Giving

Cal taught me about giving from early on in our marriage until his last years. Giving with our money and giving in the lives of people. Even in years when we had to battle, and through years of substantial income, his principle was the same: “Tithe and give even when we have to trust God for some of our own needs.”

“Just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge in complete earnestness, and in your love for us—see that you excel in this grace of giving.” 2 Corinthians 8:7

We saw provision in unexpected and very unusual ways. Here’s an example, among many others… We had a very good income as pastors of a very large church in the DMV-area. A new car was provided yearly by a car-dealer in our church. A large home was made possible by a builder in our church. However, a family in our church with 6 children were forced to leave their home when it burned down, causing them to lose everything. ew took them in to stay with us and helped them financially for several weeks until they could get resettled.

That did “affect” our food budget. The crunch and trust came into play when I had to buy a large amount of food for the monthly dinner at our home for deacons and families. I bought what I could and prayed for provision from God. I still remember one of our guests bringing in 3 sacks of items needed to complete the meal. She knew nothing about the need and brought exactly what we needed!

Simple—yet a faith-builder!