Christmas Momentum The Inside Out podcast with Martha Manikas-Foster We can ride the momentum of Christmas into the new year by loving Jesus in a way He’s asked us to: by serving others, no matter their nationality, citizenship, or beliefs. Mercy ministries veteran Dr. Darren Hercyk joins Martha for this Inside Out conversation. We don’t need to leave Jesus in the manger now that Christmas is over. We can live out our commitment to Him this new year by serving others as He told us to, no matter the person’s nationality, citizenship, or beliefs. That’s because each person has value, says Dr. Darren Hercyk, who reminds us that Jesus said that when we love those in need, we’re loving Him. Hercyk and his family have experience with this. They’ve lived in some of the most challenging places in the world as he’s worked with Compassion International, Save the Children, and Catholic Relief Services. “God created human life distinct from all other life,” Hercyk points out. “And as we read in Genesis 1:27, we are created in the image of God. He created us with infinite value, inherent worth, and God has chosen to work through this prized creation to change the world.” Jesus used the example of the Good Samaritan to illustrate the kind of love Jesus wants us to extend to others—including people very different from ourselves. “Love is not just for those in our own family, just those that look like us or that we’re familiar with or comfortable with,” Hercyk says. “He really extends it to actually the Samaritans, who were people that were despised.” Most of the time, we’ll need to be deliberate about getting to know a person if we’re going to follow Jesus’ lead. “We have to be intentional for our lives to intersect those in need,” he says. Hercyk now teaches as an assistant professor at Liberty University and serves as the director for its online Master of Arts in Humanitarian Action and Human Rights. He instructs his students to approach compassion ministry in two steps. “The first way is to identify those lives that you know that could benefit you’re your time and concern. Could be someone in your church, perhaps they are no longer able to attend, perhaps it’s a student that’s struggling. God has placed you in your community for a reason, so within that, identify who those people are.” But we won’t already be on a first-name basis with everyone God has in mind for us to help and learn from. “Let me give you a second way,” he says. “Partner with another local organization. Could be a non-profit, could be a school. For me, the last three years I’ve been involved in an assisted living facility. I met someone there, she said she had a need, I started with the question: ‘how can I help?’” God intends to accomplish much of His work in the world for people He created and values, through people he created and values. “You want to be able to say, ‘I see you and you matter.’” To learn about Dr. Darren Hercyk’s 2024 book on this topic, The Last Mile in Ministry: Raising the Bar in Mercy Ministries High Enough to See the Image of God, select the link here. Listen to our full conversation by playing this podcast. #InsideOut Air Date: January 8, 2025
