WOW! The blessing of God!

We have much more to tell you in the coming days but here is an article we were asked to write for our church's website (www.churchonthewestside.com)

Cheryl and I were married on Jan. 6th 2007. From day one we have been committed to living generously with our finances and trusting God for his provision. Going into our marriage Cheryl and I felt called to explore cross-cultural missions. The first test of our faith in finances came with this sense of calling. Instead of a traditional honeymoon and wedding gifts we asked friends and family to support us on a short-term missions trip to Albania and Kosovo. As the trip grew closer Cheryl and I began to sense God calling us to extend the trip to eight months. The initial funds we received were no where near enough to cover this cost. At that same time and unaware of this new need, an amazing one time gift was given to us from my family so that we could buy a car. We trusted that this was the Lord’s provision for our extended trip and gave up the fun of a new ride! Between these gifts and amazing connections along the way, we managed to work with missionaries throughout Europe for eight months and only paid for a total of two weeks of accommodations.

In preparing for this journey, we wanted to be responsible in our financial decisions. We had decided to sell our condo in the spring of 2007 when condo’s sold within days of listing them. After two weeks with no offers, we were contacted by an engineering firm that desperately needed a furnished apartment within the week for a new employee! Because we were willing to accommodate this time frame, the employee rented our condo for more than our mortgage, allowing us to responsibly keep this investment. After returning from Europe we decided to begin preparing to return to Albania. In the mean time Cheryl returned to her consulting work and I returned to full time studies at Regent College.

One of the decisions we made in this process was to try and relocate to my hometown in Tennessee. The cost of living being far cheaper in Knoxville, we felt this context would make support raising much simpler. This led us to begin looking at houses during visits home over the past few Christmases. On that first trip home we found a house we liked. Not long after this, during an extended time of prayer and worship, God told me two things. First God said Cheryl was pregnant, and second that we would offer $60,000 and we would pay $65,000. Within days Cheryl took a pregnancy test and sure enough she was. Upon returning to Vancouver we relisted our Condo and this time not only did it sell, but it sold at that peak of the market. We also transferred Canadian dollars into US dollars when they were virtually equal.

Within months we made an offer on the house we had found but the deal fell apart because we felt confident we should not raise our offer over $65,000. Several months passed and the time came for Cheryl to leave her work with the birth of Caleb Noah Hill. With a new baby and no income, difficult financial times could have made easy to justify withholding some of the gifts we had planned to make as a tithe on our income from 2008, especially when we would not have any income for the first half of 2009. This however did not set well with us because the Lord had poured out lavish generosity on us time and time again. For us to withhold a small portion seemed ungrateful.

Just before January 2009 we made our last gift, which went to friends working in Albania. This gift came at precisely their time of need and completely unknown to us, just as our family’s gift had been for us many months earlier. Next the house in Tennessee came back on the market but for half the original price. We made an offer and we got the house for $30,100. In our obedience to the Lord through faith in his provision, and as we continued to tithe in difficult circumstances two wonderful things occurred. First we were used as a dramatic and divine blessing in the lives of dear friends. Second, the Lord provided us with a home! Now the amazing thing is that almost a year ago God said we would offer $60K and pay $65K, however we are paying $30K for the house. This house is a bit of a fixer upper and it has been estimated that it will cost us $35K to give the home a fully modern finish. And so between our purchase price and our rehab budget, we really did offer $60K and we really are paying $65K! I truly believe that our trust in God’s provision, willingness to bless others, and obedience to what God is actively speaking into our lives, has all come together to radically bless our family.

I do not suggest we can manipulate God into blessing us by living by a formula. Life circumstances don’t always turn out to be a time that feels like blessings. In December when we had no income, rent, and new baby, it would have been easy to feel like life was lacking blessings. However it is our obedience in these times that is a sweet aroma to God. The obedience we show in difficult times demonstrates that we obey God out of love and not out of a desire for some prize. This is the point to the book of Job! This however does not mean God is different from any other good father; dads love to bless their obedient children! Over the past two years of marriage Cheryl and I have seen how when we faithfully seek God, listen to the wise council of others, and willingly sacrifice our material riches in order to tithe and give generously, then our lives are enriched with the joy of the Lord.

Over the past year the Lord has been leading us in a new and surprising direction. We originally planned to return to Knoxville so that we could prepare to go as missionaries to Albania. We believe that is still in our future but first we have a new assignment. God is leading us into a season of joining in the building of his Kingdom in my hometown. We are not yet sure what that will look like specifically, but what we do know now is that it will be marked by the generous provision of God.