A Tribute To Dr. Harry Reeder

Earlier this month, Senior Minister of Briarwood Presbyterian Church, Harry Reeder, died in a car crash. I had just seen Harry a couple of weeks ago at the GRN National Conference in Charlotte. He was filled with joy, zealous for the gospel of grace, and so intentional and kind with everyone he met. He preached one of the best sermons I've heard in my life at that Conference on sanctification.

Harry was a mentor from afar for me. He always had a smile on his face when I walked up and it felt like home. Other men had far better relationships with him than I did but even for our newer relationship he was most kind. I emailed him once looking for wisdom and he immediately responded with a phone call. He loved to talk about the gospel and gospel ministry.

His books From Embers To A Flame and The Leadership Dynamic are two of the more influential books for my ministry. He was a means of grace minister. He saw the Lord work in incredible ways in and through him. Though he certainly had his own sins, he was a godly and gracious man. Above all, it was his desire for the glory of Christ and His gospel of grace which was most compelling.

When he came down from the pulpit after delivering that sermon in Charlotte, I told him that he did more in 50 minutes for my own faith in Christ than what I could've done in 50 years. I told him that I could never repay him for how he impacted me through that sermon. His response was, "You go and minister that same gospel."

Please pray for Briarwood, the Reeder family, the GRN, and the numerous men and women who feel the loss of a shepherd who meant so much to them. 

Recently, Jon Payne wrote a blog post to remember his death. You can read that by clicking here. Kevin DeYoung also wrote a blog post to honor Harry. To read Kevin’s post click here.

Here is the link to the sermon from the GRN Conference: