Timing is Everything

I love a story. For some reason God has made my brain to work in a way that may not be normal. Give me some details and I will soon forget them. Tell me a story and I may remember it for life. I have a feeling there are some other folks that have the same kind of genetic make up because Jesus surely told a few good ones in the form of parables, made up stories that had a moral….and the people remembered them!
Paul wasn’t so much of a parable-teller as he was willing and excited about telling HIS story. And that also was a good one, so much so that he kept the attention of some mighty powerful men. The thing about Paul’s story was that is was true and yet as fabulous, exciting, dramatic and interesting as any great piece of fiction.
 

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We knew that testimonies were powerful. We had witnessed it ourselves as we listened to the stories from the people God brought to us. But sometimes we had a difficult time finding the person God had chosen, though in time He always revealed it to us.

One evening I was doing the dishes and my Beloved called from the other room asking for a telephone number from my address book. I dried my hands and was paging through the pages looking for the “B’s which would have brought me to the number he needed.

As I cast my eyes down the page they landed on Jane Bateman’s name and in a millisecond I knew she would have the perfect story for the book of Luke.

Jane had come across my path years before when I was directing the Women’s Fellowship. I had asked her to teach a series after hearing from several women in the area about the excellence of her teaching and communication skills. But after getting to know her and hearing her story I was so impressed with the courage and faith of the woman and I became her fan.

But soon after the friendship began to grow she moved, and then moved again and I lost contact for several years.

So looking at my address book I decided to take a chance and call the only number I had. It was late at night, far past most people’s bedtime but for some reason I felt an urgency.

She answered the phone and I was elated. I told her I would so love to film her story and she seemed delighted to do so. I told her I was so glad that I was able to reach her and her reply reminded me that God was in control!

“I am moving tomorrow to another city and the phone will be disconnected. If you had waited a few hours you would not have gotten me.”

Had I only hesitated I would not have been able to find her. But then if I had not looked up a number in the address book I would not have been reminded of her story.

A few weeks later our film crew arrived in Greenville, South Carolina and we were able to get her incredible story on film for the Amazing Collection so that millions of women could be encouraged and inspired by her life.

“For you have made me glad by what you have done. I will sing for joy at the works of Thy hands. How great are Thy works!”

Psalm 92:4

The Times They Are A Changing

It is a chore to keep up with the trends. Every season I am reminded that I am behind the times. As soon as I lengthen my skirts the style goes up. Once I manage to get big hair the styles change to straight and flat. But the good thing about being older is that I have reached a point that I just don’t care! I LIKE my skirts longer. My hair IS flat, and I don’t care if every one in the world has a tattoo I simply will not.

But when it comes to technology and business, that is something entirely different. We MUST care or be run over by the tech changes that will outdate us in a heart beat!

We had ordered the first several sets of the Amazing Collection in the standard VHS because that was the newest and the best. They took up large amounts of room in our warehouse. They were beautifully boxed in even larger containers that took up even more space. But it was the best and the newest and we were grateful to have them.

I was in Blockbuster one day, that super store of home movie-dom when I noticed something peculiar. It was a DVD…sleek, small and NEW! They carried a small selection of movies in this new format. I was curious but not interested.

A month later I again visited my local Blockbuster and to my horror the employees were working feverishly taking down every VHS and replacing it with a DVD! Not one VHS was left in its place. “The future is here” the clerk said to me. “But I’m not ready for it!” I replied. “Well, I guess we don’t have a choice.” He said with a sigh.

No choice! I thought about all our VHS in the warehouse. I thought about how they would all look in a dumpster. I thought about the incredible waste of money. And then I thought about Blockbuster. Really, we had no choice.

We have always struggled with the reality of the cost of doing business and the responsibility of good stewardship. Our donors trust us and the way we spend money and in return we do everything we can to be as financial astute as possible.

So, we did what we always do…we went to the Lord and asked direction. Every board member felt we had no choice. Soon after making the decision to go to DVD we received a gift of $50,000. So we ordered the Amazing Collection in DVD and cleared out the warehouse of VHS, giving as many away as we could and the rest went into the dumpster.

I look at all of the DVDs in the warehouse today and wonder, what will be next? For faster than I like, the times they are a changing.

Ecclesiastes 3:1

To everything there is a season ,

A time for every purpose under heaven.

Where is the Comfort Zone?

The first day of any new experience is always the worst as it takes us totally out of our comfort zone.

The first day in kindergarten is horrific. Who are those people and why do I have to sit in my seat at this desk? No comfort on that day!

The first day of high school is terrible. Where is my locker and why do we have to change classes? No comfort then!

The first day of college is confusing. What do you mean I have to change not only classes but whole buildings that are blocks away from each other? Definitely no comfort!

The first day of a new job is awkward. Will I like these people? Am I capable of doing the work and will I ever be able to fit in and be a part of a team? By now we should be use to it but…well…admit it, it just is NOT comfortable!

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And so in February 2003 Eleanor, Robin, Linda, Margie and I loaded up two vans and headed towards a new experience for all of us that took us totally out of that zone we love…comfort. We were on our way to our first ever convention, The National Religious Broadcasters Convention in Nashville, Tennessee. We were excited and we were nervous. We had no idea what to expect except that we felt confident God Himself was sending us there and there was a plan and we needed to fit into it.

Five women who do not know what they are doing, moving their booth and accompanying stuff into a convention center is quite a sight to witness. First we couldn’t find the loading dock. Margie saw some men standing by the place we thought was the right one so she got out of her van and asked direction. Margie is charm personified so they not only told us where to park the vans for unloading but also showed us the very spot, directed the vans as we backed into the dock and helped us unload! God provided just what we needed.

We hauled all the equipment and boxes to our assigned spot with the help of some very strong and gracious men, but as soon as they left we saw we had a problem. The “booth” was in two round containers. We opened them up and sat looking at the contents not even beginning to know where to begin. Just about that time God sent another angel in the form of a young man who just happened to be from Eleanor’s alma mater, Penn State. They became fast “college buddies” and not surprisingly he knew exactly how to set up the booth. Before long we had it all in place and decorated. As we stood back and looked, I have to say we were all enormously pleased with the results! God had indeed provided in every way.

The next day was the opening day. It began with a fabulous worship service that included Michael W. Smith, David Phelps, and several other top vocalists. We were awed to say the least! Allistair Begg gave the message and although he was a new name to us I don’t think we will ever forget him or his message. There was such power in every word and we left feeling that indeed God had met us there and had blessed us beyond anything we could have imagined.

But it was only the beginning. During the next two days we realized that God was pouring out blessing upon blessing on us. Our booth had more traffic than almost any other. The response was so positive and we made many wonderful contacts. Then as if that was not enough a couple of our dear girlfriends, Genie Brady and Jan Butler from Roswell, showed up unexpectedly to surprise us! To make that visit even more enjoyable it began to snow so they could not go home until the next day. Their presence was like strong arms under us and we knew for sure that they did not just COME…they had been SENT!

To top it all off, it was announced that President George Bush would be making an appearance to address those at the conference. Simply put, seven ladies went from basking in a place outside their comfort zone to experiencing the love, provision and comfort of their God.

Psalm 119:76

Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort,

According to your word to Your servant.

Convention Issues

We had taken a step and signed up for a convention. It wasn’t just any convention but the National Religious Broadcasters Convention in February 2003 that was held in Nashville, Tennessee at the Opryland Convention Center. We had decided, I am sure one evening at a late night meeting when none of us were thinking clearly, to not only attend but to actually have a Big Dream Ministries, Inc booth.

All of this sounds great of course unless you were the Big Dream Board made up of women who had never been to a convention nor had ever even seen a booth!

By late December we were beginning to wonder what in the world had we gotten ourselves into and how could we get out. The convention board had sent us a large notebook with all of the instructions and rules and suddenly we were face to face with that horrible thing called reality! However, we HAD paid the convention fee and could think of several really good reasons why we should be there.

So on Thursday evening December 5, 2002 we did the only thing we knew how to do. We met and prayed. We had specific prayer needs.

1. Help us make sense of the convention notebook!
2. Help us to be able to have a booth that was attractive and informative.

Later that week I was talking to a friend who had helped us with various things in the past. I told him my problem and he said, “Oh you must talk to my friend Tom!” I called Tom and left a message with what we needed and asked if he could meet with me the following week.

I hung up and went back to working on my computer when the phone rang. It was Tom.

“I have some good news and some bad news”, he said.

I asked for the good first and he then began to rattle off several great suggestions for a booth.

1. Keep it simple
2. Have large pictures of the four teachers to hang on the back wall along with the company logo
3. Stack the product up from the floor up at the base of the booth.
4. Give away Georgia peanuts
5. Have a small TV on the table with a looped VHS of the promo
6. Have the ladies behind the booth all wear something that stands out, like bright colored sweaters
7. Have take- home copies of the promo to give to anyone who is interested
8. Have plenty of business cards

The bad news? He couldn’t meet the following week. But then he no longer needed to as we had our plan for the booth. Robin ordered bright, shocking pink sweaters for each one of us and we had the photos taken along with the logo designed and mounted The peanuts were ordered from the Georgia peanut association all in little individual bags with Georgia written on them. The booth was donated to us and the carpet was ordered and the sweaters monogrammed with the Amazing Collection logo.

As if designed by God Himself, everything came together and we were ready to embark on yet another adventure: Conventions!

A Lesson from a Manicure

I know how  Sarah felt. Time was running out…or had already run out and God didn’t seem to have a plan. When one’s back is up against a wall it is easy...oh so easy…to look for alternatives to the problem (Genesis 16). Sarah knew God wanted her to have a baby but it was getting so late and now she was old and well, God surely would appreciate the help! Her choice of helping God ended in conflict that rages to this day.

Or what about King Ahaz (2 Kings 16)who was up against the armies of Syria and Israel. Ahaz thought God could use a little help so he paid the Assyrians to “come up and save me from the hand of the kings who rise up against me”. Assyria was too happy to give a helping hand and in the end it was a disaster as Assyria was influential in Ahaz leading the people of Judah to worship other gods and would prove a thorn in Judah’s flesh and a mighty conqueror of Israel. .

Then there was Big Dream Ministries. Check out these journal entries:

October 26, 2002: Big Dream is up against a wall. We have almost no money. This has been the first time we have been behind in our payments. I got a call from _____ a Nashville media businessman who thinks he can get us into secular stores.

October 30, 2002: Today we have $1500 in our checking account and we owe $9000.We can go no further and today I need to call Soteria and tell them the work must stop. I am meeting with _________ who is very brilliant at raising funds from foundations. Hopefully she will be able to help.

But then after a week of grasping at everything but God, this entry records that our eyes were brought back where they belonged.

November 8, 2002: Big Dream has NO money. We owe Soteria $4500 yesterday, $4500 next week and $4500 the week after that. The board just met and we came to the realization that we have been looking to man to provide and to ‘save” us from this financial crisis, but we have not looked to God as was our original commitment. This week we have tuned back to Him in trust and confidence that He can provide when He wants to.

I felt relief and yet still worried about my ability to rightly hear from God. AND I questioned once again if we were truly being wise and not naïve. I guess in many ways I was questioning if God would truly provide for our great need.

Then something simple yet quite profound happened to me. Many would not understand but I received a touch from God. I had an appointment to get my hair cut. It took all of my “personal hygiene” budget that month. But my hands were a mess and I longed to have extra money in the budget for a manicure...but alas, it wasn’t there.

Soon after the board made their decision I received a call from the salon saying they had just hired a new manicurist and she was giving complimentary manicures. Would I like one? A free manicure is unheard of in my social circle but there it was. One for me right when I longed for it!

Sometimes the Spirit of God simply whispers, “This is a gift for you from God” and I knew it was. But it was more than that. It was reassurance that God could provide and that He would provide.

Over the next few weeks we received over $70,000. The crisis was over and we were changed.

It was a great lesson for us. It redirected our vision. We would NOT look to any foundation and would no longer even apply for grants. We would not look to man, not look to secular stores, not look ANYWHERE on earth…but we would look to God alone.

Sarah learned the hard way. Ahaz learned the hard way. We were spared the hard way but I am so grateful we learned the lesson well.

Psalm 31:1

In You O Lord I put my trust;

Let me never be ashamed;

Deliver me in Your righteousness.

Remedy for a Rebellious Brain

The first time I ever stood in front of a large group of people to speak I was absolutely terrified. I have read that after ‘death’ that is the one thing most people are afraid of and I certainly fell into that category. The real problem is that your mind decides to take a vacation about the time you reach the podium. It simply shuts down and tries to convince you that it really isn’t there. Try as you might, it is nearly impossible to pull up the brilliantly composed work you would like to present for the most interested listeners. Instead, words tumble over thoughts and in the end you can walk away feeling like a great fool and your audience is exhausted trying to make sense of your nonsense!

Lance Brady has been a wonderful friend of Big Dream Ministries since the beginning. He and his wife, Genie, have been great encouragers to us. In October 2002 Lance called with a gift he wanted to give to each one of the teachers. SpeakEasy is an Atlanta based company that provides excellent classes for people who have to stand up in front of others and give presentations. He had arranged for us to attend the classes so that we might be more confident in our presentations. We were blown away by his great generosity and immediately signed up for the classes.

However, shortly before we were to attend I got a call that our class was canceled and I would need to reschedule. Well, life got in the way and I didn’t get around to it until I got another call from Lance encouraging me to move forward. Because of his prodding, I began to sense that God was up to something. So the call was made and we were all set to take classes at SpeakEasy.

Entering a classroom of nine strangers is not always comfortable but I was so surprised to find the class included high powered businessmen and women, confident in what they did and exuding success. It was intimidating to say the least. We saw ourselves as neither high powered, business women, successful, nor confident.

Nevertheless, the playing field evened out as each person began to give their carefully written speeches. We had three minutes each to give our presentations. I was one of the last but found that other’s confidence fled out the window as each person got up in front of the group. We were all the same. Simply a group of people who would rather hide than speak in front of an audience.

Strange as it sounds, their fear gave me confidence! If they felt as I did, then together we could help each other move forward, become more confident and shape a talk that made sense. In other words, we could overcome our rebellious brain, force it to straighten up and behave, and remember what our purpose was all about.

As teachers our purpose was very different from our classmates. They were selling a product but we wanted to transform lives through the Word of God. For Eleanor, Linda, Margie and me that was great motivation. In the end, we left the classes more confident, more assured, better equipped and most grateful to God who worked through the enormous generosity of Lance Brady.

I Know That!

My mother did her job well but she had such a reluctant student. She was an expert seamstress and tried with diligence to teach me how to sew. She loved materials and threads and sewing machines and yarns and from those materials she could and would make dream dresses for me. I dutifully followed her instructions so by the time I went to college I had the knowledge I needed to sew but I refused to do it. It was boring. It was tedious. It took way too much time. And beside why should I bother? Mom continued to sew for me!

However, that all changed the day I got married. For some reason which I could not understand at the time, Mom put her sewing machine away and took up painting while I was left to fend for myself. I had gotten use to nice clothes....cheap. Now as we struggled financially to pay for graduate and undergraduate tuitions on $6300 a year, there was no money for clothes. However there was a little money for material. And so I dragged that knowledge out (along with an old sewing machine one of Mama’s friends gave me) and put it into service. Soon I was making my own dream dresses.

Like my sewing skills, one can have the knowledge without having it affect their lives, but when we put that knowledge to work it can greatly enhance it. But sometimes lack of putting knowledge to work can be brutally harmful even leading to destruction. Listen to these words from Hosea 4:6:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Because you have rejected knowledge,

I also will reject you from being priests for Me;

Because you have forgotten the law of your God,

I also will forget your children.

…because they have ceased obeying the Lord.”

In this passage God is saying something important to all of us. Learn. Know. Study. Obey. There is much to be gained but equally much, oh so very much, to be lost if we choose to ignore the very words, guidance, counsel, and truth, that God gives us in His Word.

At least once a week we get a call at Big Dream Ministries from someone who tells us, “I never knew or understood the whole Bible. The Amazing Collection has opened my eyes to so much of God’s Word that I didn’t understand!” We love those calls. God’s Word changes lives. It sets the captives free. It brings joy to the depressed and courage to the fearful. But without it…..well words like “destroy” “reject”, and “forgotten” paint a sobering picture. Love demands obedience but before obedience there must come knowledge.

When it comes to sewing it really isn’t earth shattering if knowledge is not followed by obedience. But God’s Word? Well it really is.