What If?

Thoughts on giving.

I sat thoughtfully after the service and considered my own giving.  I thought I was doing well since I was giving more than the 10% that was expected in my circles.  Yet today the preacher had shifted my thinking.  It wasn’t that 10% belonged to the Lord and the rest belonged to me, but it ALL belonged to Him.  I was only the caretaker, the investor of His funds.  Even if He was being generous with the “salary” I received for taking care of His investments, was I spending more on myself than He would expect?

That experience took place a long time ago.  Since that time, I have tried to be sure that the money I spent from my salary (in whatever job I had at the time) was necessary.  Just because I had the money was not a reason to spend it.  After all, God might have a better use for it.  I have grown in my giving to a larger percentage than I once thought possible.  But still, I still need to check my habits and make sure that I have not fallen into the worldly mindset that says this money is ours.

One Sunday night I was so pleased to see several children come to the special offering for us with dollar bills in their hands.  It pleased me in so many ways.  I am pleased that their parents are teaching them to give.  I am pleased that they considered us worthy to take their gifts and use them well.  I am pleased that God is teaching them to invest in eternal things.

So once again I began to think.  What if? 

• What if some of us took the view of LeTourneau who decided he would live on only what was necessary?  He kept extending his giving rather than his expenses.  The Lord blessed him and by the time he died, his giving had increased from 10% to 90%.
• What if every adult in the church decided to increase their monthly giving to missions by $5.00 and every child by $1.00?  In some churches, that could mean that several missionaries could be added and current missionaries receive a raise.
• What if we asked for money to be given to missions instead of exchanging Christmas presents?  Did you know that most missionaries see a reduction in income in December because of increased expenses?  Wouldn’t it be nice if they saw an increase instead?
• What if we taught our children to keep their wardrobes down to what they need by setting an example for them ourselves?
• What if we asked the question every time we bought something, “Do I need this more than the Lord needs me to send the money to one of His projects?”
• What if every time we said “no” to that specialty coffee or meal out, we took the money it would have cost us and gave it to the Lord?

In the past, I have heard some creative examples of coming up with more money.  One woman decided to reduce her visits to the beauty salon so she could give that money to missions.  A family trying to make ends meet planted an extra large garden and took an additional row of their garden to give to the Lord. 

I could add more examples and ask more what ifs.  But the real question is, Does my checkbook look like Jesus owns it and I’m just the treasurer?  Or does it look like it’s mine and Jesus gets what I decide?

Why do we need a house?

We plan to spend at least five months abroad next year.  In addition, we will be making multiple trips throughout the US to raise support and represent the mission.  That means it’s likely we will only spend about three to four months at “Home”.  So the question has been asked, “Why do you need a house?”  So here are a few of answers which you might find enlightening.

Milk frother

With the money we’ve spent at McDonalds, Tim Hortons, and other restaurants in order to use their “free” wi-fi, we could have already paid our entire mortgage. 

When we wanted to buy a $2.49 milk frother from Ikea to make specialty coffees from time to time, we couldn’t figure out where the right place was for it in the car.  And, we wouldn’t have been able to make coffee in our car anyway, so we decided to pass it up for now. 

We need to keep an entire address book just to keep track of our return addresses.

Our arms are just not long enough to reach up to the storage locker in Maine to get a book that we need for study.

Sitting on one of our chairs in the storage locker just does not feel like home. 

We’d love to be hospitable to missionaries, friends, and relatives, but how do you invite people over to your car for dinner or to stay the night?

Right now when people ask us where we live, we say “our car”.  If they ask where we are from, we still usually say, “Our car.”  It has been tremendously economical for us to live out of our car, but we’d like to be able to have a real answer to that question soon.