A Financial Snap

OK...something is going on here. It culminated at our Sunday morning experience on August 2. Let me go back and set the table. HHC has been moving along and succeeding in almost every area of late. Despite this, HHC has been leaking financially for the last couple of years. Combo of several things. But we began to really leak this summer. Had a rock bottom offering about 3 weeks ago. Something "snapped" in me and I haven't been the same since.

You would think a rock bottom offering would snap a pastor in two. But instead it snapped me to attention. God wasn't wanting to correct the congregation in their giving habits, He was correcting me for not properly teaching folks how to biblically give and tithe. I admit over the years, I had become a chicken when it came to the area of bibilical stewardship. Wanted to avoid the stereotypes that came with churches and money. The Holy Spirit tapped me on the shoulder and wisely let me know that if I didn't teach biblical giving (tithing in particular), it was the same as not teaching biblical marriage, biblical morals, biblical (fill in the blank). Ouch.

So Sunday August 2, was the landmark day. Not only did I feel compelled to let the church know of our financial leak, but stated that the principle of biblical tithing was the only avenue in which our church could patch the leak and not sink completely. Somewhere in the middle of the message, I cried. Didn't mean to. Always challenges the man pride, you know. But the passion of seeing HHC succeed and thrive simply burst out. Then the amazing thing happened....

People began to come up during the message and put their finances on the platform. That really messed me up emotionally....it messed us all up. Hard to finish a sermon under those conditions. It put a renewed energy, and renewed confidence, and a renewed focus, and a renewed boldness in me I haven't felt.....ever. I still am riding it as I write this. After church was over, you could stir the unity with a stick. This was a back row to front row unity. This was a "the ship's not going down on our watch" type of unity. Apparently, everyone had "snapped".

Crazy thing is this......I was giving a message on tithing in the middle of our generation's worst economic recession....and a revival swept over us. Only God. Not only that, but spiritually, people were experiencing a supernatural release from fear and complacency. I'm still hearing about it. The launch has been made. Now it's up to us to complete the mission.