formula was not to be preached until The Holy Ghost came, (Or The Plan of Salvation), for it was to begin at Jerusalem, and they were to tarry for The Holy Ghost. (verse 49)
Now we have found what was spoken by the Lord, so let's see if it was confirmed by the apostles. As the apostles were tarrying in Jerusalem, as instructed, The Holy Ghost came, as promised. People were amazed and convicted, and asked, "What shall we do?"
The Apostle Peter being the spokesman for the group, stood up with Matthew, John, James, Andrew, and all the other apostles, and as they stood, no doubt The Holy Ghost brought to their remembrance the thing spoken by The Lord in Matthew 16:19.
"Then Peter said unto them, "REPENT and be BAPTIZED everyone of you in THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of THE HOLY GHOST." (Acts 2:38) Here we have repentance and remission of sins, preached in HIS NAME, Luke 24:47, beginning at Jerusalem.
"How shall we escape if we neglect...." Hebrews 2:3
Jesus said, "Peter what you loose or bind on Earth, will be loosed or bound in heaven." Let us go farther and see if we can farther confirm this. We know that there is no salvation in any other name but Jesus, Acts 4:12. In Acts 8:16
The Samaritans were baptized in Jesus' Name. In Acts 10:48,
The Gentiles in Cornelius' household were commanded to be baptized in Jesus' Name. In Acts 19:5
The followers of John the Baptist were re-baptized in the name of Jesus.
Paul told the Colossians that whatever they did, to let it be done in Jesus' name, Colossians 3:17.
Paul insinuated clearly that the Corinthians were baptized in only one name, the name of Jesus,
I Corinthians 1:11-13.
Mark 13:13 says that we shall be hated for His name sake.
The Lord's name is Jesus, Acts 9:5. In Romans 6:4, "We are buried with Him" (Jesus). Galatians 3:27 says that "we are baptized into Christ".
In light of these and other scriptures let us study and pray for God to lead us into all truth, and realize that, "The Name of the Lord (Jesus) Acts 9:5 is a strong tower, the righteous runneth into it and are safe." Proverbs 18:10.
History
Now let us go to the library and see what history says about baptism. There are some who will try to justify their belief by what some smart man has said, and they will say that the apostles were unlearned. But if you prefer, write to the Department of Information in Washington, DC, and ask what formula was used in baptism by the early church according to history.
In the following reference books, it is plain what history teaches.
Encyclopedia Britannica, 11th ed. vol 3 page 365-366, "The baptismal formula was changed from the name of Jesus Christ to the words Father, Son, and Holy Ghost by the Catholic Church in the 2nd century." vol. 3 page 82, "Everywhere in the oldest sources it states that baptism took place in the name of Jesus Christ."
Canney Encyclopedia of Religion, page 53, "The early church always baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus until the development of the trinity doctrine in the 2nd century."
1913 Catholic Encyclopedia, vol. 2, page 265, Here the Catholics acknowledged that baptism was changed by the Catholic Church.
Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion, vol. 2, pages 377, 378, and 389, "The Christian baptism was administered using the name of Jesus. The use of the trinitarian formula of any sort was not suggested in the early church history, baptism was always in the name of the Lord Jesus, until the time of Justin Martyr when the trinity formula was used." Hasting also said in vol. 2, page 377, commenting on Acts 2:38, "Name was an ancient synonym for person. Payment was always made in the name of some person, referring to ownership. Therefore one being baptized in Jesus Name became His personal property."
I Corinthians 3:23 says, "Ye are Christ's."
New International Encyclopedia, vol. 22, page 477, "The term "trinity" was originated by Tertullian, a Roman Catholic Church father."
Now in the face of history and scriptures, how shall we escape if we neglect this truth? (Hebrews 2:3)
We see in the hour of darkness in which we live, that people are coming to the truth which has been hidden by the Catholic church for so long. I have had the privilege of leading Catholic, Baptist, Church of Christ, Methodist, Assembly of God, Church of God, and many others to the name of Jesus in recent years. Surely God is getting His people ready from all faiths.
Whose bride are you? (The Church is the bride, and Jesus is the bridegroom.) The bride always wears the name of the bridegroom. Do you?
Isaiah 43:9 says, "Let them bring forth their witnesses that they may be justified, or let them hear and say it is truth." Two or more witnesses are needed to establish anything. (II Corinthians 13:1, Matthew 18:16, Deuteronomy 19:15, Numbers 35:30, I Timothy 5:19) If therefore you cannot bring more than one witness for your doctrine, it is not sound. If you do not have witnesses, hear, and say it is truth. (Isaiah 43:9)
I will list some scriptures for my doctrine and I will give you the same privilege. Please fill out the following and mail to me.
Scriptures for Baptism in Jesus Name: Luke 24:47, Acts 2:38, Matthew 28:19, Acts 4:12, Acts 8:16, Acts 10:48, Acts 10:43, Acts 19:5, Romans 6:3, Colossians 3:17.
Scriptures for Baptism saying, "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Nowhere in the Scripture or earliest Church history was anyone baptized any way except in Jesus' Name, so bring your witnesses or you cannot be justified.
My prayer is that you will read and study this tract, and obey the Word of God from the depths of your heart. Bear the reproach of Jesus Name, don't follow the Catholic Church to destruction. (Romans 2:12, James 1:23-25)
Written by the late, Elder C.E. George
Monday, May 22, 2017
Syllogisms from "Who Is Jesus?"
(From a tract Dad wrote many years ago.)
We all have ONE Father (Malachi 2:10)
God is our Father (Isaiah 64:8)
Jesus is the Father (Isaiah 9:6)
Conclusion: Jesus is God the Father in the flesh.
God is the Almighty (Genesis 35:11)
Jesus is the Almighty (Revelations 1:8)
There can only be one Almighty.
Conclusion: Jesus is God Almighty.
God is the First and the Last.
Jesus is the First and the Last (Revelation 1:11)
There can only be one who is the First and the Last.
Conclusion: Jesus is God, the First and the Last.
Jehovah was Pierced (Zechariah 12:10)
Jesus was pierced (John 26:27)
Only Jesus was crucified for us.
Conclusion: Jesus was Jehovah, who was pierced.
Jehovah was God, the Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4)
Jesus was God, the Lord (John 29:28, Isaiah 9:6)
There is only one Lord and God (Ephesians 4:4-5)
The Lord said he was Jesus (Acts 9:5)
Conclusion: Jesus is the Lord God.
God is the Creator (Genesis 1:1)
God created all things by Himself (Isaiah 44:24)
Jesus created all things (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17)
Conclusion: Jesus was God the Creator, come in the flesh.
God was the Savior, there was none beside Him (Isaiah 43:3)
Jesus was the Savior (John 4:42, Acts 4:12)
Conclusion: Jesus was God the Savior in the flesh.
God was the King of Glory (Psalm 24:7-10)
Jesus is the King of Glory (I Corinthians 2:8)
There is only one King of Glory (I Timothy 6:15)
Conclusion: Jesus is the Lord God, the King of Glory.
God is the "I AM" (Exodus 3:13-14)
Jesus is the "I AM" (John 8:24-28)
There is only one "I AM" (Isaiah 44:6, 43:10)
Conclusion: Jesus was God the "I AM" manifested in the flesh.
Prophecy said, "In that day Jehovah God will have:"
1. One Name (Zechariah 14:9)
2. His Son inherited His Name (Hebrews 1:4)
3. He came in His Father's Name (John 5:43)
4. His Name was above all other names (Philippians 2:9)
5. Salvation was in the Name of Jesus alone (Acts 4:12)
6. The angel called His Name Jesus (Matthew 1:21)
7. The whole family of heaven and earth is called by His Name (Ephesians 3:14)
8. The Name above every name is the Name of Jesus (Philippians 2:9-10)
Conclusion: Jesus must be the one Jehovah in the flesh (Matthew 1:23)
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Letter to Trae: Our Focus
Dear Trae,
I hope you are doing well, staying strong and avoiding the path that took you down the last time.
The battle you face with addiction is a tough one, but remember who has the strength to overcome it, 'God...' His strength is enough for every temptation.
We tend to focus on the temptation, truly trying with all that is within us to stay free. We put everything we've got into our fight to the extent that it is all we see... but remember to look up... God is waiting with hands outstretched to lift you above it.
(Insert: some may disagree with me, but in one form or another I believe we all struggle with addictions. Some are more destructive visually, and others that are not visible.)
My Dad, your Great Grandpa George, was one example of overcoming addiction. Dad was an alcoholic from his youth. He told of his memories of being given alcohol from the time he was four years of age... and he continued to drink heavily into young adulthood.
At seventeen Dad joined the Army, and after two years received an honorable discharge, and six months later he joined the Navy. He said that during that six months he never took a sober breath.
Many stories of those years were of a life viewed through a haze of alcoholism, and Dad was continually getting worse. Then one night, when Dad was twenty-five he and Mom walked into a Pentecostal church and God filled them with the Holy Ghost. From that night until his death, forty-five years later, Dad never drank again.
I love you and am thankful for the kindhearted young man that you are. If there was a way I could keep you from the heartache and pain, I would. But it isn't possible. The important thing is to allow God to help you rise above it. Don't let the pain define who you are.
You are a good man who has lost his way, but YOUR WAY is not lost.... God knows right where you are and He is waiting for you to recognize that He is there for you.
I love you so much, and my heart hurts to see you hurting and struggling.. but I believe in you.... that your courage, your inner strength, and your faith in God will lead you in the right path.
Love, Grandmother
If we focus on His strength, our weakness becomes invisible... It can be easy to do that occasionally, but then our focus goes back to our weakness. So daily we need to refocus on Him.
I love the portion of scripture from the KJV Bible in 2 Corinthians 12 that I have heard throughout my life,
but The Message Bible says it in our daily language... Apostle Paul talking, "Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."
It is all a matter of our focus...
I hope you are doing well, staying strong and avoiding the path that took you down the last time.
The battle you face with addiction is a tough one, but remember who has the strength to overcome it, 'God...' His strength is enough for every temptation.
We tend to focus on the temptation, truly trying with all that is within us to stay free. We put everything we've got into our fight to the extent that it is all we see... but remember to look up... God is waiting with hands outstretched to lift you above it.
(Insert: some may disagree with me, but in one form or another I believe we all struggle with addictions. Some are more destructive visually, and others that are not visible.)
My Dad, your Great Grandpa George, was one example of overcoming addiction. Dad was an alcoholic from his youth. He told of his memories of being given alcohol from the time he was four years of age... and he continued to drink heavily into young adulthood.
At seventeen Dad joined the Army, and after two years received an honorable discharge, and six months later he joined the Navy. He said that during that six months he never took a sober breath.
Many stories of those years were of a life viewed through a haze of alcoholism, and Dad was continually getting worse. Then one night, when Dad was twenty-five he and Mom walked into a Pentecostal church and God filled them with the Holy Ghost. From that night until his death, forty-five years later, Dad never drank again.
I love you and am thankful for the kindhearted young man that you are. If there was a way I could keep you from the heartache and pain, I would. But it isn't possible. The important thing is to allow God to help you rise above it. Don't let the pain define who you are.
You are a good man who has lost his way, but YOUR WAY is not lost.... God knows right where you are and He is waiting for you to recognize that He is there for you.
I love you so much, and my heart hurts to see you hurting and struggling.. but I believe in you.... that your courage, your inner strength, and your faith in God will lead you in the right path.
Love, Grandmother
If we focus on His strength, our weakness becomes invisible... It can be easy to do that occasionally, but then our focus goes back to our weakness. So daily we need to refocus on Him.
I love the portion of scripture from the KJV Bible in 2 Corinthians 12 that I have heard throughout my life,
but The Message Bible says it in our daily language... Apostle Paul talking, "Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,
My grace is enough; it’s all you need. My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become."
It is all a matter of our focus...
Monday, January 30, 2017
Snow Ball Stand
"Do you want to ride to the Snowball Stand?" Sherlyn asked, one beautiful summer night in the hills of southern Mississippi.
We had been riding bicycles for weeks and daily tried to get in a few miles between mowing the yard, feeding the pigs, quail, turkeys, or other fowls they raised, milking the cow, canning or freezing fruit or vegetables, working in her garden, or the million other chores she had to do. We generally rode from one to five miles a day, and one day we even rode thirty-two miles. Frequently our riding time was at night.
You seriously could not see your hand in front of your face at night on the hilly, winding, country roads near Jayess, Mississippi. So Sherlyn hooked a flashlight on her handlebars to give us light.
Not having lights on the bicycles was actually the least of our problems. We also had no brakes. But we thought, "Who needs brakes when they have tennis shoes?"
It was about two or three miles to the Snowball Stand and we were enjoying our ride as usual. With Sherlyn having the light I learned that if I rode beside her I could see the road.
When we first started riding I would ride behind her, until one night Sherlyn said something to me that I didn't understand. I sped up and pulled alongside to ask what she had said. She said, "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to that fox hunter in the road."
Sherlyn said a man had a lawn chair in the middle of the road with his gun on his lap, and was watching for foxes, as was a common practice in their area. But I had ridden up between Sherlyn and the man and never saw him. After that we decided it would be safer for me and any random hunter if I rode beside her instead of behind
Anyway, this particular night as we rode along to the Snowball Stand we talked and laughed, with an occasional pause where you could hear tennis shoes dragging to slow our bikes for a curve or when going down a hill.
I started dragging my feet as we left the top of the last hill. At the bottom was an intersection and we had to make a sharp left turn. Sherlyn excitedly said, "I'm gonna go for it!" as away she flew.
The small, speedily moving patch of light was visible to me as the whirr of the wheels got farther away. Then suddenly the sounds changed, as sparks flew and the light went out.
Sherlyn had not thought about the loose gravel in the intersection. But she recalled it quickly when she started skidding, fish tailing, and finally as she slid down the road on her face, though that was the final memory she would have for a while.
The last Thing I saw was the light flashing around crazily, as sparks were flying. The last thing I heard was the sound of metal crashing and skidding on pavement and gravel spraying, and then everything was silent and dark.
When I got my bicycle stopped there was nothing visible except a light from the Snowball Stand a quarter of a mile up the road.
When I called Sherlyn's name there was no answer. So I lay my bike down, while calling her name over and over, and started cautiously feeling around where the sparks had flown last. Finally, as I found her, there was a moan and Sherlyn said, "What happened?" That was a question we would hear frequently throughout the night.
Sherlyn said she could push her bike and we walked to the Snowball Stand. When the light hit her face I was shocked at how bad it was messed up. She had gashes and road rash over most of it. Some areas of her face actually looked like hamburger meat.
We left the bikes at the Snowball Stand and got a ride to the church where Bro. Bobby and Sis. Shirley Lambert were. Sherlyn said he could fix her face, which he did.
All night, as we played Skipbo to keep her awake, Sherlyn kept asking, "What happened?" When one of us would tell her, "You had a wreck." She questioned whether Joey and the kids were ok. To which we informed her that she was riding her bike. Then she would look in the mirror and say, "Joey's going to kill me!" Then the same questions started again....
Finally near morning Sister Loretta Burnette, Sherlyn's mother-in-law said it would be safe to let her sleep. Sister Burnette sat beside the bed and watched her. After she had slept a while Sherlyn moaned, sat up and asked, "What happened?"
Sister Burnette said she moaned then and said, "Oh no! Not again! You had a bicycle wreck!" And Sherlyn asked, "Did I already ask you that?" To which Sister Burnette replied, "Only a million times!"
Sherlyn still has no memories of that night past us starting our ride.
We had been riding bicycles for weeks and daily tried to get in a few miles between mowing the yard, feeding the pigs, quail, turkeys, or other fowls they raised, milking the cow, canning or freezing fruit or vegetables, working in her garden, or the million other chores she had to do. We generally rode from one to five miles a day, and one day we even rode thirty-two miles. Frequently our riding time was at night.
You seriously could not see your hand in front of your face at night on the hilly, winding, country roads near Jayess, Mississippi. So Sherlyn hooked a flashlight on her handlebars to give us light.
Not having lights on the bicycles was actually the least of our problems. We also had no brakes. But we thought, "Who needs brakes when they have tennis shoes?"
It was about two or three miles to the Snowball Stand and we were enjoying our ride as usual. With Sherlyn having the light I learned that if I rode beside her I could see the road.
When we first started riding I would ride behind her, until one night Sherlyn said something to me that I didn't understand. I sped up and pulled alongside to ask what she had said. She said, "I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to that fox hunter in the road."
Sherlyn said a man had a lawn chair in the middle of the road with his gun on his lap, and was watching for foxes, as was a common practice in their area. But I had ridden up between Sherlyn and the man and never saw him. After that we decided it would be safer for me and any random hunter if I rode beside her instead of behind
Anyway, this particular night as we rode along to the Snowball Stand we talked and laughed, with an occasional pause where you could hear tennis shoes dragging to slow our bikes for a curve or when going down a hill.
I started dragging my feet as we left the top of the last hill. At the bottom was an intersection and we had to make a sharp left turn. Sherlyn excitedly said, "I'm gonna go for it!" as away she flew.
The small, speedily moving patch of light was visible to me as the whirr of the wheels got farther away. Then suddenly the sounds changed, as sparks flew and the light went out.
Sherlyn had not thought about the loose gravel in the intersection. But she recalled it quickly when she started skidding, fish tailing, and finally as she slid down the road on her face, though that was the final memory she would have for a while.
The last Thing I saw was the light flashing around crazily, as sparks were flying. The last thing I heard was the sound of metal crashing and skidding on pavement and gravel spraying, and then everything was silent and dark.
When I got my bicycle stopped there was nothing visible except a light from the Snowball Stand a quarter of a mile up the road.
When I called Sherlyn's name there was no answer. So I lay my bike down, while calling her name over and over, and started cautiously feeling around where the sparks had flown last. Finally, as I found her, there was a moan and Sherlyn said, "What happened?" That was a question we would hear frequently throughout the night.
Sherlyn said she could push her bike and we walked to the Snowball Stand. When the light hit her face I was shocked at how bad it was messed up. She had gashes and road rash over most of it. Some areas of her face actually looked like hamburger meat.
We left the bikes at the Snowball Stand and got a ride to the church where Bro. Bobby and Sis. Shirley Lambert were. Sherlyn said he could fix her face, which he did.
All night, as we played Skipbo to keep her awake, Sherlyn kept asking, "What happened?" When one of us would tell her, "You had a wreck." She questioned whether Joey and the kids were ok. To which we informed her that she was riding her bike. Then she would look in the mirror and say, "Joey's going to kill me!" Then the same questions started again....
Finally near morning Sister Loretta Burnette, Sherlyn's mother-in-law said it would be safe to let her sleep. Sister Burnette sat beside the bed and watched her. After she had slept a while Sherlyn moaned, sat up and asked, "What happened?"
Sister Burnette said she moaned then and said, "Oh no! Not again! You had a bicycle wreck!" And Sherlyn asked, "Did I already ask you that?" To which Sister Burnette replied, "Only a million times!"
Sherlyn still has no memories of that night past us starting our ride.
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