We Will Sing of the Mercies of the Lord Forever!

Over the last few months, our church has been in a series called "The Blessed Life". David and I have tithed here and there over the past almost two years, but we never really had a clue what we were doing. Along with the series, our church gave a copy of the book to each one of the 7,000 people that attend our church. We got our book...and David actually read it. We listened carefully to every sermon, and we really started to understand the concepts behind tithing and giving. Tithing is NOT giving! It is simply RETURNING to the Lord what already belongs him. The tithe is to be taken from the income received BEFORE anything else! We either pay tithe online or we get a money order and have it filled out before we pay anything else. It is a majoy mistake to pay all the bills and see what's left in order to return to God what He gave you in the first case! The really blessing comes in giving (like offerings and toward special programs and causes). Tithing and giving of offerings puts us under the covering of God's blessing. God tells us to test Him in tithing and giving. Examples and instructions relating to tithing are found both in the Old and New Testament. David and I took the book and the sermon very seriously, we began tithing and also giving where we felt lead by the Lord. Here is some testimony of the months that followed the beginning of our obedience in January. What an excellent way to start the year! 1) Four payments have been removed from our monthly budget. Cutting out over $300 a month. 2) As an "offering" Dave and I bought $95 tickets to the local pregnancy center banquet. While at the banquet, we bid in the silent auction on golf tickets at Houston National and a large Easter basket for Jaxon. When our card number was written down by the check-out ladies, it was copied wrong and we received and email from the center. We felt awful and planned to come in the next day and make the payment right away. The director of the center (a good friend of ours), emailed us and told us that she has been blessed by our testimony and that the items were gifts, nothing due. David has decided to give the tickets to a friend of ours from David's previous employer. 3) When sending back our washer and dryer rental (a tough decision for me), we owed a balance. As the washer went out the door and down the stairs, I turned to get on the laptop and pay the balance. My phone email alert went off, and I found an email from the washer and dryer rental company. They offered to reduce our balance to resolve the outstanding balance today. I called David and told him, he said we only had $50 exactly on our money card (we do not bank; we put money on the card at the store). I called the account manager, praying that she would give me a number that I could use the card to pay with. After crunching some numbers, she told me that in order to the amount reduced I would need to pay the reduced balance of $50 even...:) I laughed, she was confused. 4) David used to double his normal check amount by picking up over time. Even when he was doubling his check, we were still just making it by...and believe me, we are not extravagant spenders. David's work announced a few weeks ago that they would no longer be offering over time on a regular basis. We were scared, but after reading the book and hearing the sermons, we remembered to trust God, continued to return tithe and give offerings. When pay day arrived, we were not surprised to see that his check was very small. We managed to pay every bill, give money to a friend in need, go out to eat, and buy some things we have needed for months around the house. We also put a significant amount in savings. Also, David has received a few phone calls to go in for over time this week, even though almost no one has been called in lately. 5) David got a ticket for $180 and missed his court date (I was out of state..and he got off task quite a bit ;)) When we went to pay the ticket, we were prepared to pay the ticket plus penalties and possibly having to get his license reinstated (if it had been suspended). I found a brochure at the counter for a $25 driving class. I asked the desk lady about it and she said David only has to pay $100, take the class within 90 days and the ticket will not go on his record! What a relief. We got lost several time trying to find the court house, David wanted to just go home and mail the payment in. Instead we worked together to find the place, and thank God we did! I'm glad He gave us the patience to navigate our way there to receive such a blessing! 6) Many of the apartments around us were affected by work that the water department did here last month. They left the water on several time over night and our neighbors received a bill for $400. A normal water bill here is around $30. Our bill remained the same and we were not affected at all :) 7) After being in a 2 year contract with Direct Tv for 6 months, our dish was moved due to the rebuilding of our porch. When the technician came to replace the dish, he could not find a line of sight. Because we could no longer use their service, they decided to void our contract with no fees, and no final balance due. They also removed all the charged from the previous month. SO that's $70 less on the budget, less time wasting and a ton off our electric bill! 8) In January, our electric bill was $130. In February, it went down to $85 (lowest since we moved here). We no longer have cable or washer and dryer, so our projected electric bill is $55 and I plan to see our gas and water go down as well! 9) My aunts, uncles, parents and sister/brother in law gifted us all the large items needed for Truett, almost $400 that we will not be taking out of our budget! 10) In February, I took my glucose tolerance test and had my iron tested. My iron has been low for years and I have a family history if problems with sugar. When I took the test, I was positive I had failed both. I was tired, crabby and downright mean afterwards. I received a call a few days later that both tests had come back NORMAL! My iron was high and my body handled the sugar overload beautifully! 11) In January, we noticed there was something serious going on with the suspension in our Expedition. The thing weighs 7,000lbs and the repair was going to be around $700. We budgeted for it and planned to have it done. A friend from David's work who is in mechanic school took a look at it and found that the air suspension was unplugged. This must have happened when our transmission was replaced. After he plugged it back in, David went a few miles down the road and the suspension worked again, 100%. Best of all, while thinking about all of these blessings, I looked into my bathroom mirror, and out of nowhere, I heard God say "I have more for you". David and I cannot express how excited we are for our future. We are also grateful that three months ago, we took a leap of faith and began to return the Lord's tithe and giving to those in need as the Lord directs. These are only things that have occurred within the last few months, I cannot imagine what God has planned for our future, I just know that we are so excited! I hope and pray that everyone and anyone reading this will understand that there is promised blessing in return to the Lord what is His already and having a generous heart toward those in need. Dave and I are so excited to teach these concepts to our children and also share with those around us! God Bless, Elizabeth Rose