EVERYBODY KNOWS HARVEY

There is a joke I heard years ago about a fellow named Harvey who used to brag saying, “Everybody knows me.” His friend said, “Well, John Wayne doesn’t know you.” So Harvey took his friend to Hollywood to John Wayne’s house. John Wayne came to the door and with a big smile said, “Harvey! So great to see you again!” The same thing occurred with a few other famous people. They all knew Harvey. So the friend said, “I guarantee you the Pope doesn’t know you.” So he and Harvey went to the Vatican in Rome. The pope was about to come out onto the balcony to wave at the large crowd. Harvey told his friend, “They don’t know you, so you stay here while I go inside and up to the Pope’s room. When he comes out onto the balcony, I’ll be standing beside him. That way you’ll know that he truly does know me.” Harvey then disappeared inside while his friend stood in the crowd looking up at the balcony. Suddenly, the Pope came out onto the balcony. And sure enough, there was Harvey standing beside him, thus proving that the Pope really did know Harvey. All of a sudden, a number of people in the crowd became very excited and shouted out, “Who is that fellow wearing the beanie cap standing beside Harvey?” Yep, everybody knows Harvey.

Some of my friends and I had a running joke and a few laughs about the fact that people from our home in Raleigh kept running into people around the country and other parts of the world who know me. If I were famous it would not be a “big deal.” But I am not famous, and that’s what made it so funny. Here are some amazing examples.

A couple of men from Myrtle Beach, SC, who worked with my Dad, went to Canada on vacation sometime back in the 70’s. When they stopped for gas somewhere in Canada, a young college kid walked up and commented on the South Carolina tags on their vehicle. He told them he attended Oral Roberts University and that he had a friend at the college who was from the Myrtle Beach area of SC. When he mentioned my name, they were all surprised to realize that my Dad’s friends had run into my friend hundreds of miles from home. What are the odds??

David and Beth Cohen, friends from North Carolina at the time, went to Lansing, Michigan to visit Christian friends. They met a fellow named Larry Johnson at a car dealership. When they told him they were from Raleigh NC, the salesman told them he was originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. David then told the fellow, “My pastor, Billy Long, is from Myrtle Beach, SC. The salesman immediately responded, “I know Billy. He and I worked together on a construction site in North Myrtle Beach back in 1972. Again, it is a small world for my Raleigh friends to run into one of my old SC friends up in Michigan.

David Cohen and Chip Henderson, members of our church in Raleigh, went to a writers and authors conference in Dallas. While there they ran into another one of my friends from ORU. Cliff Talbott was there with his book “Once Upon a Time When We were Colored.” Cliff had great success with this book. Some of you may have seen the movie that was based on it.

Mike King, who was also from our church in Raleigh, NC was on a mission trip in the Soviet Union. He got on an elevator in Kiev. He discovered that the fellow who entered the elevator with him was also from the USA. When Mike introduced himself as from the Raleigh Covenant Church, the stranger responded, “Oh, yes! Billy Long is the pastor there.” Mike was totally surprised.

This next example is truly amazing. My friend Allen Fusca has been on the mission field for many years now. But about 25 years ago he and I were laughing about all these friends of ours running into people who know me in far off places. So, I said, “Allen, wouldn’t it be funny if one of my friends in college at ORU in Oklahoma was one of your friends in high School.” Allen responded, “My high school was in New Jersey, and I only knew of one Christian in the whole school. His name was Mike Ring.”
I very casually said, “Oh yes! Mike Ring, he was one of my friends at ORU.” Allen started laughing, thinking I was kidding, until I brought out an ORU college yearbook and showed him the photo of Mike Ring.

CONCLUSION
The theme song of the popular situation comedy “Cheers” tells us that we “want to go where everybody knows our name.” It represents friends, relationships, and caring for one another. The one thing people love to hear in public is their own name. Most of us are not like “Harvey.” Relatively few people know our names. And too many people feel unknown and unloved, never standing in the spotlight, never getting any recognition, feeling alone and obscure and unimportant. Sometime that desire is rooted in vainglory and selfish ambition, but most people simply hunger to be loved, acknowledged, known, and appreciated.
It’s sad when so many have to search for it in the bars. True Christians, should demonstrate that everyone is important and loved. Jesus has given us the example. For it is true that Jesus Himself knows and loves each of us. The Bible says, "He calls His own sheep by name.” John 10:3.
It should give us great joy to know that the God of the universe and of all creation knows each of us by name. It is a wonderful thing to say, “He knows me.” If you feel unknown and unappreciated, go to Jesus. You start by knowing Him.

"I am the good Shepherd; and I know my sheep, and am known by my own." John 10:14.