‘Mr. Ervin’ Haste Memorial
By Tim Smith
My earliest memories of Mr. Ervin are of he and Miss Sandi attending Dr. Frank Hoffman’s
life group which is the first life group I began attending after my life crashed. Not until this
writing have I connected that The Holy Spirit first pierced my heart leading to my born
again regeneration in that very room. Likely Mr. Ervin and Miss Sandi were there at that
time!
Mr. Ervin said The Holy Spirit asked him, ‘so what’s your excuse as to why you can’t go
now (?)’ when I asked him to join us ministering to the detained teenage boys in Swanson
Juvenile Detention Center. One cold night while crossing the Ouachita River Bridge, on
the way to Swanson, the conversation turned to the bridge collapsing. We got a good
laugh when I asked “Mr. Ervin can you swim with those legs? To which he replied, I can
swim without em! Of all the people, all the times going into Swanson weekly over a period
of three years or so that I witnessed, those boys extended a respect to Mr. Ervin that
they had for No. One. Else!
One Thursday night in the fall of 2015 I think it was, I was confiding with Mr. Ervin on
some ministry issues I was grappling with while riding home from Rayville CR. Mr. Ervin
made one statement – “sometimes these things are spiritual attacks”. The next morning,
2 Corinthians 10:3-6
“For though we walk in flesh we don’t war according to the flesh for the weapons of our
warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for the pulling down of strongholds the casting
down of arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”
I prayed that verse over and over, out loud while walking around in the dark, as doing so
I experienced a release of burden so evident as if I heard chains hitting the floor and
weight lifted off me! The Holy Spirit spoke through Mr. Ervin prophetically into my life
that night laying the pathway leading me to breakthrough!
Mr. Ervin, thank you for enriching my life and while I’m missing you now, I’m looking
forward to joining you running, jumping and dancing in worship at The Eternal Throne
of The Bright and Shining One!