Blog / Family and Finances

“You’re an embarrassment to the family – you shouldn’t be begging, looking for a handout!” I was stunned by my aunt’s exclamation as we ate lunch at a restaurant near her retirement community. Clearly, she didn’t understand my lifestyle of missionary support raising, nor did she agree. She made it plain that she would not participate in my financial support. I was taken aback by her negative response to my recent decision to do missions work and depend upon church, friends, and family for financial support. I went to the Lord after this painful interaction and sensed that He understood […]

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At 7:30 a.m. on May 14, I got one of those dreaded calls. It was my brother, Steve, “Mom was taken to the hospital at 2:30 this morning and is very ill.” My 90-year-old mother, Ida, passed away at 11 that evening. I was in Orlando training 44 new staff members. I quickly packed my car and drove through the night. Steve and I got on our phones to take care of the things you have to do when someone passes away. When you experience loss, you reflect on life. Mom’s parents, Morris and Bessie, immigrated to the U.S. in […]

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I recently took all of our male staff through Dennis Rainey’s excellent book Stepping Up: A Call to Courageous Manhood. A few days later, I was sitting across from a 17 year-old high school guy who wanted to take my daughter to prom. After sharing a few thoughts from Rainey’s book, I asked his definition of a man. He paused for a moment, looked me in the eye, and said, “I think a boy becomes a man when he takes full responsibility before God for his life.” He then added, “What do you think?” I was so stunned, I began stuttering and stammering, and finally only […]

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Each night when I went to bed, it felt like a weight was on my shoulder and it wouldn’t go away. Our support was in a tailspin, and I knew we would crash. In June 2007, our support hit the wall. Our daughter’s death in 1994 took an emotional toll on me. For 13 years, my support raising efforts were paralyzed. I sent out fund appeal letters, but I could not talk with people one on one. Then in June 2007, it was as if the Lord gently said to me, “I’ve given you 13 years where you haven’t had […]

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Sometimes raising more support will not solve a financial problem. Why? Because more funding cannot solve poor stewardship. Imagine sitting down with your support raising coach and after some pleasantries, your coach asks two penetrating questions. “How’s your giving, and how’s your debt?” Ouch! Are those questions too invasive for a coach to ask? Not at all. It may be uncomfortable asking these questions, but it doesn’t mean that they should not be asked! We’re training our support coaches that stewardship and support raising are connected at the hip. Not only are we to equip our staff with the skills […]

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I have learned some hard lessons in my life, but sometimes I’m so oblivious to them they have to “knock me upside the head”—as we say in Arkansas! Even though I’ve been married almost 28 years, have two grown daughters, and work around women on a daily basis, the female gender is still a complete mystery to me! Consequently, one of the more painful messages to finally seep into my little brain is just how critical wives are to the success of our support raising. You see, in my typically-male, laser-focused, one-track mind (which of course, always thinks it’s right!), […]

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Well, the title is a misnomer. We never totally “recession-proof” anything. I’m sure Job felt very safe and secure until disaster wiped him out. In fact, if I get arrogant about how “recession-proof” my finances are, I might find the God I’m supposedly serving actually opposing me! 1 Peter 5:5b: “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Hmmm…God vs. my so-called financial “security?” God wins every time! If one ditch is pride, the other one is denial. Some Christian workers don’t attempt to understand or track with the national economy, financial trends, or even personal […]

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Most people in ministry who raise their own support view others strictly as either just givers or pray-ers. Why not take a minute and look at your contact list and think through 3-4 individuals who might want to do more? I’m sure there a few, that,deep down, would love to partner with you, standing shoulder to shoulder with you as you take on this challenge of getting to full support. [Q: Why are there so few lay people who are filling this kind of critical role? A: We have never asked them!] King Solomon understood the power of two, and […]

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Scenario 1 : A man with a stable, high paying position has a spiritual renewal in his life and feels called to a full time ministry that will mean leaving his current job and raising support. As he excitedly shares the news with his wife, she sits and stews in stony silence before blurting out, “When I married you, this wasn’t part of the bargain!” Scenario 2 : A couple has been accepted by a mission agency, gone through the support training, and began having appointments with potential donors. After several frustrating rejections, the husband turns to his wife and […]

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