Frank

My name is Frank Herrera.  I was born in what is known as the Rio GrandeValley in South Texas.  My upbringing was religious.  In fact, myfamily attended a local Catholic Church and I went to Sunday School at thatCatholic church where I learned about all of the neat Bible stories.  Manytimes, it was a struggle to get me to go to church, but I thought I would beokay in God's eyes as long as I kept going.  That was what I understood asa child.

Over time, I began to feel that many things didn't make sense to me regardingthe Catholic doctrine.  For instance, I thought, "Why share my sinswith a priest when God already knows them?  Can't I go to God on myown?"  I started thinking that people didn't need to go to church toget to heaven.  God knew all of the people who were good and He knew aboutall of the bad people too.  In my case, I was good and so were my parentsso we didn't have anything to worry about.  I mean...we hadn't murderedanyone or we weren't criminals.  I did lie now and then, but figured thateveryone did...so what's the big deal.  Lies are worse when you lie abouthaving done something really bad like stealing or killing someone.  As Igrew wiser (age 14), I finally figured it out.  I didn't have to go tochurch.  Religion was bogus as people tried to twist what God would havethem do.  The motivation of the religious leaders could have been one ofthe following:  to make money, to gain power or social status, or to makethemselves look really good.  Of course, when religious leaders and theirwitless followers crossed paths, religious wars ensued that sparked hatred.

I knew better.  I knew God didn't go for such nonsense.  I didn't needanyone to get me in a good standing with God.  I could do it all by myself. So I continued with my high school and college education thinking that I had Godall figured out.  To me....the wisest were those who believed in God, butdidn't follow a standard religion.  We were the most open-minded, kind, andnon-abrasive people around.  Regarding political and social issues...wewere moderates and in no way extremists or fundamentalists.  In fact, Ibelieved that I myself had figured out a secret that no one knew.  Thatsecret...Muslims, Christians and Jews all worshipped the same God!  I couldalmost laugh.  And the fact that Muslims and Jews killed each other in theMiddle East for such differences was foolishness to me.  Didn't theyrealize that we all worshipped the same God?  What about other religionsand atheists?  I figured that as long as they were good, law abidingcitizens...then God would understand and also have a place for them in heaven.

I was generally a nice and smart kid and I had grand plans to correct theinjustices of the world.  Of course, I figured I'd become President toenact most of my grand plans that would ultimately bring worldwide peace andprosperity.  Poverty would be eliminated...medical science would find curesfor anything...and religious hatred would stop once I let all religious peoplein on my little secret.  To me the key to peace and prosperity for all layin uniting religion.  That was the way to stop hatred and senseless wars inthis world.  Once people realized this...the religious leaders who wereabusing God to attain power, etc. would be usurped by people who would overwhelmthem and their followers in return for peace.  I knew that me or someone inthe United States had to usher in this grand movement.  As the superpowerof the world...that was the destiny of the United States.

In an aside, the US was an interesting microcosm to me of what God reallyintended for the world.  That was for all the people of different religionsand ethnicities to live and prosper in peace and democracy and freedom. The United States' ability to do just that was what secured our nation as themost powerful in the world. I could see it now...history books hundreds of yearsfrom now (1988) depicting the US as the main influential body in uniting thewhole world making scientific and political and economic advancements that weonly dreamed of. Perhaps my name and picture would be in one of those historybooks.  What the Greek civilization was to democracy, the United Stateswould be to world peace.

Ultimately, I decided to lay down my grand plans and just seek an education in ascientific field where I could make some contribution.  I began to learnthat it would be too hard to make people understand my secrets and such. Besides, I began to learn that even in a peace process, there were those whowould try to squander it to maintain the hate and war environment.  Theproblem was bigger than I figured.  And if people were going to be hardheaded and not in favor of making compromises for peace, then why did theydeserve my work at it?  I figured I would just work to have fun in life andmake friends and assure that I kept my relationship with God intact. Little did I know, that I had no relationship with God.

After graduating from college and living some of the "Animal House"college experience, I found a promising job as a chemical engineer.  I waswell on my way to a bright future as a young, single and educated fellow who hadlots of friends and knew how to have a good time.  I didn't need anything. I had it all...and I knew more was to come.  But something sat heavy in myheart and it really began to surface more now than ever.  I didn'tunderstand what it was or why it would be surfacing now.  There seemed tobe an emptiness inside.  Nothing could quench it.  Friends anddrinking myself to oblivion weren't doing much to quench it.  In fact,drinking began to get old fast.  Maybe it was something I hadn'taccomplished.  Marriage?  No way.  More money?  No.  Ijust couldn't put my finger on it.  Yet, in the back of my mind...I feltthe need to go to church.  Church?

Wait a minute.  I don't need church!  I proved that to myself a longtime ago.  I just need God.  Okay.  Thing was...I had a Bible Ihad never opened.  I knew that I could study the Bible to fill thisemptiness.  Going to church...well that would put me in a danger area withwitless followers who were really hypocrites anyway.  In fact, I knew how judgmentalchurch people were.  Did I really want to become a new targetfor them?  Surely my current lifestyle would have them condemn me to hell. Okay.  I'll just read this Bible.  Question was...where do I begin andhow can I figure out what I am reading?  I tried once before...and itreally didn't make sense to me.  My idea was brilliant.  I'll go tochurch and have them help me to understand what to study in the Bible and whatbooks are important and which aren't.  In fact...I'll use them, but I'll becareful.  They might try to talk me into something...but I'm ready andaware.  They won't get me.  So, off to church I went.

I decided not to go to a Catholic church as I knew what they believed.  Ifigured I would try a Baptist church and see how that went.  I rememberthinking to myself..."Careful.  They are judgmental people.  ButI won't judge them because I'm more open-minded and not judgmental.  I'llgive them a chance because that is what makes me different (and better) fromthem."

So I stepped through the doors of Forest Park Baptist Church in Joplin, MO...andmy life would never be the same.

I remember the pastor came up to preach.  I sat at the back pew where Icould observe, but not be observed.  It was a big church and I wasuncomfortable being around so many people I didn't know. Worse...they all werereligious people who probably had strange ideas about God.  No matter. They were nice greeting me at the door, but I knew that was a ploy.  Theirtwisted, convoluted fanaticism would surface soon enough.  I'll just getwhat I need to know and be on my merry way.  I also felt safe because withso many people, I could probably hide better.  Plus I was dressed nice somost might figure that I was religious in some way or another.

The pastor was set to preach.  I could just hear his sermon now just as Ihad seen in the movies and TV.  He would start yelling and screaming,"Begone Satan!  Repent of your sins!  Confess your sins!" Then I thought..., "Oh man.  Why did I come?"  No matter. It would all be over in about an hour.

The pastor began to preach.  Funny.  He started off with a very funnystory.  He was young too.  Plus, he wasn't yelling or screaming. In fact, he was making sense.  Whoa!  As he kept talking, I keptlistening.  I began to realize that I had been wrong.  These peopleweren't fanatics.  In fact, the pastor's interpretation of the Bible wasn'tfanatic at all.  It made sense.  This ancient book actually made senseto my life today.  Unbelievable.

I left church with a good feeling in my heart.  That was what I had beenmissing...church.  I would come back, but I was still wary.  I knewone church service wasn't representative of what else I might encounter. At the welcome desk, a lady approached me about Sunday School.  Sure. Why not?  Let's see what this facet of church was like.  I would bewatching for anything that I knew was wrong.  Once I spotted it...I wouldbe gone never to return.

Sunday School was a class of 20 with people about my age (24) and single withcareers.  I could tell most were religious, but they never acted like theywere holier than thou or perfect.  Interesting.  Not what I expectedat all.  Their Sunday School teacher was in Ghana that first Sunday I went. Who would want to go there?  I didn't know.  When she returned...I sawshe was nice, caring, without pretense and there was something different abouther.  It was religious, but it wasn't.  And as she led the class, shewas open about some of her past and current mistakes in life.  No what Iexpected at all.  Throughout, I learned more about the Bible and theapplications many of the verses had for my life today.  I couldn't believeit.  So on Fridays and Saturdays I partied and on Sundays, I went to churchif I wasn't hung over.  I felt that I was doing the right thing.  Goingto church was what I had been missing in my life.  I lived this Jekyll andHyde life for about 8 months.  I let some of my new friends know about it,but they still didn't judge me.  Very interesting indeed.

About that time, I met Dianna.  She was new to the church too.  I hadonly been there about 3 months at the time.  We became good friends quicklyand hit it off.  Through her, I began to learn more about what the Biblesaid.  Sure enough, I learned that the Bible clearly pointed out what ittook for someone to get to heaven.  The great mystery was about to besolved.

"For by grace, you have been saved through faith, and that not ofyourselves, it is the gift of God.  Not of works, lest man shouldboast."  Ephesians 2:8-9

I couldn't believe it.  God didn't set up works or goods things we do as themeasure of how good we were.  He made it simple.  Faith was all weneeded.  Faith in what?  Faith in Jesus.

Why faith?  As I studied more at home and in Sunday School I began torealize that God sees us all in the same perspective.  We are allsinners...imperfect.  In fact, all the good deeds we try to do whether forother people, for God, for families, or for ourselves were for naught. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."  Romans3:23.  In fact, our pastor himself acknowledged that he was and is asinner...imperfect.  It was because God loved us and Him that He gives us agift to escape His wrath.  The thing about a gift is that it has two parts. It is given (in this case by God), but it also has to be received (in this case,by people).  I also learned that God meant this gift to be for the wholeworld.

What is the gift exactly?  The gift was Jesus Christ, who is God's onlyBegotten Son...who gave up the glory of Heaven to come to earth and live amongpeople as a man...that He might establish a personal relationship with us. He also died for our sins...He took our punishment for our sins...for my sins. Why?  Because God loves us all so much.

I was heartbroken.  I knew that I was a sinner.  I knew all of the badthings I had done.  No, I hadn't murdered someone or stolen stuff...but Ihad been imperfect.  I wanted God to forgive me...I wanted to apologize toHim...and I really wanted to go to heaven.  But how does one receive a giftthat was set in motion about 2000 years ago?

"If you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe inyour heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Romans 10:9

I had to talk to God about some things.  I had to tell Him that I knew Iwas a sinner...that I knew Jesus was His Son who had died for my sins, but whowas also raised from the dead 3 days later.  I surrendered my life toChrist.  I turned it over to Christ.  I decided that I wasn't going tolive in sin anymore...and that I would accept the gift of Jesus Christ.  Myattitude changed.  My heart belonged to Jesus and to God.

Now I had a relationship with God.  It was uplifting and a joyous event. It filled that emptiness in my heart and gave me a peace that I never knew onecould have.  God wasn't about hate and factions.  God wasn't evenabout having people earn their way into heaven.  He did it all for us. He made it so easy that I almost missed it.  The other thing was God givesus freedom to choose.  To accept His gift or to refuse it.  I acceptedit.

Since, Dianna became my wife over a year later.  We just got married fourmonths ago.  I continue to grow spiritually and seek to share this messagewith others who don't know.  Hey! I was sure people like myself werefanatics responsible for hate and wars.  Now I know that isn't true and Istrive to share the Good News with friends and others who don't know.  Ithasn't been easy getting to that point.  In fact, I still lack a lot ofcourage in sharing the Gospel and taking advantage of the opportunities that Godgrants me.

I just seek to continue to grow and bask in the grace and love of God and I willseek to tell others so that they may know and share in that love, should theychoose to do so.

Praise be to God in the Highest!

Frank

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