A Great Experiment

I hate money. Let me rephrase that…I hate the way money (or lack thereof) affects almost every aspect of your life. I don’t ever want to be a slave to the almighty dollar, but it’s a struggle for me to keep it off the top of my priority list in life. The Saturday I moved back down to Virginia Pastor Mark preached a sermon on tithing that was unlike anything else I had ever heard on that topic. Typically I check out mentally when the church starts talking about money, because it always seems like those sermons come around just before some frivolous new stained glass window shows up in the building. One thing about the messages at National Community Church is they're anything but typical. For once tithing was presented as an opportunity, not an obligation. God sure as heck doesn't need my money, but I need his blessing. God says "Bring the whole tithe into my storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." (Malachai 3:10).

I've been supporting a compassion child for the past three years, and since I didn't really have a home church I was content to consider that my financial sacrifice. Sure, I would drop a few dollars into the plate on occasion, perhaps a few more if the offering was specifically for missions, but actually tithing 10% of my income just didn't cross my mind. God said to call Him out on his promise, so I figured I would commit to giving the full tithe while I'm living down here and see what happens. Two weeks into this experiment I'm already seeing big returns. Money hasn't fallen from the sky, strangers haven't handed me $20 bills for no reason, and I haven't become an instant millionaire...but God sure has been providing.

Right after I moved here I put an ad on NCC's message board offering to do peoples undesirable odd jobs. You know...cleaning toilets, raking leaves, painting houses. I didn't think much would come of it, but two days later I was asked to clean out an overgrown backyard. That one job (which paid a very respectable sum in itself) led to me being recommended to someone else, which led to three more days of well-paid housekeeping work. During the same time I was also offered a part-time babysitting position. All this on top of my security job, which also gave me 8 more hours of work last week than I was originally promised. I never feel comfortable taking hand outs, so opportunities to make money through an honest days work are right up my alley as far as blessings are concerned. I can't wait to see what happens next week!