Wednesday, June 08, 2005
LOWEST POINT
6-7-05
This is the lowest point in my financial life. And that is a strong sentence.
The monthly disability check arrived for Shebaa. But she could only afford to pay less than half of what she owed me. That led me to much juggling and 42 dollars of fees that further pinched my cash flow.
Note that her and my hardship is due to several delays by bureaucracies. These matters were out of our control.
During the last email I made an appeal for donations for her by way of my web site. There were zero contributions. That was a big disappointment for me. I feel sure that I stated the facts in a clear and orderly way. I did not hype anything. Things are bad enough without any extra spin.
Several things come to my mind. When I hear the appeals for money on the radio, I rarely give. But obvious someone does because the program continues year after year. Maybe like me many assume that the other person will give.
There is this notion that the local church takes care of everything. Therefore as an individual I have no responsibly for benevolence. The way that I read the Bible that is just not true -- personal accountability before the living God for those in need that He brings across your path is all over the Old Testament and New Testament. During the coming years I will be publishing many teachings to edify and exhort believers to become much more involved in private benevolence as a part of the expression of their Christian faith.
Often I have heard by those who appreciate my ministry say that they will give a donation when they have extra money. At first I was delighted when I hear that. But from those same people there was never a donation … even though they continued to receive resources and encouragement from me for years. My conclusion is that there is no such thing as extra money.
The anonymous donor that spontaneously contributed hundreds of dollars for Shebaa is the least likely person to expect such generosity. I know that this person is in the middle of many major financial troubles. If you knew half of them then your hair would turn gray.
I am all the more motivated to continue moving forward toward creating the system that will not only serve Shebaa and Lisa but can be adapted to serve the dozens of others in our community. This is a very hands-on application of the concepts of Four Bridges.
I told one of my board members today that my spiritual gift is to create the systems. Then the intercessors, volunteers and donors can work in a coordinated way for years. God will raise up those with the gift of shepherding that will delight to oversee these souls and coordinate the helpers.
Deep in my heart I am becoming increasingly convinced that after such a system is in place then people will know where, when and how their small contribution will fit into a larger picture. They will gladly give of their time and money. Also I have faith that major donors will set up trust funds to quietly fuel such personalized and faith based operations.
HOPE
Here is my hope. Somehow God will meet my financial needs until my next paycheck on the 17th of this month. That will give me a little breathing room July rent. By then the presentation for the Major Donors will be on the web. I will be actively promoting it. Like I told my brother last night it is very possible that this could bring in as much as thousands of dollars a week. There will be a system that will account for how each penny was used.
It will just take a few thousand dollars to get things moving. I will soon work with Convio www.convio.com this will allow me to segment the email list so that there are separate ones for Shebaa, missions, donors, intercessors, advisors, etc. That will lead to smoother fund raising and a salary of 2K per month for me.
The main purpose of this distribution list is to raise prayer support. So please pray fervently for God to guide my thoughts, words and deeds. May He continue to do a work deep in my soul during these difficult days. May I quickly lean my lessons and faithfully apply them when needed.
I refuse to hide behind a plastic mask and say that everything is just fine. There has been great discomfort. I would not be a good friend of yours if I did not state candidly that is surely can use your help this week. Unlike any other time your gift of 5, 10, 20, 50 or 100 dollars will go a long ways. Here is the link http://fourbridges.org/Donate.html All I ask is that you pray and obey.
John 2:42 PM
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