Rev. and Mrs. William R. Dooley - Dequincy, La.
We went to the Christian Stewardship Seminar conducted by Bro. Mayer at our local assembly. We were impressed with the material presented and could see that it would probably work for us. Our finances were in a severe crisis, and bankruptcy once again looked like a good option. Truly, we did not want to go that route again. We went to see Bro. Mayer in a private sit-down session after the seminar.
He asked us many questions on our spending and savings etc. While we talked, it began to rain outside. He asked us what we wanted to see happen. I pointed outside and said that we wanted to see the rain finally stop in our lives and see some sunshine again. We all bowed our heads and prayed. We then began to talk about directions that we could go that would be beneficial to us.
The principles on giving are some of the best that we had seen. We have always given more than 10%, but had never considered alms. To do this meant a greater sacrifice on our part. It was difficult, but we felt like the scriptural basis was strong enough that we should do it.
Several months went by as we implemented these and other principles, although not perfectly. We goofed in some areas that will be addressed here further on. We kept giving in spite of the fact that nothing changed. Well, we changed even though the situation did not do so immediately.
The results are astounding to us, even today. First thing that happened was that we received a small inheritance under $50k. We paid tithes, offering and alms and used some of the rest for bills. We goofed in that we did not pay off my car at the time. This would later become some grief to us. We survived that as well. We also splurged and took a vacation, which I did not feel was a bad thing since we had not had one in some 5-8 years. It did allow us some time away from everything to relax and prepare us for the next step. When we returned, we began to increase our giving yet again. We also were able to establish a stock trading account and add to our savings.
Shortly after returning from vacation, Sis. Dooley lost the job that she had. The company was no longer able to keep her. She went for several months without work and she fretted much, but I felt like God used it as a time of rest for her and basically told her to relax and just keep looking.
She answered an ad for a healthcare company that looked promising. She interviewed and it wasn’t what she really wanted, but I told her that if God opens this door, then she should step through it. She went in for the second interview and was asked how much she wanted to be paid. She told them and they hired her as a secretary.
A few months after she started, they called her into the office and told her how much they were pleased with her work. She then became the supervisor with added pay. Later, the company got in a new computer program. When they had hired her initially, they did not tell her this, but the main reason why they did so was because she had so much experience on this program and they felt that she could teach them how to properly utilize it.
When the new program arrived, they again called her into the office and she became program administrator, which again was accompanied by a significant raise. Did I say that God blessed our sacrificial giving?
I was working for a company and making average income. A friend told me about another job which I ended up taking. My pay increased due to hours by some 25%. We increased our giving again. Also, we were able to finally pay off my car. That was a huge relief and as a result, we determined that we would not ever buy another new car. It isn’t worth the money since you lose so much value when you drive it off the lot.
Our church is now in a building program. We have given monthly to this. Recently, we had a pledge drive and we felt like God would have us give extra so we did. We had to make payments on it monthly because we could not pay it all at once.
Two days after the final payment was made, I received a phone call about a job application that I had made six months prior. I honestly did not think I was going to hear from them. I am currently in the hiring process. I believe I will get this job. It also means an increase of around $5 per hour for me. I guess we will just have to increase our giving one more time.
I could go on with the stories, but one thing that I have learned is that God loves a cheerful giver. It doesn’t matter what you don’t have, but what you have. God is a capable provider.
One of the biggest changes that has happened to us through all of this is our attitude about money. We were driving down the road one day and money began to flutter around the car. I stopped with the intention of picking it up. A man came racing up in a vehicle and claimed it as his. I walked away because we didn’t need it. Another day, I was driving across a bridge and money began to fly around the vehicle again. My partner wanted to stop so I did. All he found was a $10. He was going to split it with me, but I told him to keep it because God has been good to me. A week later, we were grocery shopping and I heard a person cry out in surprise. I looked over and there was a pile of money on the floor about ten feet from where I was standing. I looked at it and told my wife that it looked like a lot. We just walked away. It just wasn’t the single most important thing in our lives any more.
I appreciate Bro. Mayer and his ministry. It has helped us tremendously. I can honestly say that the sun is shining again in our lives.
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Rev. and Mrs. James Kyle – Cumming, Ga.
There is no better place to start than the beginning. Newly married in 1994, Jimmy still worked a 3rd shift job, making $11.00 per hour. I continued with college and worked 20 hours a week making only $6 per hour. Our finances were tight, but we managed.
After several months, we decided it would be best for Jimmy to find a day job to focus on our church and our marriage. He ended up getting a job working for an electrical contracting company making only $7.50 per hour. With a car payment, 2 credit cards payments, 2 college loans, unexpected car troubles, and, of course, normal housing bills, it didn’t take us long to get behind on our finances.
We somehow managed to keep our heads above water for a few discouraging months, and then decided to look for help. In a conversation with our pastor, Bro. Copeland, he recommended we begin a new financial class led by Bro. & Sis. Mayer.
Several lessons later, we began to feel like there might be hope for our situation after all. The Mayers helped us set up a reasonable budget to enable us to organize our finances, and opposite to common skepticism about budgeting, we were still able to eat out, plan vacations, even buy a Coke or two (in moderation, of course). Three months later, we had worked out most of the kinks in our budget, and were well on our way to recovery.
Presently, we’re amazed at how God has unraveled the turmoil we were in. We’ve been on our budget for two years, and blessed to say we have two cars that are paid in full, both our college loans are paid in full, and God has provided us a home, which is another miracle in itself. Looking back, I can remember feeling as if our case was hopeless; like we would never see the light at the end of the tunnel.
I remember praying to God for strength and encouragement. I found it hard to believe the still, small voice telling me He would provide and bless, when all I could see were bills, bills, and more bills. God is, however, true to His word and has provided our every need and so much more!
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Mr. and Mrs. Mark Holder – Hoscton, Ga.
It started about two years ago. We didn’t always do things the way we should. There were a lot of things we did not have a revelation on, yet. We were in a real bad financial state. Bills were a month or two behind, borrowing from this one to pay that one. We really couldn’t see any daylight.
Instead of doing what was right, we thought we saw an easy way out: bankruptcy. We went and talked to a lawyer to get all the paperwork to file bankruptcy, thinking this was right. We weren’t sure, though, so we went to our pastor, Bro. Copeland. We found out that we were doing things backwards. Filing bankruptcy was not an option. We couldn’t hide things that we’d done wrong. Pastor Copeland said, “We need to meet with Bro. Mayer the next church service.”
We did meet; and instead of opinion, Bro. Mayer gave us scripture to show us what the Lord has said about finances. We started praying about the situation. That same night the Lord blessed us with money from some saints who didn’t even know the trouble we were in. God met the need we had to get through that crunch time. The Lord was working with us as we changed our direction. We began to see a little light. We met with Bro. Mayer a few more times at his house. He gave us directions on which way to go.
First, we started calling the people we owe and explaining our situation. I believe that because of prayer and our willingness to obey God’s word, they were very understanding. They all worked with us. Then, we got our priorities in order by separating our wants from our needs. It required us to tighten up and do what was right. Through all of this, we never failed to pay our tithes and believe the Lord. A lot happened between then and now; too much to tell. The Lord blessed, blessed, blessed!
Later, we got into Bro. Mayer’s class. What a blessing! We never knew there was so much about stewardship in the Bible. The class was great; and we got new revelations on being a faithful steward, like “The borrower is slave to the lender, “as it says in Proverbs.. .so true in the physical and spiritual. I am glad to report at this time that all our bills are paid, and we have money in the bank. Thank God! We are thankful for a pastor that will stand for what’s right, and does not bend one way or the other. I am also thankful for a couple that would dedicate their time to help others, like the Mayers. It is truly a ministry. They have helped us much. We love them and thank them.
