Random Acts of Kindness Week

This week is random acts of kindness week. I just happened to have had an email come to me today that left me crying profusely at my office desk. This is a story you have to see. I have copied the email below and included the youtube video link at the bottom. Read, watch and be inspired to show the love of Christ to someone this week. Let it be a catalyst that starts a lifestyle of caring for you and yours.

“There was an unusual high school football game played in Grapevine, Texas. The game was between Grapevine Faith Academy and the Gainesville State School. Faith is a Christian school and Gainesville State School is located within a maximum security correction facility.

Gainesville State School has 14 players. They play every game on the road. Their record was 0-8. They’ve only scored twice. Their 14 players are teenagers who have been convicted of crimes ranging from drugs to assault to robbery. Most had families who had disowned them. They wore outdated, used shoulder pads and helmets. Faith Academy was 7-2. They had 70 players, 11 coaches, and the latest equipment.

Chris Hogan, the head coach at Faith Academy, knew the Gainesville team would have no fans and it would be no contest, so he thought, “What if half of our fans and half of our cheerleaders, for one night only, cheered for the other team?” He sent out an email to the faithful asking them to do just that. “Here’s the message I want you to send,” Hogan wrote. “You’re just as valuable as any other person on the planet.”

Some folks were confused and thought he was nuts. One player said, “Coach, why are we doing this?” Hogan said, “Imagine you don’t have a home life, no one to love you, no one pulling for you. Imagine that everyone pretty much had given up on you. Now, imagine what it would feel like and mean to you for hundreds of people to suddenly believe in you.”

The idea took root. On the night of the game, imagine the surprise of those 14 players when they took the field and there was a banner the cheerleaders had made for them to crash through. The visitors’ stands were full. The cheerleaders were leading cheers for them. The fans were calling them by their names. Isaiah, the quarterback-middle linebacker said, “I never in my life thought I would hear parents cheering to tackle and hit their kid. Most of the time, when we come out, people are afraid of us. You can see it in their eyes, but these people are yelling for us. They knew our names.”

Faith won the game, and after the game the teams gathered at the 50-yard line to pray. That’s when Isaiah, the teenage convict-quarterback surprised everybody and asked if he could pray. He prayed, “Lord, I don’t know what just happened so I don’t know how or who to say thank you to, but I never knew there were so many people in the world that cared about us.” On the way back to the bus, under guard, each one of the players was handed a burger, fries, a coke, candy, a Bible, and an encouraging letter from the players from Faith Academy.”

Cowboy, Up!

COWBOY, UP!

Cowboy up!
That’s what we say sometimes when things get a little rough
But I’m looking at you, and you’ve been here before
Standing in front of this old, locked door
And all your best laid plans
Just came crumbling down to nothing
Right there in your hands
I guess you’re looking around to see
That there’s a whole lot of wisdom
In just a little bit of humility
There comes a reckoning time for every man
When he sees he needs help from above to stand
So if you’re getting tired of losing
And you’re ready to get tough
Then, Cowboy, up
That’s right
Look up!
Cowboy, up!

By Kevin Herrin

This is dedicated to all those who finally gain the wisdom to realize we need a Savior.

Special thanks to Richie and Hevyn Allen for making me look a little like a real cowboy. Enjoy the video. It’s the lead-in for our sermon series called “Cowboy, Up!”

Awful Beautiful Life

Leadership legacies lie dormant in many generations and/or lineages. They are either never cultivated or they are buried beneath loads of generational curses that are attached to roots in an unseen realm which no one will deal with.

The blood flows through veins in an unseen realm of the body and holds the DNA, which makes us who we are. It has been argued for centuries which is the more powerful – nature or nurture.

A child can be taken from an orphanage and placed in a good home only to have the DNA of the biological parents trump the good that the adopted parents did. On the flip side, a child with good genes can be exposed to much ugliness and still weather the storm to come out okay in the end. This is the power of nature.

We’ve also seen someone with a lot of DNA baggage in the blood who, given the chance and proper godly nurturing, comes out the other side different than their generations before them. This is the power of nurture.

The debate could be put to rest by acknowledging that both are important. I believe it takes both working together – nature and nurture.

A piece of steel may be worth $5. Make it into horseshoes and its worth is $10. Backtrack! Manufacture sewing needles out of it and the value rises to $350. Better yet, use it to make springs to power Rolex watches and the value skyrockets to $250,000! The raw material remained the same – a hunk of steel.

You’ve been given the same thing – raw material in the form of DNA. So, you have a spirit that cries out for God but a nature that desires destructive behavior. What do you do?

Too many people make excuses. “I wasn’t born into the right family.”

Jesus didn’t pick the perfect lineage to be born into. Yes, Mary was a virgin, but she and Joseph’s lineage was far from perfect. It was a beautiful blended mess.

Have you ever heard that country song by Darryl Worley that says:

I love this crazy, tragic,
Sometimes almost magic,
Awful, beautiful life

That was Jesus’ lineage. Phil Munsey said in his book “Legacy Now” about Christ’s lineage:

“There were great leaders, successful entrepreneurs, scholars, farmers, and preachers, many of whom were quite impressive and had outstanding character. Others were quite the characters. Liars, thieves, adulterers, prostitutes, and con artists. There were the single moms, the divorced, the widowed, the orphaned, the adopted, and the blended and broken families. Dirty genes, wrinkled and worn-out genes, blue (depressed) genes, stained and ripped genes. From the functional to the dysfunctional, the wise to the witless. From the prosperous to the poverty stricken, there was every gene imaginable! In spite of their spite, everyone and their genes mattered. Everyone contributed to the greatest legacy ever – the parents of Jesus Christ, and therefore, the legacy of Jesus Christ.”

Christ can give you a new nature, but how will you nurture it? My Dad taught me, “If you can be stopped by any excuse, the devil will make sure you always have one.” No more excuses. Nick Vujicic was born with no arms or legs but is now one of the most sought after speakers in the world, speaking over 300 times a year, changing his generation. He has no limbs. What do YOU not have? He has heart. He has new DNA from Christ. What do you have?

You can call your DNA deoxyribonucleic acid; or you can call your DNA Divine Nature Acquired! You have a chance at new life through Christ. Well?

Away In A Manger

Away In A Manger
By Kevin Herrin

Away in a manger. Not in the big city. Away… in a barn. It should have been in a palace. It should have been in a king’s chambers. He was a descendant of King David, after all. He would become known as the King of all kings, as a matter of fact. But, no – it was away…in a manger. Not in a mansion, not in a castle, not in a luxury hotel, not even in a house. There was no room for Him in the Inn. No…a cave, a stable, a feeding trough filled with hay – away… in a manger.

Symbolic it was. Symbolic of the distance between God and us. Away. The God who made mankind for fellowship with Him. The God who walked with Adam in the cool of the day – now separated from His creation by sin and rebellion. He would not – He could not touch sin as the perfect Sovereign. A gap lay between them. Who would bridge the canyon between God and man? Separated. Away from God. Blocked. Inprisoned. Walled out. Away from God because of sin. Away.

And so God would take on flesh and become a man, but how?
Wait…how?
A baby, you said?
A seed planted in the womb of a teenage girl…by the Holy Spirit? Come on.
God…a Baby?
Born where? Away…in a manger.

Not in the focal point of all society. Not in the who’s who of births that day. Only lowly shepherds would come. His birth wouldn’t even register on the social scene for about another year, when wise men from the east would come searching for the prophesied King of the Jews.

Could it be? The Messiah had come? Emmanuel? God with us! Imagine that! God in a manger! The separated Sovereign – the away God – come near…in a manger.

Could it be that this Baby, away in a manger, would be A WAY in a manger?

A way through sin? A way through darkness for humanity? A way past depression? A way past fear? A way past sickness and disease? A way past divorce? A way past suicide? A way past hell? A way past Satan? A way past our past?

God came near. The cast of Christmas looked into the eyes of the Babe away in a manger, but would eventually realize they had been looking at a way in the manger. This Baby would grow up and be the very One who would declare to His disciples, “ I AM the Way.”

Whatever form sin has taken in your life by way of a separating wall of awayness from God, I encourage you to look again at the Baby in the manger. He is the Way. You have been given direct access through the darkness, back to God, through a Way in a manger.

(Special thanks to my friend, Marty Varnell, for the inspiration for this thought.)

Dead?

Pastor Kevin Herrin addresses the “dead.”

Mission Mexico

What an honor it was to stand before pastors, leaders and young pastors-to-be at the Bible school hosted by Pastor Raffa and Tina Rios and Missionary Robin Posgay. Over 100 students attended, on their way to receiving their Associates degree and eventually their Bachelor’s in Theology. This wave of interest has been fueled by the fact that Mexico has passed around 20 new laws that make it possible for the government to terminate any ministry that is not officially degreed. Now, ministers from Monterey and Mexico City are also contacting the school. It is, indeed, a great task on a very small budget, but God is giving them the grace to make it happen. This video is just an overview of my time there. We love you, Raffa and Argentina!

The sound track you hear behind the video is a song written by Michael and Brianna Cash of Sugar Land Family Church.  All proceeds from their live worship album “For Life” go to missions, both local and international.  We appreciate their heart for souls.  To order your copy of “For Life” go to www.slfconline.com.  Secure your copy for a love offering to missions.  Thank you, Pastors Nathan and Dena Keller for your contribution to the pastors and future leaders of the Church in Mexico.  Be blessed. Pastor Kevin Herrin

Face It!

I have encountered people in life who would not go to the doctor  for fear of what he would say; so consequently, their treatable condition continued to worsen.  On the flip side, I have seen the eventual doctor visit reveal that nothing of concern was even wrong, and the report could have saved the person many days of worry and distress.  I have found, as tough as it can be, that to face one’s fears is the optimum way to go in life.  

I was recently faced with one such small matter.  John Jacobs and Power Force were at our church.  He asked me in front of the whole congregation if I would allow Russ, a 6 foot 4 inch, 330 pound marvel, crush a can of diet 7Up over  my head.  No one had ever been hurt, he said, except for the last pastor who’s knees had buckled a little.  I knew I could trust them, but also know that accidents happen.  All Sunday afternoon, I silently cogitated on the matter, never able to truly evade the knots in my stomach.  Russ jokingly looked at me in front of the church, after he had smashed one on his own head, and slid his forefinger across his throat.  We all know what that gesture means.  Gulp.  I laughed.  

Toward the end of the show, John looked at me and simply said the ominous, “Pastor, it’s time.”  After shedding all the paraphernalia, I ascended the platform.  John, the former New England Patriots star, asked me to brace my neck for impact and I faced my giant.  The loving, supportive members and guests of The Fellowship sat in silence and concern . . . with cameras ready.  Seconds dragged on.  I waited.  I heard him grunt and felt a slap on my head and heard an explosion of diet soft drink overhead as the can split clean into upon impact.  I was utterly surprised to realize I had barely even felt it.  He even followed the gasps and “ohs” with a second.  Once I knew my brains were still in tact, I faced the people, licking the sweet nectar from my lips as it dripped from my hair, and lifted my fists in the air in a triumphant sign of victory.  I had faced Russ and would live to tell about it.  

I once bungee-jumped from the highest location in the world (at the time) in Zimbabwe.  Facing Russ and coming out the other side felt almost as good.  Well, close.  My friend, life is too short to not go through.  Let us continue to face those things which threaten to hinder us in this magnificent journey called Life and Destiny.  Face it!  You’re meant for great things.  Go through.  

Kevin and the Giant

Victory!

The Crystal Beach Gift

That it is more blessed to give than to receive is understood by many.  Except for the few among us who think only of themselves, we embrace this Christ philosophy.  But usually it is on our best days, and only when given an opportunity which is so large, we cannot but stumble over it and fall flat on our faces if we don’t notice it.  But when something comes into your life like Ike, things change, if you let them.  You begin to look for opportunities to create giving.  

I sensed during the presidential campaign that many so-called Republicans were leery of the notion of just giving out free food to people for an extended amount of time.  It reminded them too much of the welfare system and its over-use.  I am conservative in my voting on any given day, but I reminded our church that both parties needed to get back to God’s Word on the issue of helping the poor.

In a nutshell, liberals must remember that Jesus is the one who made up the story of the Master telling the “wicked and lazy servant” that he should have at least deposited His money with the bankers so that He could have gotten His own money back with interest.  He then took from the servant with one talent and gave it to the servant who had doubled his five talents into 10 talents.  Like it or not, this is the “rich get richer and the poor get poorer” reality.  God cares where we put His money.  The church is called to give “hand-ups”, not just “hand-outs.”  We are called to make disciples, not create perpetual “baby chicks” with their mouths open for supply.

On the flip side, conservatives need to remember that everyone deserves a chance to receive that hand-up.  We cannot afford to judge people based on their appearance or social condition.  Everyone needs help now and then, or they are anti-Christ.  Even Christ said He could do nothing except His Father give Him strength.  Jesus was emphatic that He took the treatment of His “little ones” personally.  He vehemently linked Himself to those “naked, imprisoned, thirsty and hungry.”  When we’ve done it to them, we’ve done it to Him.  

My life will never be the same after Ike.  I pray God gives you the same revelation He has given me . . . minus the storm, of course.  What a rewarding life it is, indeed.  

A Day With PK

Though I did not have a “professional” video crew going out with me to get the full scope of what we’ve been able to do in the past six weeks, I wanted to give you a sense of what a day in my life has been like.  This particular day was our last day to take food out to individual houses.  I only was able to video a few families.  Many are not comfortable being filmed at their weak moments.  We had to be careful.  30,000 meals later, we are finally winding down and looking for our next assignment.  The video is just under 10 minutes, so if you have a little free time, take a look. 

Oak Island Outreach

The Fellowship of Texas City, along with Blood & Fire Ministries and Somebody Cares America hosted an outreach in Oak Island, TX where people are still sleeping on the ground from Hurricane Ike. We fed around 1600 meals today. Mike Lynch said that people kept asking, “Why are you doing this?” They just couldn’t believe it. They were eating plates of brisket and ribs. Ice cream and balloons for the kids, hugs, prayer and the love of Jesus for everyone there. What a privilege we have been given. My life will never be the same.