Posted on

Generosity that Transforms: 40 Years of Faith in Action

A sermon/presentation by Warren Crawford on behalf of Bryantsville Hunger Relief Project

When Hollis and Ila Sherwood planted their first corn crop in 1985 to support a medical missionary in Africa, they had no idea God had different plans. That first harvest was ready to ship when a devastating earthquake struck Mexico City, killing 20,000 people and displacing hundreds of thousands more. Their mission partner asked: could they redirect the corn?

Without hesitation, they said yes.

That pivotal moment launched what would become the Bryantsville Hunger Relief Project (BHRP.org)—forty years of feeding the hungry and spreading the gospel around the world. And it almost didn’t happen. The Sherwoods initially thought, “We didn’t complete our original project,” so they planted a second year. By then, God had embedded this calling deep in their hearts.

Continue reading → Generosity that Transforms: 40 Years of Faith in Action
Posted on

The Little Things: How Small Gifts Can Change the World

What if the most powerful gifts aren’t the expensive ones, but the small ones given with great love?

When Little Things Make Big Differences

Early 1900s New Orleans. A beat-up old cornet in a pawn shop window. A struggling teenage boy walks by it every day, dreaming of making music but unable to afford it. His employers advance him a few dollars from his paycheck, and he finally buys that worn instrument.

That boy was Louis Armstrong.

Or consider a poor family in Northern Mississippi who saved up to buy their son an old six-string guitar. That gift helped launch the career of Elvis Presley.

Then there’s the 10-year-old girl who begged her mother for a typewriter so she could write her stories. Her mother hesitated—what 10-year-old would actually use it long-term? But she bought it anyway. That girl, Octavia Butler, grew up to be one of the most influential science fiction authors of our generation.

The right gift given to the right person at the right time can change the world—no matter how big or small it is.

Continue reading → The Little Things: How Small Gifts Can Change the World
Posted on

Hold On Loosely: Breaking Free from the Grip of Money

From a sermon by Darrin Chastain, August 17, 2025.

“Giving away our possessions is the ultimate way to break their hold on us.”

We all wrestle with questions about money and giving: Should I tithe 10%? Does my giving have to go to my church? Will God bless me for giving or punish me for not giving? What if I’m barely scraping by?

While I have opinions on all these questions, today I want to focus on the foundational question: Why should I give my money away?

Continue reading → Hold On Loosely: Breaking Free from the Grip of Money
Posted on

Who Owns Your Stuff? A Kingdom Economics Perspective

Starting a new series on Kingdom Economics—and yes, we’re talking about money. But this isn’t about guilt trips or fundraising schemes. This is about discovering a theology of wealth that flies in the face of the American dream and get-rich-quick schemes.

From Street Rat to Saint: The George Mueller Story

Picture this: Europe in the 1800s. Mugshots of children—boys in suits, girls barely teenagers—arrested for stealing food, money, anything to survive on the mean streets. One such child was born in Germany around this time. His mother died when he was 14, and he turned to a life of crime, even stealing from his own father.

But this young man, George Mueller, encountered something that changed everything: the Word of God. Through a Bible study group at university, Scripture got hold of him and transformed him from the inside out.

Continue reading → Who Owns Your Stuff? A Kingdom Economics Perspective
Posted on

Characteristics of Christ | GIVING

A 40 Day Journey to Becoming Like the One We Follow

Day 23: Giving (Matthew 6:3-4)

What’s the point in having all this stuff? What good is money anyway? Everything you own will ultimately end up in a landfill one day. So focus on what really matters.

That’s pretty much a summary of Ecclesiastes.

Our God is a giving and gracious God. The Father loves to bless his children with good gifts. BUT (and this is a huge but!) there is a caveat. It all comes back to his initial covenant with Abram in Genesis 12. God tells Abram, “I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others…All the families on earth will be blessed through you.”

Did you catch that? God would bless Abram so that he could then be a blessing to others. Why would he expect any less from us? God never blesses us with anything – wealth, possessions, talents, abilities, etc. – without expecting us to use those blessings to bless others. God doesn’t give us “every good and perfect gift” just for us to hoard it all.

Jesus was as straightforward as he could be with the parable of “The Rich Fool.” This guy had an amazing harvest, so much that his barns couldn’t hold it all. So he decided to tear down his current barns and build bigger ones to hold all his stuff that he himself had earned. God called him a fool and demanded his life from him.

It’s a terrifying story.

Jesus talked a lot about money and possessions. We can’t serve God and wealth. Giving should become second nature (“don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” implies habitual patterns of behavior that don’t take conscious thought or effort anymore). He commended the poor widow for giving out of her poverty rather than those who gave out of their surplus. He said it’s better to give than to receive (which science has proven true!).

Jesus would ultimately model this kind of giving by laying down his own life for our sake. He never held onto possessions, never hoarded wealth, never turned away anyone in need. His giving was second nature.

May it be so with us. God has blessed us so that we can be a blessing to others.