Former major leaguer Strawberry preaches with intensity at East Manatee church

Lakewood Ranch resident Jeffrey Kahler brought a baseball bat to The Source Church on Sunday, but it was with the best of intentions.

Kahler, a New York Mets fan, wanted to get the bat signed by former Met Darryl Strawberry, 54, who now preaches in churches all around the world, including at The Source Church on State Road 64, which celebrated its ninth birthday Sunday.

“I’ve been a Mets fan my whole entire life,” Kahler said. “In 1983, when Darryl first came up with the Mets, I became a huge fan.”

Kahler, who came to church with his wife, Jennifer, also brought a 1986 Mets jersey for Strawberry to autograph.

Many have said that Strawberry’s comeback, from a drug addiction that led to three suspensions by Major League Baseball to his current role as an intense, no-nonsense, ordained Christian minister, is one of the greatest comebacks in sports.

If comeback means completely changing form, that honor might truly fall upon Strawberry because the 6-foot-6 former athlete does not reveal any signs of his former self.

The Strawberry that Kahler met on Sunday didn’t tell war stories about baseball to entertain. He was all business as he held a Bible on stage at the church. He talked about the power of prayer, not the power of his looping swing.

“That 1986 Mets team really liked to party and to see him do a remarkable turnaround is outstanding,” Kahler said.

Strawberry told the 9 a.m. service that he didn’t think of himself as great anymore. He said he is working to be humble. He said he never would have imagined standing in front of a church preaching.

“It’s no longer about you when God calls you,” Strawberry said. “It’s about the call of God on your life.”

He talked in depth about the word “humble.”

“That’s a good word, right,” Strawberry said. “We have a very difficult time being able to humble ourselves. I wasn’t a man until I surrendered myself to the cross and then God was able to empower me with wisdom. I had to surrender my ego, which is a three-letter word that stands for easing God out.”

“There’s nothing great about us,” Strawberry added. “We all fall short, but God will use us for His glory. It’s in his Word. It’s in his Book. He reveals His will to us. Doing God’s will is so critical.”

“I had everything, and nothing made me happy until I did God’s will,” Strawberry told the congregation.

Strawberry has had a positive influence on many people’s lives, said Source Church member Caleb DeJarnette, 15, a Manatee School For the Arts student in Palmetto.

“He is so changed and ministers to kids and changes their lives,” Caleb said of Strawberry. “I have heard him before and listened and taken notes on what he said.”

Strawberry’s message to kids is to keep their lives pure and to tell their friends to lead a drug and addiction free life, Caleb said.

The Source’s lead pastors, Ralph and Joanne Hoehne, said they met Strawberry and his wife when they were all preaching in Hawaii and they became friends.

“I believe Darryl has one of the greatest comeback stories of all time,” Joanne Hoehne said. “His life was filled with drug abuse. His life was falling apart. And now, he has one of the most powerful testimonies you can ever hear.”

This story was originally published December 4, 2016 at 10:09 PM with the headline "Former major leaguer Strawberry preaches with intensity at East Manatee church."