Service for Dylan Raymond Ferguson Hardee

#PlanttheSeed

Sharing Memories:

From Alex:

dylan,

today is the day i found out we lost you.It’s hard not having you here anymore and hearing your horrible pick up lines and all the jokes you thought were so funny. I already miss you so much and i can’t tell if this is real as much as i don’t want it to be i know you are up there dancing with Jesus. I can’t get up in front of all these people and say these word without having my stage partner we all know i don’t do well on stage. you were the only reason i was able to get up on stage and do our Christmas play because i knew you were going to be right beside me looking crazy and forgetting lines. You have made such an impact on so many lives of people you don’t even know. so many people are going to be reached and already have because we are going to plant the seed you strived to always plant in everyone you met. I will forever miss you and all the “positive” jokes you said to me they always made me feel good about myself (that was sarcasm for everyone who knew the jokes Dylan told me) I know you are in heaven having the time of your life. Everything was a competition and today you won first place and finished with the best prize you could walking on streets of gold no medal here on earth could top that prize. The light you left on this earth will forever shine and your legacy of winning life’s to Jesus will always be remembered. The youth group will forever remember to plant the seed. I love and miss my best friend and can’t thank you enough for the times you were there for me. And i know when you stood before Jesus he said “well done my good and faithful servant ” Thank you for always having my back and being there when i need to talk. I will miss our car rides in the ghetto mobile and the fish bowl and i’m still upset i never got that gas station date i was promised for 3 years. my time knowing you was far too short but i’m beyond blessed i got to call you my best friend. I know here on earth we are all sad and i know you wouldn’t want us sad you would want us celebrating your life with laughter i know you have made it to the one and only paradise and i know you are at the table having a feast on fudge rounds now you don’t have to worry about gaining the weight. My heart is heavy and i know with time my heart will heal and only through Jesus will this happen. I will strive to continue to plant the seed as you did for so many i love you so much but i know you are in a better place with our creator and that’s the safest place you can be. When i get to heaven i will be able to understand the peace you felt on July 27th when you got to meet the one and only god. As hard as this is for everyone we know you couldn’t be in safer arms. We all love you so much and miss you more then words can express but we couldn’t be happier that you have experienced the presence of Jesus.

From Brianna:

i won’t go into exactly how i met dylan because if i’m being honest, it’s all a blur. all i know is that one moment in sixth grade i didn’t have dylan raymond in my life, and then the next minute i did, and that forever changed my life. i had no idea what God had intended for us. even though it wasn’t as long as i might’ve liked, the times i spent with dylan by my side were the best moments of my life, undoubtedly. i know that God brought us back into each others lives for a reason, but if i’m being honest i’m still trying to find out the entirety of those reasons. to quote from our song, “the kindest parts of my heart are you and me”. that about sums it up. he was absolutely the most captivating and beautiful soul i’ve ever known. so somewhere between the late night facetime calls when we were 12 years old and the poems and notes written over the course of our relationship, i fell madly in love. never in my life will i love a soul quite the way that i loved dylan raymond. he meant the whole world to me, as i know he did to many of you. his life was too short, but i understand that it was Gods time to call his beloved son home with Him in eternity. and to dylan, not a day will go by that i won’t think of you. i’ll miss you counting the freckles on my face, the sunset pictures you would send me every time it even had the slightest glimpse of orange, and the fact that you were one of the very few people to call me by my full name.

he was a goofball, but our dylan raymond was also a poet of sorts. if you were lucky enough, you got to have dylan by your side when something troubling happened. dylan raymond had a way with words, he was the deepest feeler. there was not an emotion that dylan raymond did not feel and analyze. he knew what it was like to love and to be loved. what it was like to hurt and to be hurt by others. what i’m trying to get you to understand is that dylan raymond felt. he felt with his entire body. maybe that is what made him such an incredible and captivating person. but he understood pain, just as much as he understood joy.

now i know dylan didn’t know everything, (even though he acted like he did sometimes) but he sure knew how to tell a story. dylan raymond could make the most boring and simple story the most adventurous and tension inducing story known to man. he would light up and those smile lines would pop out, and those big deep brown eyes of his would widen and that funny little grin would appear. what i’m trying to get at is that remembering dylan raymond in these ways of telling the best stories, always being there for us, and always knowing the right thing to say, these are the ways in which we should remember dylan. we remind ourselves of his laughter, and his smile which was just about the best thing in the whole world, and his warmth that he provided for us as a friend, loved one, and even stranger. he loved every single one of you, don’t doubt it. it didn’t matter what the situation was when you last spoke to him, he loved you. that was Jesus shining through him, the part of him that was so compassionate for everyone, no matter their past of what they’ve done or will do. he was a true man of God, no one could deny it. whatever you loved best about dylan raymond, be those things to others. and lastly, just laugh. remember to laugh and make jokes as dylan did. he would want us to, especially in the midst of suffering.

dylan raymond, i love you more than the stars and moon.

From Bryan:

Dylan Ferguson

2 years ago, was a darker time in my life. A time where I was going through so much mentally, spiritually, and overall as a man.

As a kid my family went to church some but I would've never claimed to be christian. This was a result of how churches, and other christians, had made me feel in the past. I never spoke up about Jesus, I barely even believed in Him. Despite this I felt the compulsion to get a bible one day, and as I read through the book of Genesis I remember praying, sincerely (something I had never done before), asking God to show me whichever way was true.

I remember having dreams around this time of playing football, decided that I could use the extra muscle mass, and tried out for the team. This is where I met Dylan Raymond Ferguson (Hardee) for the first time. I remember him walking up to me and starting a conversation out of thin air, and thinking "who is this kid and what is he even talking about right now".

As the season went on we grew closer, talking on the sidelines about this shop he was working at and these people he had met and all the cool cars they had and how much he loved the Saints, and how I should come over one day to hang out. We promised we would get each others numbers. Winter break rolled around and our AdHd must've kicked in because we both forgot. I remember feeling genuinely sad that I might not really talk to him again until next season, but to my surprise when I walked in on the first day back, I saw Dylan was standing in that first period weight room with that big goofy grin and those brown eyes that could light up a whole room, with everyone standing around him laughing at some joke he told or the way he did his push-ups.

As the semester went on, we continued to grow closer to each other, opening up a little about our past and issues we faced. I remember him telling me one day that I was one of the most trustworthy people he knew, and he said to me "yknow bo you're my best friend". We swore at the end of that semester that we would get each others contacts, but unfortunately never did. We probably got sidetracked talking about something else.

2 weeks later, a buddy of mine texted me and begs me to go to the gym with him, despite it being a rest day for me. I decide to go anyway, and as soon as I walk in, I saw Dylan Ferguson. As soon as I saw him, the biggest grin appeared on my face as I waited for him to realize I was there. As soon as he did, that same big goofy grin appeared on his face as well. We caught up and talked about how our summer was going, and out or nowhere he invited to me to go to church, telling me I should help him and Alex convince everyone to go white water rafting, and despite my unbelief in any God at that time, I felt so much peace and joy in that moment, and immediately responded with yes.

I remember walking into Oasis Bethany on June 12, 2022. Mr Keith preached about how we have to train our spirit-man to overpower our flesh man. From that day on, I decided I was going to run toward Jesus and never turn around. I have no doubt in my mind when I tell you that God is real, and that He has faithfully provided for my family and I even when I didn't believe. I have no doubt that Dylan Ferguson was placed in my life to lead me through those dark seasons, and to help me find Jesus and who I am in Christ. And I have no doubt when I tell you that He ran and met Dylan halfway somewhere on those streets of gold.

Dylan was a guy who could make a total stranger fall down laughing, a guy who could comfort anyone no matter the circumstance, a guy whose fire for Jesus spread to whoever was near him. Despite everything that he had endured, the people that had hurt him, regardless of the events that unfolded, he always shined so brightly as a lighthouse for God's kingdom. He is genuinely the best son, team mate, servant, and human I have ever met, and I am so glad I get to call him my best friend.

I will continue to thank God for Dylan, and I pray that in all we do, we aspire to live like Dylan, and love like Jesus.

I love you Brother, until we meet again.

A letter from Dylan's aunt Hannah:

Since the day I found out about what happened to Dylan, I've had so so many memories flood my mind from the last 17 years. I remember dylan as a child being the bug man. He was not afraid of ANY bug. He used to chase me and his sisters around with them because he enjoyed watching us scream and run in fear. He was always coming home with different diseases he somehow got playing in mud puddles. I remember the phases he went through loving ninja turtles, wwe wrestling figures all over the place, etc.

I remember the early pre-teen dylan that I butted heads with. He was also very goofy and could make you laugh so easily.

I remember countless times of taking him or his sisters on simple drives with me when I first got my license.

I remember talking about his dreams with him as he grew up and they often changed with his interests, but he always knew he wanted to help people.

Over these past couple of days, I've really had the opportunity to see just how many people dylan has helped lead to the lord.

Im so proud and thankful to have had the opportunity to be apart of his life for so long, to watch him beat the odds of adversity that often weighted him down.

I'm sad because there are things I wish I would've said to him sooner, but it brings me peace to know that Dylan is at peace with the father. I can only imagine the Joy he felt when he stood before the lord and he told Dylan, well done my good and faithful servant.

I miss you and I love you forever Dylan.

#PlanttheSeed

When I do a Baby dedication, or what some call a Christening, I usually explain the meaning of the baby’s name and from that meaning, I share a life verse from the Scripture:

The name Dylan has various spellings based on differing regional origins. The meanings range from “Son of the sea or waves” in the Welsh and Gaelic traditions to “Gift from God” from the Indonesian tradition. Some traditions say it means “Caring.” It also means “Faithful.” From the German tradition, one writer wrote that is meant “loving.” A writer from the UK says the name Dillon is of French origin. He explains that "The name of the Dillon family comes from the name of the town of Lyon in central France. In France, the name may also have been a nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, as derived from the Old French word 'lion,' which meant 'lion.' The Irish Gaelic form of the surname Dillon is Diolun".

We could probably add a few more to the list:

Jokester.

Goofy dancer.

I had my own nickname for Him: The Big Dyl

Our last conversation revolved around it.

As we talked together on Sunday evening, several of you shared the nickname you called him.

From what we have already heard from family and friends, the Dylan we knew and loved filled all those meanings.

He was a caring person - especially if you were hurting.

He had the boldness of a lion. He wasn’t scared of anything. Not even the snake that had curled up on the lawnmower. and bit him on the hand. He grabbed it, took it out grabbed a garden hoe and dispatched it. Then held it up and said to the snake, “These are the consequences of you actions.”

Then he sent a picture of his snake bit hand to his friends and asked it they wanted to play video games.

If you know anything about male lions, they are the protectors. That protective instinct is displayed in Dylan’s favorite scripture:

Matthew 18:12 NKJV

12 “What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them goes astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine and go to the mountains to seek the one that is straying?

Dylan was always on the lookout for the one who needed help. The one who was hurting. The one who was alone. The one who needed a friend.

As you know, Dylan’s life motto was Plant the Seed!

Perhaps this is a life verse I might have recommended:

John 4:35–37 NKJV

35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’

As I was researching Dylan’s name, I was reminded of the poet, Dylan Thomas who wrote a poem entitled, “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night”

The 2nd and 3rd stanzas:

Though wise men at their end know dark is right, Because their words had forked no lightning they Do not go gentle into that good night. Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay, Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

What the poem is saying is:

Smart people at the end of their lives understand that death is inevitable—but, because they haven’t yet said anything startling or revolutionary, nothing powerful enough to shock the world like a bolt of lightning, refuse to peacefully accept death.

Good people, seeing the last moments of their lives pass by like a final wave, mourn the fact that they weren't able to accomplish more, because even small actions might have moved about joyously in a "green bay"—that is, could have made a difference in the world. So they resist, resist the oncoming darkness of their deaths.

How sad that is. How terrible that at the end of their lives, people - even old people - would look back and realize they had done nothing that would carry on after they are gone.

That was NOT Dylan’s story. We are in church, in fact a Pentecostal church so you can say amen or raise a hand or clap in agreement.

I repeat: this was NOT Dylan’s story. (That’s your cue)

In fact, I just want to ask you right now: If Dylan Raymond ever shined the light of God’s love on you, if he ever did a caring deed or shared a kind word with you, or if he was there to help you when you needed it, would you just stand up for just a second?

Dylan believed in Planting Seeds of Kindness, love, and caring wherever he went went. And on Thursday night, when in an instant Dylan was absent from his earthly body and present with the Lord, he probably did not go quietly, but the sound he lifted was not the regret of missed opportunity and an absence of good deeds. No.

He went rejoicing! He went praising! He went goofy dancing into the presence of the Jesus whom He loved and for whom he was daily planting those seeds!

And on Sunday evening when we came together to share our hurt and pain and walk through our grief together, 6 of you said you wanted to know that same joy, peace, love and purpose that Dylan knew and you know what Dylan did? He rejoiced again!

Luke 15:7 NIV

7 I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

I want to challenge you: The Apostle Paul talked about how each one plays their part:

1 Corinthians 3:6–9 HCSB

6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth. 7 So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God who gives the growth. 8 Now the one planting and the one watering are one in purpose, and each will receive his own reward according to his own labor. 9 For we are God’s coworkers. You are God’s field, God’s building.

We asked a question on Sunday night: Fill in the blank. I think right now Dylan would want me to ____________.

Many of you said things like: love like he loved.

So here’s my challenge to you:

Dylan took this verse seriously:

Matthew 10:7–8 NKJV

7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

What’s been placed in your hand has cost you nothing - and it costs you nothing to give it away.

The verses that are on your shirt:

John 4:35–37 NKJV

35 Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest! 36 And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. 37 For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’

Background: Woman at the well - outcast. No one would talk to her. She was that one lost sheep that Jesus left the others to find.

You said that Dylan has planted the seeds of kindness, caring and God’s love in you and others.

Water the seeds that have already been planted.

Sow those same seeds in the lives of those around you. Look for the one who is hurting, alone, in need of a friend, a prayer, a listening ear. And be Jesus to them.

Dylan would tell you - don;t be Dylan to them, be Jesus to them.

I this way, when they come to know Christ, you will be laughing, rejoicing, and goofy dancing with Dylan because Heaven rejoices with us here on the earth.