I get to have the last Word!

My Parents died within a year of each other

Ruth L. Berry 1935-2010 / Robert I Berry 1930-2011

Proverbs 22:1 states that a "good name is more desirable than great riches." It's interesting how this verse has become a reality in my life. Just recently, my father, Robert I Berry passed away on July 9, 2011 in Fort Myers, Florida. He was survived by his German wife of 34 years and myself only. She has no children, a 90 year old brother and a nephew who is 66 living somewhere in Germany. My grandparents left a considerably large estate to my father who protected it. According to their will I am to inherit that estate upon his death. However, I have had no intention of disturbing my father's estate since I wanted to stablize his wife's home enviroment. I took great care in getting my father's VA benefits transfered to her, helped her with the Social Security benefits and got his insurance policy benefits to her.

In turn, she told me that my father didn't want me to get anything including my grandparents estate because I was not his kid. Unbelievable what people will do to when it comes to money. I told her "You can keep the money - but there is something you will never take from me... my family name." That's when it hit me "My family name and story is something no one can ever take from me." I know the truth. I have the birth certificate. I have the pictures of me and him for the first 18 years of my life - something she can't take from me. While I was helping her and burying my father all she could do was try to blaspheme my grandfather's name, tell me terrible stories about my father, and that my grandmother didn't want me to have their money.

She also told me she deserved everything. Well God bless her she can take the furniture - I'll take the family story and their faith. My father was a great man of God during the last years of his life. He came to Christ when I was in my late 20's. My grandparents served the Lord the entire time I knew them. In fact, if it was not for them I would not be a follower of Jesus or have chosen a path in ministry for the last 35 years. God bless them... and God bless my father's widow. My family's good name is still in tact and since I am the only Berry left carrying the name I get to have the last word.

No one can take your story away

Just recently my father Robert Berry, 80 of East Fort Myers, FL passed away at his home on Saturday, July 9, 2011. He was born on July 22, 1930 to John and Carolyn Berry. Mr. Berry was a veteran of the Korean War and Vietnam War serving in the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy. During the Vietnam War as a Platoon Sergeant he was awarded the Bronze Star with "V" Devise for his heroism in a military operation against hostile forces. He was also awarded the Combat Infantry Badge, Purple Heart and the Gallantry Cross. After 22 years of service he retired and moved to Fort Myers in 1976 from Germany. Mr. Berry was an American Hero.

More importantly, my dad became a follower of Jesus a number of years ago. The dramatic change in his life was amazing. In fact, in 1988 my father, grandfather, and myself had the awesome opportunity to share our family testimony in a Father's Day in Fort Myers, Florida concerning how God had fulfilled "The hearts of the fathers being turned to their children and children toward their fathers." Only God can redeem and turn around a family. Yesterday, July 22, 2011 was my father's birthday. He would have celebrated 81 years on earth but now he is with my grandparents, my mom and other family member in heaven. It's a great thing to know that he is with Jesus now and my family in heaven.

Life goes on with all it's turmoil now here on earth. I'm glad God has done a deep work in my family's history. May the generational blessing continue as the next generation arises and fulfills the call of God on their lives. For now, let me just say I thank God that he gave me a story, a testimony, of God's redemption within a family to share with others... and no one can take that story away.

Time passing

Over the last few years, I have been taken back by the lack of knowledge the emerging generations have of those who have served God faithfully and left us an incredible legacy. Men and women like Frank and Hazel Houston; Dr. Peter Marshall; Bishop John Gimenez;David Duplesse; Harold Bredesen; Jamie Buckingham; Benson Idahosa; Rex Humbard; Pastor Glenn Foster; Judson Cornwall; Dennis and Rita Bennett all left us examples of faith which are now a part of our forgotten history. Even current leaders like Bill Gothard; Bob Mumford; Larry Tomzac; Dr. Arlene Churn; Mel Tari; Mannasseh Mankuleiyo; Ben Kinslow; John Gilman; Jack Hayford are unknown by emerging leaders. Something is amiss about all this.

The bible teaches to give honor to whom honor is due. It also says to honor your father and mother that it may go well with you. For a generation who loves stories... its important to tell the story of the last forty years about all the awesome works that Jesus has done through these great men and women of faith.

Christmas 2010

Over the Christmas holiday I spent 3 hours in an Apple store working to negotiate a new line to be added on my family plan with AT&T. What a nightmare! AT&T wanted to charge me a $300 deposit for a new line. POLICY they said for new lines. There was no way I was going to pay for that. In fact, even tough they won't care I am switching my Iphone plan to verizon as soon as I can.

What this brought to my attention however, was values that I hold dear. (1) The gift of time is more important than money. I realized that I don't want to spend this kind of time anymore in any store. Apple and AT&T don't deserve my time. I offer my time to people who are important to me. (2) I realized that The Gift Of Friendship is an important value to me. I don't want to waste my time on people who don't care about anything more than "what they can get out of me." Relationship is a sacred trust and a very valuable commodity. It needs to be spent on people who value it. Not people who could care less about us. Andra and I don't mind spending our lives on others but we will not be spending our lives on stupid people who suck the life out of us and only want to use us for their own self-centered purposes. (3) The third value I identified important is "The gift Of hospitality." We love loving, sharing and being together with others. Christmas day for us this year began with not only our family but sharing it with people in our church family also. Heb 13:2 exhorts us to be hospitable. I think if I were to identify another value of mine it would have to be "Generosity." I don't understand people who are not generous. Those who are generous are generous in spirit. Mother Theresa once said, "If you can't feed a hundred, then just feed one." God gives us our time, relationships, hospitality and generousity as gifts - lets use them wisely.

Being Thankful

Yesterday Brian Cook preached a great message on Thankfulness in our church. Thanksgiving is an awesome time to stop and reflect on what we have to be thankful in our lives. First, I am very grateful to have my family. My wife, my girls, my Dad and his wife, Andra's family, and my very large extended family... especially my cousins. But I am also thankful for all the people I have as friends around the world. In Australia, New Zealand, England, France, Ukraine, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Finland and the list goes on. I am thankful for the friends I have here in the USA too. This particular Thanksgiving I had an awesome day with John and Robin Blanchard and their family, cooking and sharing our day together in Virginia Beach. Thank you guys for the awesome hospitality. I also am thankful that we had a great moment as a family to drive through the Christmas light display on Virginia Beach's boardwalk. It was great. Finally, I am thankful for having had a great nephew, Jake Vier, who was only with us up until this past Friday evening as he passed on from this life to the next. He was a joy to his Dad, his grandparents, and to us. I think one of the greatest things he left us was showing us how a kid can get through all the obstacles of life and not be bitter... to always look for thegood things in life. Being Thankful is the most important aspect of life we can hold. Thank God we all have the opportunity to go through life with the people God has placed with us whether for a long period or short time. In all things let's give thanks.

Global Politics

With the rise of GenX into leadership positions all around the world, it shouldn't be surprising that deconstructionism will be the political position of many of our leaders. Anti-institutionalism will be the wave for the next ten years. Throughout the years of traveling through the nations, it has been puzzling to me how the same themes being raised by our USA politicians are the same as those in England, France, Germany, Australia, and New Zealand. In fact, all you have to do is watch them and you can easily predict what is going to happen in the USA.

Currently, the political choices is not about personalities but rather a choice between Keysian economics and Adam Smith's view of unregulated markets. It is a matter of interpreting theology and biblical economics as to what view we arrive at. The issues are the same for all of us in the west. Global competetion between East and west... costs related to employment and the rise of a knowledge based economy will not ease our tensions nor resolve our current situation easily. All we can do is effectively choose leadership who understand the world and it's future. those who understand that will lead us effectively into the future instead of attempting to take us back to the industrial age.

How God Uses Broken People To Heal Broken People: A tribute to Frank and Hazel Houston

Many years ago I had the awesome privilege of meeting Frank and Hazel Houston. Frank and Hazel were founders of what is today Hillsong Church based in Sydney Australia. They originally began as Salvation Army officers in New Zealand. Frank was sent out to to serve churches which were basically struggling to survive. For those, who have worked in this field, it is a well known fact how hard struggling churches can be on a minister, his wife and family. It can certainly be depressing, frustrating, and taxing on your faith. Sometime during this period, as I remember, Frank experienced some kind of mental breakdown and checked himself into a mental hospital. Both Frank and Hazel shared with me the difficulty they had during that dark time in their lives. This story can easily be found in "Being Frank" by Hazel Houston.  This story has been widely known for years by many of those around Frank and Hazel and was often shared by Frank as he shared his testimony publicly. Even tough, Frank never shared the day to day details of his 3 year stay in this mentally hospital, there was no hiding of this dark period - especially in light of it being published in Hazel's book.

In fact, this book is a huge testimony to Gods healing and transforming power. It's an inspirational story of how God can take any broken person and use them to reach other broken people. Anyone familiar with Hazel's book, knows that the first few chapters alone explains and gives huge insight into the depth of how this period of mental illness impacted them. A few years, after Franks hospitalization, Frank and Hazel were mightily touched by the Holy Spirit under the ministry of Ray Bloomfield in Auckland's Miracle Tabernacle. As the years progressed Frank experienced healing and went onto have awesome crusades where hundreds were brought to Christ. At age 60, God led he and Hazel to Sydney where they began Sydney Christian Life Centre. Everyone who really wants to know the truth about Frank and Hazel's journey should buy a copy of the book.  Their story needs to be revisited instead of dishonored. Read Hazel's book!  John 8:3-7  demonstrates Jesus' attitude toward on any of our accusers:

"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women.Now what do you say?" They were using this question as a trap,in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

Mental illness is a huge embarrassment on those who have suffered with it and painful on their loved ones who have had to live through it. It is so sad how this subject has been neglected in the church today. In the late 1980's,  I had the awesome privilege of meeting Frank and Hazel in the Dulles Airport in Washington, DC. I stayed in their home several times and became a close friend to both of them.  I never knew Frank as the broken person he was during this dark period of his life. What I experienced was a faith-filled very inspiring and encouraging person. I loved being around him. I spoke often at Sydney Christian Life Center (waterloo) as it was known and Frank's network of churches, including Hills (now known as Hillsong) throughout the early 90's. The men and women of God who serve all across the world today because of Frank and Hazel is a testament to their lives. I loved and had a great time with Frank and his family. They have always been a remarkable family. The Frank and Hazel Houston that I knew inspired both my wife and I, filled us with vision, and always encouraged us to always be radicals for God as they did for so many other ministers around the world. However, one of the most inspiring moments came later long after Frank and Hazel had gone on to be with the Lord. It is a lasting testament to their story. In late 2010, I watched a remarkable church plant that is both a tribute to Brian and Bobbie's Houston and the many leaders that Frank and Hazel left behind. (See John 15:16 This verse says it all!)

I witnessed, as a new generation of leaders, the launch of Hillsong NYC as it began in the actual facility that Evangeline Booth, daughter of William and Catherine Booth, had built in 1929 as she lead the Salvation Army into America. Lines of young people poured around the building.  1500 seats... and three services that first night. As each serviced progressed, hundreds of young people were saved after Brian shared a great message on the 3Gs Grace, Glory, and Goodness. It was an inspiring message as usual. Hillsong leader, Christine Caine followed up Brian's message and gave an awesome invitation for people to receive Christ... in the true form of the house. It was also nice to see Judith McGhie, Frank's youngest daughter, Roma Kasevich from Kiev, and Joel and Ben all serving the Lord. Lord have mercy those boys have grown up. I am very thankful to have witnessed this ongoing ministry and work of Hillsong across the world. Thanks guys for letting me have a moment with you in the past and in continuing the legacy of my friends "Frank and Hazel Houston." I am so thankful to have met you and I will always honor and remember you as "my friends." Frank and Hazel must have been having a real moment with Evangeline Booth in heaven the opening night of Hillsong NYC! :) It's always good to remember the good things about people who we knew and loved.  I am forever grateful for my experiences with Frank and Hazel, in both my home (in Annapolis) and theirs (in Sydney) and that final time in Evangelist's Jeff Beacham's home in New Jersey just before they died. (See Psalm 116:15) This is how I will always remember them, and as Frank always said:  "To Hell With The Devil!"