Brian Hershey

Brian Hershey currently serves as the Campus Life Military Senior Advisor for the Greater Omaha Youth For Christ chapter in Omaha, NE. He holds an undergraduate degree in education, a Masters in Theology from Dallas Seminary, and 20 years of youth ministry experience. He and his wife, Bonnie, have been serving military teens and families since 2001 in Bad Aibiling, Wurzburg, Heidelberg, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, and Kaiserslautern, Germany as well as Naples, Italy.

A Healthy, Vibrant Life Requires Coordinated Effort

major-league-clutz_designThis evening I had the joy of watching a seventh grade basketball game. Most of you know that “people watching” is a mild form of amusement for me. So I make it my regular practice to watch the teams play when I drive their bus to sporting events. This particular game was both comedic and instructive.

To begin, these guys played their hearts out. They were diving after loose balls, sprinting down the court, jumping after rebounds, setting picks, and batting down passes.

(more…)

By Brian Hershey, ago

How to Change the World, 4/4

(Summary: In these series of posts, I’ve attempted to raise an important issue facing Christian leaders today, specifically how we go about fulfilling our cultural mandate in a fallen world. Then I offered a critique of the common assumptions and solutions for how the Church has historically sought to bring about lasting change. Seeing that the Church has embraced a definition of culture that is woefully inadequate, James Davison Hunter suggests culture is so complex that no one person or group can possibly hope to transform the culture. This brings us to this post where we will finally discover the best solution for world change.)

“WE CAN’T!”

That’s right. I said it. We can’t change the world. (more…)

By Brian Hershey, ago

Solomon and Election Year Politics

I’ve been giving some thought to this year’s Presidential election. I’ve also been trying recently to put into practice Solomon’s advice from Ecclesiastes.

Squaring the two realities has been good for my soul and for gaining good perspective in life. So I thought I’d pass along some “fresh bread”. Perhaps you’ll find some benefit too!

Solomon writes in Ecclesiastes 2:24-25:

There is nothing better for people than to eat and drink, and to find enjoyment in their work. I also perceived that this ability to find enjoyment comes from God. For no one can eat and drink or experience joy apart from him. (NET Bible)

This verse is the thrust of Ecclesiastes as it is a recurring theme throughout the book (see also 3:12, 22; and 8:15). Solomon is arguing that the only way to find true joy and satisfaction in life is to fear God and keep his commands. (more…)

By Brian Hershey, ago

Joseph: A Man of Quiet Obedience

Something struck me the other day as I was reading the first two chapters of Matthew.

Joseph’s quiet, unassuming obedience during a time of mystifying circumstances commends him as someone worthy of example.

Consider:

  • Joseph had every right to publicly expose Mary for her alleged infidelity. But with a heart that must have been broken, he wisely and lovingly elects to divorce her quietly. He does not act in bitterness but in tenderness of heart all the while upholding the OT Law (Deut. 22:23-24).
  • Joseph, against all probabilities, trusted the message of the angel of the Lord and took Mary as his wife. Yet he did not sleep with her! His obedience helped to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14. (more…)
By Brian Hershey, ago

Crossroads: The Forging of a Legacy

Never underestimate the power of dead men walking.

Imagine yourself at a crossroads with two paths. One lead towards certain immediate death but preserves your integrity; the other towards the postponement of death but requires compromise. In the end, both paths bring the traveler to the same end. The only difference is the journey. Which would you choose? The shorter life of integrity or the longer life of compromise?

That was the choice facing three young men many years ago. They were in a foreign land being ruled by a foreign king. In this land, the people worshiped pagan gods and built and served man-made idols. (more…)

By Brian Hershey, ago

God’s Mega-Phone

Genesis 3 is perhaps the most tragic of the 1,189 chapters found in the Bible. Why? Because it records the moment when Adam and Eve chose to disobey God. It would be like a brand new Lamborghini Diablo being run over by a tractor-trailer two seconds after driving off the lot. Or like a beautiful work of art like the Mona Lisa being slashed with a machete. Yeah, that’s how tragic Genesis 3 is – only 1,000 times worse! (more…)

By Brian Hershey, ago