A Change of Mind

A mind is a difficult thing to change. I have been told that sugar and fats are harmful to the body. I have read it in articles, books, heard it on TV and from my doctor but I have not changed my mind. I simply do not agree. Though many voices say one thing, I think fats and sugar now and then are pleasures everyone should have and that it indeed is good for my (mental) health. Therefore, I still enjoy a brownie or chocolate chip cookie from time to time. (By the way, so does my doctor!)

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I was having a conversation with a successful business man one afternoon. He wanted to learn more about the ministry and asked many excellent and intelligent questions. I answered them as best as I could and in doing so explained our position on raising money. We would not ask for anything. We would not fund raise. We would not seek grants or loans. We would pray.

He thought it was a strange and very idealistic method. He thought that Christ would want us to ask. He thought that it was naïve, simplistic and surely not the way God would expect us to minister.

He supported many ministries and was beyond generous. But he made it very clear that he would not consider giving to any ministry that refused to ask him for money. To him, asking for money was a sign of a passionate belief in what the ministry stood for.

I thanked him for being interested in our endeavors but made it clear that we had asked God to provide as a way of assuring us we were doing exactly what HE wanted us to do. Therefore, I would not ask him or anyone for money. I know when we parted he was having difficulty understanding our stance. And after this conversation with such a godly, intelligent, successful man, I have to confess, I worried that perhaps indeed we were presuming on God.

A few weeks later we had run out of money. In the next week or two we would need about $30,000 to produce materials. Already Kelle and Shane, our production company, had been warned by us that funds were low and were taking on outside jobs to supplement in case we could not make the next payment.

Around this time, I was at a Christmas party and though the evening was most festive I was worried about the “what if’s”. What if God did not provide? What if we had been naïve? What if we had to shut down production? What if….?

The business man I had had such a challenging conversation with motioned to me from across the room and as I approached he asked if I could step outside for a minute. I was curious and thought perhaps he was going to chide me for being so foolish, but once outside, he pulled an envelope out from his sport coat pocket. “Here”, he said. “It is a check.” I was dumbfounded.

“But I thought you had decided not to give to this ministry!” I exclaimed.

He looked down at his shoes and then very sheepishly said, “God told me to give this.”

I opened the envelope and pulled out a check for $25,000! I was overwhelmed by his great generosity, but even more so by God’s great faithfulness!

In the next week we would receive the rest of the monies needed. But through it all his words rang in my ears. “God told me to give this.”

And that is the way it should be.

Matthew 7:11
If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him.