The first person that came to my mind with I thought of someone who freely gives without any strings attached is our Savior.
The second person I thought of is Bernice Headrick. You see Bernice is locally known in Prairie Grove, Arkansas, as “the Pie Lady”. I called Bernice and asked her about her generous heart. I could not understand how anyone could be so generous as to bake thousands of pies and give them away to strangers.
Bernice worked 29 years at the Colonial Courts Café just across the street from Battlefield Park. She never missed a single day of work. When the café closed she thought, “God you closed a door in my life and I know you will open a new one.” However, as Bernice waited on God she grew increasingly impatient. One month, two months, three months and no open door for a new job. She began to get very angry at God. She asked God to at least open a window of opportunity, something. She became very down and depressed. No job ever came because a new job was not in God’s plan for her life. Generosity was God’s plan. God wanted Bernice to become a generous person. According to Bernice this was not who she was. She had no desire to be generous by her own will.
My next question was, “How did you become so generous without a job or income?” She responded that her husband worked so that helped make ends meet.
A little known fact about Bernice is that she hates to cook. She despises cooking. She doesn’t know how to cook and nothing turns out so she shies away from cooking. She does not make big meals and completely dislikes cooking.
One day she baked an apple pie for her husband at his request, and he loved it. He complimented her on it. Several weeks later he asked her if she would bake him another one. She did and he loved it, too. The next time she made two and gave one away. Then three, then four and so the story of God’s plan for Bernice came to life in her heart. That is when she started crying on the phone.
She knew God was opening a window to show generosity to others. She knew that what she was doing was what God wanted her to do. She began baking pies in numbers and giving them away to just about anyone. She did not have a list of who she was going to give them to. She simply knew God would guide her where to go. She told me, “It’s not me doing this because this is not who I am. This is God using me to bless others and I love being used by God. I would NEVER do this on my own. Not me, no way!”
As of last Tuesday Bernice has given away 10,400 pies. When there is any kind of fundraiser Bernice often bakes between 20 and 40 pies for auction to help that family. I have personally seen some of her pies bring close to $200 at a fundraiser. Recently she baked and gave 70 pies to local veterans in the Harps Parking lot. For Cowboys for hospice, she bakes 100 pies.
I recall attending one fundraiser with my wife, Michelle, and I saw Bernice and I told her that I did not see a peach pie to be auctioned and I was disappointed. She asked me what I would give for a peach pie, and since I knew there wasn’t one I said $100. She walked away and in a few minutes she came back and was holding a peach pie. Where she had this pie hidden is beyond me. She said, “Here is your peach pie,” as she held it close to her.
I was shocked and I said “Wow! Would you take $50?” She starting walking away with the pie. I said, “How about $75.”
She looked at me and said, “You told me you would give $100 for a peach pie, so here it is. I need a check for $100 for this fundraiser.” I wrote the check.
She once made a pie and took it to the richest lady in Prairie Grove. The woman answered the door and could not believe Bernice was giving her a pie. She kept saying, “For me, you baked this for me?” Bernice thought to herself just because someone is rich doesn’t mean you can’t bless them with a gift.
She remembered baking a pie one morning and heading out the door when her husband asked who she giving the pie to? She said “I don’t know yet but I am heading toward Fayetteville with it.” As she drove God steered her to a friend’s house in Fayetteville. When her friend opened the door and saw Bernice holding the pie she started crying. Bernice soon learned that her friend had just been served divorce papers a few minutes earlier. God’s timing is always perfect.
I had to ask, “Bernice do you have a really nice industrial size oven to cook your pies in? No, just a regular kitchen oven in a small kitchen. It did stop working one day and I had to get a new one though. Until I got the new one I told my neighbor to set her oven at 350 and I was on my way over to bake some pies.”
I also had to ask, “How in the world can you afford to make all these pies? “God has always provided, she told me. Some people see me and hand me $100. Some $20. Some donate even more so I have no worries. God always provides.
She said, “Once a man and his wife asked how I mixed my dough and I said with my hands.” They bought her a new Kitchen Aid mixer.
“My husband and I went to breakfast the other day at Jimmy’s Egg and when we went to pay, someone had already paid our bill.” Again God provided.
She told me that 1 Peter 4:10 is the verse she lives by.” Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in various forms.” She said, “This is not about me, it is about Him.” You see God can use anyone…even an unemployed woman, who hates to cook, is upset with Him for not finding her a job and being really generous to others. This was not in her future plans.
Bernice asked me to help her one day to hand out a dozen pies so I could feel the feeling she receives from the Holy Spirit when she hands a stranger a pie. It was awesome. Her last statement as she stepped into her truck was, “If there is any way…can you make sure everyone knows this is about Him…not me.”
Generosity is the character of being UNattached to life’s material possessions. True generosity expects nothing in return. What is the connection between generosity and God’s grace. When the true living Grace of God is at work in your life there will ALWAYS be an outward expression of it’s inward working through the act of being a generous person.
God is molding our lives after His grace so we will freely give to others without any strings attached.
When God gave his only son, Jesus, to die on the cross for our sins there were no strings attached and we did not deserve his gift of loving grace.
This was a free gift from God to an undeserving world.
Generous hearts and giving hearts are the hearts that God is molding within us. Each week we have the opportunity to return to God a portion of His financial blessings to us. Through tithes and offerings the Kingdom of God grows as our offerings are used to reach people not only in Arkansas but throughout the world through our missionaries.
Be a generous person starting today. Watch how God will use you to reach others. He will bless you!
