Following his college career, Kurt Warner was invited to try out for the Green Bay Packers’ training camp in 1994, but was released before the regular season began. After his release, Warner stocked shelves at a Hy-Vee grocery store in Iowa for $5.50 an hour. He often cites this starting point when telling of his rise to NFL stardom in 1999. He also mentions that his deepened dedication to Christianity occurred around 1997. (Bio info from Wikipedia.)
Considered the NFL’s greatest undrafted player, Warner is the only undrafted player to be named NFL MVP and Super Bowl MVP, as well as the only undrafted quarterback to lead his team to a Super Bowl victory. He is also the first quarterback to win the Super Bowl during his first season as the primary starter. Warner was inducted to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2017. His story was made famous in the 2021 film, American Underdog.
According to a 2008 New York Times article, Kurt Warner, the two-time NFL MVP quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, started a family tradition he calls The Restaurant Game. The night before he heads out for a road game, Kurt and his wife Brenda take their seven children out to a restaurant to eat a family dinner. Once they are seated, one of the children will scan the dining area like a quarterback scans the field looking for potential receivers. When the child picks a table, Kurt asks the waiter to add that table’s dinner tab to his own – anonymously. So on any given pre-game night, a family eats freely because of the goodness of a family that knows it is blessed beyond measure. (Karen Crouse, “Warner Sets Example for His Family and the Cardinals,” www.nytimes.com, 9/26/08)
What the Lord does To you, He wants to do Through you. Kurt Warner recognized the Lord’s generosity in his life and wanted to pass it on – not just to those who received a free meal – but also to his children. He is passing along a Legacy of Generosity!
How are you doing in the area of Generosity? Hopefully you are growing in it. As Christians, we want to be generous in every area of life. I read recently that “generosity starts in the heart, not the pocketbook”. So true!
Consider the story of Rebekah in Genesis 24. She was willing to draw water not just for a travelling stranger but also for his ten thirsty camels. That is amazing! And her generous action changed the course of her life. The travelling stranger was looking for a wife for his master’s son, Isaac. Rebekah not only gained a husband that day, she became part of the lineage of the nation of Israel, including Jesus Christ. All because of a generous action which proceeded from a generous heart!
Another Bible story about generosity is Jesus’ Parable of the Good Samaritan found in Luke 10. I received an inspirational email today from Pastor Rick Warren which points out three perspectives to people in need. 1. Some people keep their distance (the priest in v30-31). 2. Some people are curious but uninvolved (the Levite in v32). 3. Some people get close enough to care (the Samaritan in v33-37). Let’s be a Good Sam!
No more generous statement can be made than John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. Let’s be like Him. Let’s Love and Give!
This Sunday, April 3, we will conclude our teaching series, “Markers along the Discipleship Pathway”, by focusing on the beauty of Generosity. Please join us at 10:35am in the building or online for the Live broadcast on either Facebook (Honolulu AG) or our YouTube channel (Honolulu Assembly of God). We Livestream to both locations every Sunday morning. PS: We need more kids for our children’s ministry so please bring the keikis!
Our next Drive-Through Prayer outreach is this Saturday, April 2, from 1-3pm.
Coming Up: Palm Sunday is April 10. Please join the celebration of worship for Jesus Christ, our King of kings and Lord of lords! After the service, we will all join together for an ono-licious Fellowship Lunch. (Bring your favorite foods to add to the table.) Resurrection Sunday will be April 17. Jesus defeated death, hell and the grave!
Aloha ke Akua!