Conference yukon::christian_v7

546.0. "Eddy Spotted-Crow" by MIMS::CASON_K () Thu Aug 25 1994 19:49

    
    I first met Eddy Spotted-Crow a few weeks ago in the local Walmart 
    restaurant.  He had commented on my wife's T-shirt ("Our God is 
    Awesome") and we sat down to talk to him.  I had seen him a few times 
    before sitting on a bench outside the Walmart, usually with a crowd of 
    children around him.  He would sit there making the crafts that he sold 
    to support himself, beaded chokers, leather purses and moccasins.  The 
    first thing that would catch anyone's eye was not what he is doing but 
    what how he looks, a black western-cut shirt, blue jeans, a large 
    beaded choker and a leather braided headband from which two feathers 
    hang down his back, shoulder length black hair and a semi-toothless 
    smile.  I know this may not be unusual for where some of you live but 
    in the suburban areas of Atlanta this is not a usual sight.  Eddy said 
    that he would prefer to wear a suit but that the 'costume' attracts 
    people to his wares.
    
    We sat and talked for a long time.  I had intended to share the gospel 
    with him but, as it turned out, Eddy did most of the talking.  About 
    eleven years ago Eddy took to the road.  He became a hobo.  He calls 
    himself a hobo but he refuses to be called a bum.  He says that a hobo 
    will work when he can and beg when he has to.  A bum will steal before 
    he'll work.  I don't know a lot about his background except that he was 
    an Apace shaman with a hatred for Christians.  One of the reasons he 
    left his home was because he didn't believe in the Apace god any more 
    than the true God.  There was a sadness about him when he would talk 
    about all the Christians who had witnessed to him over the years and 
    how angry he would get with them.  Finally, they would be left saying 
    the only thing left to say, "We'll pray for you."  Eddy would say, "You 
    do what you want.  It will do you no good.  Your Jesus is a weak God.  
    If I serve a god, Christian or Apace, he will be stronger than Eddy."  
    About three years ago he met Barbara.  I wish I could meet Barbara 
    because she sounds like quite a soldier.  Every day, seven days a week, 
    rain or shine, for four months, she got off from work, picked Eddy up 
    and off they would go either to her house or to a Waffle House where 
    she would pump Eddy full of coffee and the gospel.  Almost every time 
    she would pick him up he would respond the same.  "Barbara, you know 
    that I do not want to become a Christian.  Your Jesus is weak."  At one 
    point he said, "I will never bow my knee to this Jesus and even if I am 
    wrong and he makes me to bow my knee he will still be the loser."  
    Often they would talk until three or four o'clock in the morning and 
    then Barbara would go to work at six o'clock.  When she would take him 
    to her house Eddy would get Barbara's three daughters into the 
    conversation by making some disparaging remark about Jesus.  Finally, 
    one day Eddy posed a challenge to God, actually it was three 
    challenges.  He told God, "If you meet one but not the other two I will 
    not serve you.  If you meet two but not the third I still will not 
    serve you.  You must meet all three before I will serve you."  Eddy 
    never did tell me what the challenges were but from the course of the 
    conversation I think I know.  One evening as Barbara picked him up she 
    said that she would have to make it a short evening because she was 
    feeling ill.  Eddy seized the opportunity to chide her about her weak 
    God.  "Doesn't *your* Bible say that by his stripes you are healed.  
    And doesn't it say later that by his stripes you *were* healed.  And 
    doesn't *your* Bible say..."  But as he spoke, rather than getting mad, 
    Barbara received these words and they built up her faith and soon she 
    began to feel better.  In fact, Eddy said he watched the color return 
    to her cheeks.  A week days later Barbara picked Eddy up again as she 
    always did.  This time she said that she would have to take him back to 
    his camp early because she was just too tired to stay up so late.  Eddy 
    said that she was always tired.  No wonder, if she was trying to 
    function on three hours of sleep a night.  But Eddy took the 
    opportunity again.  "Doesn't *your* Bible say that you shall mount up 
    with wings as eagles, you will run and not grow weary.  And doesn't 
    *your* Bible say..."  Again Barbara received these words into her 
    spirit and God renewed her strength.  They stayed up that night until 
    three in the morning.  A few days later Eddy was troubled.  When 
    Barbara picked him up she could tell that he was disturbed by 
    something.  She asked about it but he just sluffed her off.  Their 
    visit progressed as usual and Barbara took him back to his camp.  As 
    Eddy walked through the field back to his camp he looked up at the 
    night sky.  Then it hit him.  He had been reading Job and God's rebuke 
    came back to him.  "I am a very foolish man.  I did not tell you how to 
    hang the stars but it is certainly a beautiful night.  I have not 
    directed Sister Moon in her path but she knows it well.  I did not tell 
    Brother Sun where to come up in the morning and yet every morning he is 
    there.  I am a very foolish man.  Jesus, you are a powerful God."  With 
    that he did something he said he would never do, he bowed his knee and 
    said, "Jesus, if you will be my savior, I will follow your moccasins."
    
    One week later he was walking by a church in another town.  They were 
    having a service and he thought he remembered another verse that says 
    if you will not confess Jesus before men then neither will he confess 
    you before the Father but if you do confess Jesus before men then he 
    will confess you before the Father.  He went in the church and sat 
    down.  At the end of the sermon the pastor gave an altar call and Eddy 
    said that he felt like every eye in the place was on him.  He walked 
    forward and approached the pastor.  "I do not need your altar call but 
    I have something that I need to do."  Eddy explained to the pastor the 
    verse God had spoken to his heart.  The pastor handed Eddy the 
    microphone and Eddy made his first confession of Jesus Christ before 
    men.  Now, he says, "If you want to talk about my heritage or about my 
    crafts then I will enjoy talking with you for one hour.  But if you 
    want to talk about Jesus, put some coffee on, because I will talk all 
    night."
    
    

  
 

  Heavenly Father, forgive me for complaining about being too tired or too
 busy to go on visitation, or too "scared" to talk to someone about what 
 you have done for them.  Thank you Father, for the testimony of this man,
 and may I learn from it..


 In Jesus name

 Amen

    What a beautiful testimony!  Praise God!
    
    Pam

    Man, talk about feeling convicted... wow!  Sometimes I think I'm just
    one big ol' slobber bunny... [wiping eyes].
    
    Thanks Kent, I needed that!
    
    Nancy

    Kent
    
    This is a beautiful testimony, thanks for taking rthe time to include
    it. This is the kind of material that REALLY edifies this notes
    conference.
    
    Ben

    I echo all the previous replies.
    
    What a testimony of the power of our God - nothing is impossible to
    Him, even melting the heart of an obstinate man.  He takes our hearts
    of stone and gives us a heart of flesh.
    
    Our God IS an awesome God.
    
    Karen

Thanks Kent.  I needed that!  Just back from vacation, including many
opportunities to speak to people about the LORD, at the local rock
festival.  Many threads 'left hanging', with people we'll probably never
see again on this earth, but the Word of the LORD doesn't fall fruitless to
the ground, even when apparently rejected.  Hallelujah!!! 

I also need the words Eddy gave to Barbara. 

				thanks again...
						Andrew 

         Kent,
         
         I have just had the chance to print off and read, uninterrupted 
         your base note.
         
         What a challenge; what a testimony of comittment and perseverance 
         on Barbara's part; what a wonderful and unique addition to the 
         family to which we all belong. I shall look forward to meeting 
         with this guy, in glory :-)
         
         If the opportunity should present itself, would you have any 
         objection to having this testimony shared, either in the context 
         of a church service, or during conversation amongst friends?
         
         Is the name "Eddy" another way of saying Edifying - because his 
         testimony sure does edify the Name of Jesus.
         
         Thanks, once again
         
         Paul

    Paul,
    
    Last Wednesday Eddy came to our mid-week service.  I asked him for
    permission to share his testimony with others and he agreed without
    restriction.
    
    Kent