Reflections from Karen Muir, the sister of Terry Kenneth Sharp

I am blessed to be Terry’s sister and friend.  On March 6th of this year, Terry and I arrived separately for the Lent service which was held in the worship center we are in this evening.  After the service, we saw each other in the foyer and he introduced me to some of his friends that attended the Life Group that Terry & Ceci hosted at their home– Jamie and Torri. I introduced him to one of my new friends – Darla.  Terry said to Darla – any friend of Karen’s is a friend of mine.  I want to echo Terry’s words today – any friend of Terry’s is a friend of mine.  So to all of you friends and family - thank you for coming today to celebrate the life of our beloved Terry.  More than that, we appreciate all the ways you enriched his life and allowed him to bless your lives.

Terry was born in Santa Barbara, California in October 1952, the first born son of Omar and Alene Sharp.  My brother George and I were born in West Covina, CA, but not too long after our parents began to plant their roots in N. California, where our brother Daniel was born.

It was fun growing up with brothers.  It meant climbing pine trees in our backyard (though I did not climb as high!) and playing “Around the World” basketball on our driveway.  Fun family times included camping at Lassen, Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, playing games like Scrabble and Authors and sometimes a special adventure to Frontier Village where you could ride a stagecoach and paddle a canoe.  A couple of years ago, Terry surprised me with a box of Author cards.  It’s a simple game, but it represented a fond memory from our childhood.

Terry and I were two grades apart and both were influenced by our 6th grade teacher, Mr. Lightburn.  In his class (of course, in separate years) we memorized and grew to appreciate poetry.

In junior high, we were in Glee Club and we both enjoyed singing.  In our later adult lives, you might suddenly hear Terry and I bust out into a song from long ago after hearing some simple phrase that triggered a memory.

In the high school years Terry began playing guitar, inspired by a neighbor friend, Gary Miles.  I remember sitting in Terry’s bedroom as his shared the latest lyrics he had written and music he had composed.  Composing and playing his guitar was a great joy that he shared with us throughout his life.  Even after he became ill, Terry was eager to share what he had created when my husband, Ken, and I stopped by to spend time with him.

In our teenage years, Terry and I began initiating discussions about current events and other topics with our parents at the dinner table.  It was a great time to express our opinions, including our opinions about the Vietnam war.  In fact, our Dad drove Terry and I and some friends to a candlelight vigil protest at Stanford University because we were protesting the Vietnam war.

Those conversations during our teenage years were the beginning of a lifetime of interesting conversations.  Sometimes on the phone, sometimes in person.  Throughout our lives we would recall that our Mom taught us to question what we were learning and to be like the Bereans mentioned in Acts.  The New Testament passage explains the Bereans were of noble character because they received the Apostle Paul’s message with eagerness and examined the Scriptures to see if what Paul said was true.

Terry had recently graduated from high school when we went to a Christian retreat for young adults.  I thought of it as an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful mountains.  What it became for both of us was a challenge to live out the faith we had both professed when we were kids.  On a couple of occasions, Terry preached in Central Park in Santa Clara and then a group of us would go out 2 by 2 and chat with people at the park about the love and grace of God.  Later, Terry would have opportunities to preach at churches and others of us would go along and share testimonies and song.

Terry attended Bible college with the intent to become a pastor, but Bible college classes led to questions, without being drawn closer to the Lord.

PJ recently asked me how Terry transitioned from preaching as a young man to his career in electronics distribution.  I do not recall how he ended up in distribution, but it has been a joy to see how many friends he made during that career.

During the Gilbert years, Terry’s understanding of God’s love and grace grew deeper.  That love and grace became far more important to him than questions that might never be answered.  He told me that one of the interactions that influenced his journey back to God was a friend from Bible college days stopping by his house on a road trip and simply expressing an interest in his life.  Terry’s dear friends in the Reawakening Group have been a great encouragement and blessing in his journey with God these past 14 – 15 years.  It has been a joy to have a chance to meet some of you and hear how Terry has blessed your lives as well.

The Gilbert years have been a special blessing to me as we’ve been able to share so much time together during this season of life.  We’ve shared Thanksgivings at Terry and Ceci’s home and Ken and I enjoy hosting Christmases at our home.  We’ve shared birthdays, phone conversations and countless “let’s drop by and see each other moments.”  Terry is a great listener.  Always encouraging.  Always interesting and interested in what you share.  It’s hard to imagine holidays without Terry’s smile, music and conversation!  The last conversations I had with Terry were on the Friday before he passed.  After that day he rarely spoke.  Charlie and I were with him when he recounted things he was grateful for.  He said it was heartbreaking to leave this soon, yet he followed with the Serenity Prayer and the “Lord’s Prayer” and prayed for his dearly loved children.  Then he said, “I know God will take care of my people.”  Such beautiful expressions of trust in our Lord.  He had tried chemo to extend his life, but he was at peace that his life was in God’s loving hands from the start.

On May 2, Terry posted some Scriptures from Philippians in what he called “Mediation at first light.”I’ll read a couple of those verses from Philippians from a different translation:

Philippians 4:6-7New Life Version (NLV)

6 Do not worry.Learn to pray about everything. Give thanks to God as you ask Him for what you need. 7 The peace of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”

We watched Terry live that out in many ways.  It seems that is why in those final days on this side of eternity he had the peace of God which is much greater than the human mind can understand.

So many times, even in the midst of adversity, Terry recounted his reasons for giving thanks, especially for his beloved wife, family and friends.   And he prayed.  In recent years, he had shared with me that he selected certain days of the week for praying for a specific group - Thursdays he prayed for family members, Tuesdays he prayed for his Reawakening friends and so forth.  We may never know how many times God impacted our lives in response to Terry’s prayers for us!

After our Dad passed away last year, Terry posted a verse that had popped up in his email from a website called “God’s minute”:“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.”(Matthew 5:4).

It reminds me of a verse from Psalm 34:18 which as a similar promise.  In the Message version, it says…

18 If your heart is broken, you’ll find God right there;
if you’re kicked in the gut, he’ll help you catch your breath.

We are heartbroken and sometimes it feels we’ve been kicked in the gut as we miss our beloved Terry in our daily lives.  We are comforted that God is with us.

The “God’s minute” email that Terry posted also said - “Terry when you lose someone that you love, take comfort in knowing that they are now with God.”  Today we are comforted that Terry has been welcomed into his eternal home by our Heavenly Father.

I look forward to seeing you again, dear brother!  I am sure you will flash that beautiful smile, play a new guitar, share a new song, and who knows maybe we’ll bust out into a song from long ago after hearing some simple phrase that triggers a memory.