“I Made It” A Tribute To Terry Turner
“I Made It” A Tribute To Terry Turner
Monday of last week, Terry’s text to his group was “I made it.” Terry was not feeling well when he arrived to lead our Monday night group. With his co-leader, they decided Terry should go home half way through the group. To the surprise of everyone involved with Changing Lanes, this would be the last time we would hear from Terry. Around 2PM the following day, I received the news he had passed away from heart failure within the previous hour.
Terry had just begun a journey to fight cancer. His first chemo treatment was the previous week. All of us knew Terry was in for a fight, but none of us expected we would lose him this fast.
Terry had just begun a journey to fight cancer. His first chemo treatment was the previous week. All of us knew Terry was in for a fight, but none of us expected we would lose him this fast.
Terry joined Changing Lanes in 2014 as a member of one of our groups. He had recently completed a 2-year prison sentence in Kansas or what he liked to refer to as “adult timeout.” Terry already had a relationship with God before the “timeout,” but had secrets that kept him from believing he was loved completely and could be accepted by other people. Terry found both things that alluded him.
It was obvious during his time as a group member that there was something special about Terry. His desire to help others and always point them back to God was something I noticed. After his group was completed, I invited Terry to help me in a group. Terry’s impact on the group was dramatic. He used his unique sense of humor, his own story, and tying it all back to Jesus to change the lives of the men in the first group, and in additional groups he would help lead.
Terry impacted dozens of men over the last four years. This impact extends to their families and will continue for generations. We will miss Terry! Changing Lanes has a huge hole that cannot be filled. But Terry will forever be a part of Changing Lanes. He impacted how I (Brett) lead groups, and he helped me grow in ways of compassion and love. Terry went from being a group member to a leader to a good friend. I look forward to seeing him again.
To help understand Terry’s impact and a tribute to his life, here are a few quotes from some of the men in Terry’s groups:
“The very best leaders exhibit both humility and confidence. This was a worldly observation of two characteristics that through the lens of the individual’s ego, are difficult to balance and maintain. However, Terry showed that through the lens of God’s grace, confidence and humility are mutually reinforcing. Terry had the confidence of a forgiven man, humble in honoring God’s glory that redeemed him. “
“Terry cared enough about me to say what i needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear…He was also very perceptive. It wasn’t just that he knew how to get a serious lesson across in the midst of a joke, he was a pro a highlighting both severity and humor that exist in our lives.”
“He helped me find some of my inner emotions I struggled to feel, and he taught me that I need to read my Bible daily even if I’m not always understanding it. To just connect with God always”
“Terry was a man who knew what his purpose on Earth was. He did not allow the events of life to stop him from pursuing Jesus and living out the great commission…Terry knew when to be serious yet knew when to sneak in a quick joke as well! Walking through certain areas of my own life, Terry knew exactly how to make what seemed life ending not any less serious but less burdensome and hopeful…Terry loved unlike any other! I truly saw Christ in him through his actions and words. He also told me that there is no condemnation for those in Christ and that’s something I’ve always kept before sine doing life with Terry. He showed me what it meant to be human and to have a savior who can bring your from anything. His love made me love God, myself, and all others better!”
Because of Terry allowing God to use him, generations have been impacted with freedom!
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A Spiritual Green ThumbThankfulness in Times of TrialOne New LifeOne StepOne DecisionOne PossibilityOne FearOne LieOne DayFurther Up. Further In.When TImes Are Good, Don’t Lose GroundBlessings From The FatherWill shame stop exploitation?New Life in ChristNew Life: A Beautiful MessWhen It’s Hard To Do What You Said you would doConviction vs. ActionNot By SightFinding Identity In The Deep EndRefuge In The StormCan I Really Change? One Guaranteed Way Inside“I Made It” A Tribute To Terry TurnerOne Decision. One Choice.Free IndeedI never knew that something that merely peaked my curiosity at the age of twelve, would turn into years of relentless shame and secrecy. Over the course of four years pornography had consumed more of my life than I ever intended to give it. I vividly remember one of my most desperate prayers to God when I was sixteen. With knots twisting in my stomach, and tears uncontrollably running down my face I said, “God, I can’t do this anymore.” It was in that moment He replied, “Jessica, you don’t have to.” If you are reading this, I don’t know where you are in life or the magnitude of the struggles that you face. What I do know, is that there is such a thing as freedom. For me, it was freedom from more than a pornography addiction. Lust, deception, shame, guilt, comparison, rejection, abandonment, and condemnation have all reared their heads in the years that followed that night when I was sixteen. At times I found myself asking, “When will this ever end?” Somehow, I fell under the impression that the surrender of one thing meant that things in this new relationship with God would inevitably be effortless afterward. Not only was I wrong, but I am glad I was wrong. John 8:36 reads, “So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.” To this day, it is a verse that has brought me the greatest joy, and I want to tell you why. Jesus starts out this verse by saying “if the Son sets you free.” I couldn’t keep up with the facade that everything was okay, and that I didn’t have an addiction. Freedom came in the moment I said that I couldn’t do it anymore. It wasn’t ever going to be found in my own ability, and for that I am thankful. I am thankful that I can never be too proud of my own strength and resistance to sin. On my own I will miserably fail. Then later in the verse comes my favorite part: “free indeed.” For only six letters, indeed is a powerful word. According to Strong’s concordance, some definitions include “really, truly,” and “actually.” In other words, Jesus was saying that this freedom is without question. It’s not a distant, unattainable fantasy. It’s an undeniable reality that only He can make possible. So where does this leave you now? It leaves you with a choice. Regardless of where you consider yourself to be in this life, Jesus is the only way to lasting freedom. The lies that tell you that this is how it always must be are exactly that – lies. There is a life beyond addiction. Ten years ago, I found myself at that crossroads where I had to decide if I wanted to keep living the way I was. Jesus wasn’t just as my crossroads, but on the road leading to it. I only had to recognize that He was there.
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