Madea: A New Discovery for a Late Arrival…

One of the “cool” things about living outside the US for so long is that I now return and so much is new to me. In the daily wanderings of life, I happen upon things that have long become “old news” for the culture-at-large…but are delightfully new and exciting for this boy.

Okay, so she’s a little crude…and the humor sometimes a little “off color” (so to speak!)…but the message and impact astound. In fact, I’ve only had two of these experiences so far, but each time I was brought to tears—quite literally—as I watched the stories unfold. Sometimes they were tears of laughter…at other times tears of emotions that welled up from within. I have to say, Madea is…”the bomb!”

Tyler Perry has created an amazing character. Rather, he has created an amazing slate of characters in his Medea movies. Of course, Medea is that delightful “Big Mama”-esque figure (the character brought to life in Martin Lawrence’s hit movies)…but she is deeper and more than Big Mama. She is hard, harsh, in your face…and in that key moment, she says just the thing that her family and friends around her need to hear. She is strong…and she has purpose…and she is no-nonsense. And, she keeps me laughing until I cry.

However, the Madea movies are far more than Madea. They are stories about relationships, cultural situations, ethics, family structures, social ills…and faith. We are confronted with love…and abuse, caring parents and children…and neglect. We see men and women who chose the ethical path…and the scoundrels who cast morals and ethics to the wind. And, we find faith…deep, sincere, painfully honest faith. We don’t find a sugar-coated “Jesus loves me” faith…we find that faith that “lifts me out the pit and sets my feet upon a rock” faith. We don’t find a white-washed Jesus of the Protestant work ethic who resides in a nice home, in a nice neighborhood…we find a Jesus who walks the hard streets of Atlanta, that trods through the power-hungry board-rooms and power-abused court-rooms…and then sits in the kitchen of the poor and outcast.

Far too often, when we see “faith” films they are cheesy…painfully and boringly predictable. In Madea we find real people, in real situations, interacting in the messiness of life…yet, holding on to faith that really and truly guides their actions and forms their personality and being. Oh, it’s still film…so it’s not real-real…but Perry manages to portray people—really bring them to life—in a way that I’ve not seen before in American media.

Now, of course, I’m going to be a bit partial to the films also because they are set in my American home-state of Georgia. After attending high school in Dekalb County…running the streets of greater-Atlanta—going to the Fox…enjoying bagels in Little Five Points…spending afternoons at Piedmont Park…and all the others things in that great city—I love seeing all those places in my memories in the background and infused in the conversations of the Madea films. They’re a joy.

And the real proof of these films?? As the film comes to a close, after seeing the family-ties, the impact of history—recent and not-so-recent, the sense of belonging, the profound interplay of life and faith…after all of that, I find myself wishing I were Black….

Thank you, Tyler Perry, for these amazing films…and may you continue to impact lives beyond your imagination as you share these stories of family, hope, forgiveness and faith.

E-Update August 2011…

 

Life on the Edge...

E-Update—August 2011

Jon & Jeanne Herrin

Jesse, Megan and Andrew

US/Mexico Border - McAllen, Texas

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IT'S BEEN A WHILE!!!

Some of you are hearing from us after a very long time...some for the first time! Well, it goes like this...Jon was cleaning up the 'address book' for our e-mail addresses...and, suddenly, all the addresses were gone. Stuff like that ever happen to you?? We're guessing it was that invisible creature that lives in our machine that did it. Anyway, we've pulled all our old address books from CD-backups, pen-drives and old files...and just put them all together in the address book. That means, some of you are receiving double dippin's...some of you who asked to be removed are back on again (just reply with "remove" in the subject line!)...and some of you are getting this who may have never seen one of our e-updates before in your life!! In any case, here's hoping that all of you receive this note with grace at the very least...and thanksgiving at the most! Feel free to forward it...and others can be added by replying with "add me!" in the subject line.

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LIFE TRANSITIONS...

We are settling into our new lives here in McAllen, Texas, (a metro area of 700,000+, 90% Latino, on the border of Mexico) as well as can be expected. After some initial culture-shock and other forms of befuddlement, we are getting our feet on the ground and our lives in order...and in gear.

Of course, this new chapter of life and ministry comes after three years of service in Venezuela and then three more years in the city of Monterrey, Mexico, where we served and ministered through the John Wesley Methodist Seminary and the Laurens Institute. In both settings, we had the amazing and life-shaping opportunity to be a part of the formation of young men and women. And, we must add that YOU, too, had a great part in this ministry through your gifts and prayers. Thank you so much for partnering with us in this ministry that seeks to shape and transform lives through God's Good News.

On this side of the border, the ministry and service continues! We continue to find our way as God reveals the way. As we will relate below, ministry continues through church planting, Intervarsity Christian Fellowship, on-going ministries in Monterrey and far-reaching ministries in Venezuela, Honduras and beyond!

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JON and JEANNE...

Jon has already found an outlet through education by which he will be able to continue his ministry of teaching--of equipping and encouraging young men and women from all walks of life. Jon has accepted a teaching position at the local community college where he will be working with academically disadvantaged young people, helping them develop the skills, abilities and confidence to enter college-level studies. This is right up Jon's alley as he generously uses his gifts of teaching and encouragement in this setting.

Jeanne is opting to stay at home for this first academic semester back in the US. Jon and the kiddos need someone 'at their back' to keep all the wheels rolling smoothly as they go out in the world each day. However, Jeanne is not one to be tied down! She is already making friends and doing things with those new friends--the older lady who lives next door, a old friend from long ago found and re-united, spouses of other teachers at the college. In the two months we have been here, she has already opened our home to receive four families from Monterrey. Three of those families spent a few days with us and enjoyed her wonderful hospitality. Yes, while she cares for everyone in the home, she continues to reach out and into the lives of others.

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THOSE HERRIN KIDS!!!

Jesse now lives in Austin, Texas, where she studies to become a teacher. She is attending college full-time--in her second year now!--and is working 35 hours a week as well! This girl doesn't slow down. She presses on ahead with all her energy. We are so proud of her in her studies and work. Please pray that she is able to maintain that energy and excellence in her studies...and that she is able to find the right community of faith where she will find friends who will support her through the tough college years.

Megan begins studies at the community college this coming week!! Yes, as a home-schooler in her senior year, she is able to attend the college through the dual-enrollment program. So, Megan is excited to move steadily towards her dream of studying nursing. When she graduates from high-school next year, she will already have close to a year of college under her belt--Go, Meg!

In addition to her studies, Megan has become involved with Intervarsity Christian Fellowship--a ministry that reaches out particularly to college students, providing a place to grow in the faith and teaching students how to live and share their faith. Meg looks forward to continued involvement in this wonderful organization.

Andrew has begun high school!! For the first time since 1st grade, Andrew is back in American school...and loving it! He is taking courses like pre-AP Math, Spanish II for Native Speakers (of course!), English, Technology and other classes. With one week behind him, he is confident that this is going to be a really good semester. And, he was able to play basketball in the summer league through the local Boys Clubs. Energy unbounded! Go, Andrew, go!

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MORE ON MINISTRY AND SERVICE...

Besides Jon's teaching, Jeanne's home and community service, the children's schooling, we find ourselves drawn to a new church plant here in the Rio Grande Valley. We have not yet been with them long enough to know if this is indeed the place for us, but we continue to fellowship with this wonderful, passionate group of folks who are striving the live the faith...and help others do the same. We'll let you know how this story unfolds in the days to come...but do pray for us as we strive to find the right place for us.

We also continue in ministry in Monterrey providing human and material resources for the seminary and the institute. We have already delivered over 2,000 books to the institute for their reading corner project...wow!, and are they happy! We go back in September to meet with the administration to see how we can continue to help these wonderful teachers and children to grow in their love for reading. At the seminary, Jon has been invited to teach a week-long course...and the Bethlehem Church in Dothan, AL, just provided a gift of bilingual New Testaments to be shared with seminary students and student teachers! So, the ministry in Monterrey will continue.

Finally, we have received invitations to go and teach in both Venezuela and Honduras in the coming year!! Now that we have come out of Monterrey, it seems that God is opening doors of opportunity--albeit 'short-term!'--into new places. In effect, God is increasing our borders...even when we thought we were shrinking our scope of ministry! God is good...all the time!

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ON THE HORIZON:

Aug. 29th -- Jon begins teaching classes for the community college for under-prepared students.

Sept. 3-4 -- Jon, Jeanne, Megan and Andrew get to go north to spend two days with Jesse!!!!

Sept.23-25th -- Herrin Family will be in Santiago de Nuevo Leon, Mexico, for a church retreat.

Oct. 7-9 -- Herrin Family will be in San Pedro de la Garza, Mexico, for a drama presentation (tentative)

Nov. 24 -- Honduran missionary families serving in Monterrey gather at the Herrin House for an American Thanksgiving celebration--five families, some 30+ people!! (Pray for us!!! ha,ha!!!)

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PRAYERS AND PRAISES...

--We give thanks and praise for God's provision of our needs.

--We are so grateful for all your prayers and your gifts....

--Pray for all of us as we continue to adjust and get accustomed to life on the border, "life on the edge!"

--Pray for our children as they study...and as they live lives of example before their peers.

--Pray for our family as we strive to minister as a family, as we form life-changing relationships in the community.

...and we pray for all of you in North America and all you are going through in this time of uncertainty in the midst of roller-coaster financial happenings.

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As always, we are so grateful for your love, your prayers, your mission-heart, your faith, your support, your encouragement...your being faithful to the call of God in your lives.  Please stay in touch...and we shall do the same!

With much love and great thanksgiving...

Jon, Jeanne, Jesse, Megan and Andrew

www.themissionsociety.org/people/herrins
http://herrinmission.blogspot.com
herrinmission@gmail.com

You can extend your love and ministry through us to the Rio Grande Valley, to Mexico and beyond through a one-time gift, occasional gifts or an extended partnership:

The Mission Society

P.O. Box 922637

Norcross, GA 30010-2637

Designate gifts:  Herrin Support 5/290

Walking with a Stick…

As a young boy growing up in Guyana and Grenada, there was something I always had in hand when I left our yard:  a stick.  A stick was just a part of the everyday life there.  As many folks get up, dress—and without even thinking—put a wallet in the pocket or a cell phone in the purse,…well, a stick in the hand was like that for us kids in the Caribbean.

Why did we carry a stick?  As we walked the roads through neighborhoods or the paths through “the bush,” there was always the chance of being attacked by dogs.  A stick was good protection.  And, if we were passing a mango tree, the stick became a lance to knock mangoes out of the tree.  If we happened upon an old tire (car or bicycle), a stick turned that tire into a toy that we would run along beside for hours and hours.  And, of course, it was good for prodding, poking, moving around whatever unknown things we found lying around.  The stick was a security blanket, a tool and a companion.

 

This week, I remembered the stick as I came to the end of my morning walk on Wednesday.  There is a large, light-brown dog that is chained to a tree in the front of one of the houses I pass.  He usually startles me, lunging at me and growling as his chain—thankfully!—comes up short.  I try to pay him no mind as I walk on by.  However, this past Wednesday was different.  As I came around the corner onto our street, I happened to glance over and see the brown beast lying in the yard…of a neighbor.  Hmmm.  I decided that as I was walking quickly and quietly, and as he was playing with a friendly neighbor dog, he would probably pay me no mind.  I strolled rapidly past…made it about 20 yards, and then I heard that raspy, scratchy, clickity-clackity of dog toe-nails on asphalt…and the growing growl of an angry dog.  I turned to see the beast zeroing in on my calves and feet….

He didn’t bite me, but he sure got me worried there.  Thankfully, I retained a presence of mind and didn’t run or act scared.  However, I will gladly admit that my exercise-elevated heart-rate just about doubled!  Still…I made it the last 50 yards to my house with all my flesh and blood intact.  And then I remembered the stick from childhood.  As I stretched after my walk, I realized that I needed my stick again….

I don’t think anyone would have said in my childhood—nor to me in my present situation—that carrying a stick is “sissy.”  In fact, only a fool would walk the streets and paths of my childhood without a stick…and I guess my fellow Texans of the present might—at worst—consider my stick a bit deficient when I see hand-gun warnings on the doors of restaurants.  So, if carrying a stick in the face of real challenge and danger is smart, why not carry a “spiritual stick” as we maneuver the challenges and dangers of daily life?  And what would that "spiritual stick” look like??

As I walked this morning, a verse that I learned long ago (also in my childhood!) came to me: “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.”  Okay, so I learned it in the KJV…but I still understand that we must somehow internalize the truths, the teachings, the promises of God we find in Scripture.  Some may insist on memorizing word for word…others will be content to have the core, the gist of it, firmly planted in their minds.  I would challenge the Psalmist who wrote those words to expand the purpose a bit more (and I think God will be okay with this)—not only that we might not “sin against” God, but that we might live with confidence, that we might have healthy relationships, that we might live joyfully in the faith we profess, that we might grow in our relationship with God.  Yes, I want that “stick” in my hand (heart!?) as I go out the door each day, as I wade through the streets and paths of life.

So, now I walk in greater confidence each day.  In the mornings before the sun comes over the horizon, I have my walking stick in hand…in case that dog gets off his chain again.  It’s made from a branch of the tree that stood in front of our house in Sta. Catarina in Mexico…3.5 feet long and a very hard wood.

In my heart, I carry my other stick, my “spirit stick,” that goes with me to protect and comfort me—God’s Word, truths and teachings remind me that I do not face anything alone, that I am a precious being with purpose and direction, that there is more to life than getting and taking. 

It’s won’t knock a mango out of a tree, but these words are “sweeter than honey, and drippings of the honeycomb” (Ps.19:10b NRSV).  Yes, my “spirit stick” protects, comforts…even guides and ‘feeds’ me as I navigate the streets and paths of life.

JH

Saying “No” to Culture…and “Yes” to Faith

To be honest, I had forgotten what it was like. I had forgotten how difficult it is here in the US. I remember, oh, so clearly the mission teams, the work teams, coming to serve in Venezuela and Mexico remarking on how refreshing it was to worship there…on how deeply spiritual the people seemed…on how faith was somehow different there. I lived, moved and breathed the culture there…and saw nothing unusual…wasn’t really sure what they were talking about, but nodded, smiled and affirmed their assessment. After a month-and-a-half back in the US, I finally understand….

Living a life of vibrant faith here is so hard! The culture crushes in from all sides…and sucks the faith out of life. Technology is God. Money is salvation. Status is the goal. Possessions and shopping are the passions. And the Church here is not immune. Worship has become a technological production, practically impossible without multiple digital projectors, state-of-the-art sound systems. I even saw recently that one conference of churches is even offering workshops on “worship design.” What? Giving is the great push in many congregations still. Status within the community—if not the wistful desire of the church, is the desire of the pastor. Bigger, more, better…the accumulation of things is even part of the church-culture. And, by participating—whether ignorantly or purposefully—the Church is teaching her people that this is right and good. As the people fill their pockets, cars and homes with technology, as they work unceasingly—even multiple jobs—to put more and more money in the account to pay off the revolving credit cards, as they seek status among peers, coworkers or neighbors, as the house—and garage…and rented storage unit!—fill to overflowing with stuff…as people pursue and engage in all of these things, their lives are left empty, vacuous, ultimately meaningless. And they don’t know why….

Our culture is an immensely powerful force. Oh, it’s not a living entity, not really diabolic, but it does have a life of its own…and that ‘life-of-its-own’ happens to be quite contrary to the spiritual life, to the life of faith. The culture leaves no time for spirituality. The culture pushes the spiritual and inner life way down on the priority list.

It is no wonder, then, when North Americans go to those “backward,” third world countries, when they break away from the power of culture here, when they get to a place that has no TV or radio (at least, not that they can understand!), when they become ‘helpless’ foreigners without status or power, then…then the life of faith can finally flourish and bloom and grow.

I know this because I have seen what has happened to my faith-life since returning to the US. Slowly, quietly, it has been pushed down and aside. I found myself being caught up in the “new” stuff that fills the stores to overflowing. I began plotting and planning as to how I might save enough money to replace the four-year-old thing-a-majigy (that works perfectly fine) with a brand new one! The self-serving consumerist culture began to seep into my own life…replacing the simple and living faith that carried me unfailingly through almost seven years of missionary service.

So, I now realize that I must consciously and purposefully live counter-culturally here in America if I am going to nurture a spiritual life. I must decide NOT to buy or to want or to pursue what the culture insists I must have in order to fit in and find happiness. I must determine to focus on those things that have nurtured and carried and strengthened men and women through the centuries…and they are not things I can buy at Target or order from Amazon or gain through higher or lower interest rates.

The spiritual life, the simple faith, is fed through prayers—extemporaneous and guided, Scripture-reading, devotional readings, and contemplation, meditation and silence. Oh, yes, worship is important, but we have no shortage of that—what our inner lives crave is the calm, the silence, that gives balance to the noisy, boisterous, rockin’ 21^st Century North American church life. The inner-self craves a quiet simplicity that will nourish who we really are and prepare us to face the false cravings and dead-end pressures of our complex, technologically advanced, consumerist culture. May God help me. Amen.

God’s Expansive Grace

Recently, some friends of ours invited us to visit with them a couple of days during their vacation on the coast about an hour-and-a-half from where we live. Of course, we jumped at the opportunity.
As I walked down to the beach from their apartment, I was struck yet again by the immensity of the sea. The horizon so far in the distance, the quantity of water, the variety of sea life—all of it just brings a sense of awe to me…and that to a boy who grew up in the Caribbean! The ocean always amazes me.
I step down to the water’s edge…the wash of a wave running up over my feet, sucking the sand from beneath. I’m left unsettled for a moment, a little off-balance. It is though the sea is beckoning to me, gently trying to pull me in. I step a little farther into the gentle surf…tentatively at first since the water is so cool compared to the glaring sun-heated world around me. I’m up to my knees…my waist…mid-belly…and I finally plunge in, diving through a small wave. Refreshing, cleansing sea-water envelops and washes me, stripping me of the grime of the city, the cares of the work-place. In the silence under the water, I am instantly transformed…I become a part of the sea…and I come to surface calmed, clean. This is what the ocean does for me.
As I sat on the beach later (sans cell-phone, sans computer), I did what I always do: I considered the sea, put my thoughts to it…and I could see that the ocean before me is so much like God’s grace. We cannot even begin to fathom the depth of His grace…can’t see the other side…can’t even imagine all the goes into and thrives in His grace.
In the beginning, we’re hesitant to enter that grace, declaring ourselves unworthy of God’s love (and we are!). But yet another small wave of His grace—in song, Scripture or kindness—curls around our feet, beckoning us…calling to us. We step forward…tentatively, unsure. The refreshing grace swirls around our legs…laps up on our belly…and we take a deep breath…and plunge into God’s amazing grace. His love washes over us, stripping away the grime of sin and self-doubt. In the silence beneath the waves, we know that we are changed…different…and we surface—our heart now clean, our soul calm, wrapped in that peace that passes all understanding.
This sea of grace is not an hour-and-a-half drive away. It is right where we are. God brings His ocean of grace to us. We need only close our eyes in prayer…wade in…and immerse ourselves anew in the great expanse of His grace—and we are renewed. This is what God’s grace does for me….

Some thoughts shared...

Here, on The Mission Society Blog

Enjoy!

jon

A Good Read...

I just read this one.  It's quite good...quite interesting.  I think they are onto something....  Stay with it until the end--it comes to Jesus!

http://religion.blogs.cnn.com/2011/07/31/do-you-speak-christian/