We talk a lot about developing a "culture of generosity," but let's be honest: just saying something a bunch of times doesn't make it real, or true of us.
But:
A story like this does.
This is from Mandy Sherwood, one of our Waterloo families. Many of you know her and her husband, Tim. Tim and Mandy made the jump from Cedar Falls to Waterloo, and Tim began volunteering on our production teams in the Worship Center. Long story short, Tim is now serving on staff as the Tech Director in Osage.
This career change for Tim and Mandy did not come without some significant sacrifice - mainly in pay, to be frank. But they took a step - one of "spots that make you squirm" kind of steps. They now find themselves in a season with God where He is proving to them that he is generous - and he's proving it through another member of Prairie Lakes Church Waterloo.
Here's Mandy's story, shared with her and Tim's permission:
Just wanted to say thanks for cultivating a culture of generosity. Friday night found us up until the middle of the night trying to get our furnace restarted after the wind blew it out. We are struggling a bit financially right now and were worried about what it was going to cost. Tim put a facebook status out that just said pretty much hoping it would be cheap.
Someone from the Waterloo campus sent me a message the next morning and said that God had told her specifically to pay for our repair. Luckily the repair was not a lot but either way she planned to pay it. She is sending me a check to cover the cost and blessing our family very much. Just wanted to say thanks for teaching people to be so freely generous.
Let's recap here:
- Someone was attentive enough to the Spirit to read a facebook status and hear his prompting.
- That same someone didn't just pray for the Sherwood's need to be met. That prayer had already been prayed. Rather, this someone allowed the Spirit to prompt them to be the answer to the prayer.
- Finally, that same someone made an impact in the life of another family member in a way that was far bigger than they probably knew.
That's the beauty of generosity, isn't it? Everybody wins. And God is gorified.
Thanks for sharing, Sherwoods. Let's be generous with our love, our lives, and our invitations this week.
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