To Tithe or Not to Tithe...is that the question?

A Life story from Debbie Tipton:
It's no secret to anyone who has Facebook that H and I have been experiencing a real storm in our lives since July of 2009.  There have been times of fear, uncertain in how we were going to survive financially.  
Paying our tithes had been one thing that we refused to stop because we knew that we would be tying God's hands from blessing us if we did.  However, the last few weeks I did withhold our tithes because I just didn't see how we could pay them and still be able to pay our house payment.  This past Monday God reminded me that we were two checks behind on our tithes.  
I argued with God and said, "But if I pay them, Lord, I won't be able to pay the house payment."  
He just said, "MALACHI 3:10".  He didn't quote it out, just gave the book, chapter and verse.  He was so emphatic about it that I knew He was telling me to trust Him in this. 
By the way this is  the only time that God ever asks us to test Him.
 
I emailed Judy, who serves with the finance team, and asked her if I could bring my tithe check to her. 
She said "You can just bring it to me Wednesday." 
I told her I was afraid to do that because if I didn't get it into her hands I might be tempted to use it for our needs.  
She said "Okay, bring it on out to me".  
The whole time I was praying, "God I am stepping out in faith here, please meet our needs!"

Fast forward to Thursday, my car breaks down.  A 2008 Honda that should not be breaking down.  By faith I took it to the dealership repair chop, not knowing how I was going to pay for it to be fixed, yet refusing to let the enemy work on me with fear, instead choosing to claim God's promises the whole time.  I knew I had paid our tithe, and God had promised to open up the windows of heaven and pour us out a blessing that we couldn't contain.  That doesn't specifically say that the blessings are financial, but I sure was praying for it to be.
Not only was my house payment due the following Tuesday, but now a car repair bill of about $100.00, not to mention that we owe $300.00 to the IRS and had also been praying for God to provide a way to pay off a bill that we had so it would make it easier on us with our monthly bills.  Still I had perfect peace over it all, knowing that God was going to do something.  I had been obedient with the tithe and I trusted that He was going to show up.

On to Friday...H brings in the mail.  There was a thick envelope in there from a law firm in Charleston, SC.  I thought oh great, what now? When I opened it, I couldn't believe my eyes...there was a check for $5500.00 in there! It was a settlement check for a class action suit that was filed over 15 yrs ago! 
GOD HAD SHOWN UP!!! HE had done what HE HAD PROMISED!  Never again will I ever withhold a tithe check because I am afraid that I won't be able to pay bills, first because its robbing God and second because I am tying HIS hands from blessing us!

SIDENOTE...When I picked up my car, the mechanic told me that a relay had stuck in the open position and was drawing current even though the car was turned off.  He said in his 13 yrs of being a Honda mechanic he had only seen this happen one other time and it was the week before.  First of all God was testing me... was I going to be ruled by fear or by
faith with my car breaking down...Secondly he had a lady with another car that had the same problem the week before so that the mechanic would know what was wrong with mine.

So if you are wondering whether you should pay your tithe or pay a bill...I strongly urge you, pay the tithe...you are tying God's hands with your disobedience if you don't!

God is still on His throne and still answering prayer AND meeting our needs...What God promised, He is faithful to do!

Sharing the Word in Haiti

Not long ago, Greg Roberts, our staff missionary, sent word that the church-run clinic that he's working with in Port au Prince needed Bibles to share with people. The people in their church still have a Bible, but those who come to the clinic -- some do not attend a church, some do not know of God, and the staff want to be able to share His love with them even after they leave the clinic. 


Erik Swanson, a gentleman who is a member of KnoxLife in Knoxville and assists our students with our homeless ministry, found a place to purchase New Testaments with Psalms in them in the Kreyol (Creole) language the Haitian people speak for $9.99 each. A full Bible is over $30. So, we set out to get at least 100 of these New Testaments to send to Haiti. 

We put out the word to our friends and family. Through Twitter, Facebook, email and word-of-mouth, God moved people to give, and provided enough to purchase 140 New Testaments. Small enough to fit in a pocket or purse, we know that the words these people will read hold life. 

Soon, 140 Haitians will get their very own copy of the New Testament! Thanks to you! If you'd like to help provide more, visit the Donations page on churchofthecove.org and give! Choose the Haiti button, and when you make the donation, be sure to note in the "Special ways you want these funds spent?" box that you want it to go to Bibles.

A Trip to Haiti - Good, Bad, Ugly

I sat with Mark Chipperfield to hear his story about his trip to Haiti last week. Below I will share some of what he told me. This is a long post, some of it is not pretty, but it is all real. -- Faye Bryant

Mark and Brian Williams flew to Orlando, then drove to Ft. Lauderdale to catch a private jet that was carrying supplies to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. They each found a seat in this plane completely surrounded by supplies. The pilot told them they were carrying the maximum weight the plane could carry. Then, when they took off, they noticed the plane wasn't ascending into the sky. Shortly, they realized they were banking away from their destination and soon landed again. Seems someone had forgotten to unlock the landing gear so that the pilot could pull it up to achieve altitude. Mark said, "At that point, at least we knew they could land the thing."

First stop, Turks and Caicos Islands for refueling. (Mark didn't say so, but I imagine there was some unfolding of a couple of tall guys for a few minutes.) There they encountered personnel at the airport who begged them to take some of the mass of supplies they have waiting to go to Haiti. Since they were already overloaded, they couldn't do anything to help.

After landing in Barahona and making their way to Jimani, near the Haitian border, Mark and Brian saw chaos. Organized to some degree, but chaos nonetheless. They saw the two-story hospital building, the orphanage building, the chapel, a large revival-type tent over-filled with people and much more.

They met up with some folks from North Carolina. Finally! Someone who spoke their language! This group had already been there several days and planned to stay a few more. They showed Brian and Mark around, explaining the layout of the hospital and what was going on. They shared about the 6.0 aftershock they'd experienced the morning before, seeing people jumping out of the second floor of the hospital and orphanage, others running outside screaming, because of their fear.

The guys from North Carolina shared about their sleeping accommodations -- a tent set up next to the post-op tent (large open-sided, revival-type tent) where they'd tried to go to sleep the night before, but were kept awake by the generator running. When the generator was finally shut down, they spent the rest of the night praying it would be turned back on, the screams of people suffering now filling the air. Only local anesthesia for those enduring amputations or other medical procedures.

Next they headed toward Port au Prince. The roads are not fun, I was told. Mark said he saw little of earthquake damage until they got very close to the city. They went to the house that has been leased by Church of the Cove and Chadasha Foundation for our missionary outpost. One of the walled fences had been damaged and there are cracks in the walls of the house, but it's foundation is sound. Not every house in that neighborhood fared the same. Just a couple doors down lay a pile of rubble that was once a house, and the odor that came from it told the tale of those who had been inside at the time of the collapse.

During their stay, Mark and Brian helped repair the wall at the house, helped install water filtration systems at the house and at Pastor Jude's church. They were going to install one at Bobby's orphanage, but found out that the well that was dug by hand in the past year was damaged in the quake and is now filled with brackish water. A new well will have to be dug there.

They also traveled around the city, delivering food and other supplies to places where they were needed.

As they traveled back through Jimani to Barahona to head home, they were surprised to find the guys from North Carolina still on duty, still serving. A moment of time is frozen in both Brian and Mark's minds: A moment when tears and wails continued in the post-op tent until Pastor Tim (from NC) went in with an interpreter and began singing worship songs and hymns. It was an amazing sight to see people in so much pain, with so much damage in their lives, lifting their hands and voices to God in worship.

A fitting end to a rough trip.

Pictures & Video

Mark Chipperfield shares this video he made of the trip to Haiti last week.

Stories from Haiti - Brian Williams

Brian Williams shares a moment he remembers from his stay:

We were in Port Au Prince for a medical clinic for those whose injuries and medical issues weren't trauma-related or serious enough to be sent to a mobile hospital. We showed up at the little church where Jude and his wife Yannick pastor.

The little courtyard was already overflowing with people waiting to see a doctor. While we were setting up inside, Yannick was speaking to all those outside. She started leading them in song. I heard these beautiful melodies and looked into faces that were turned upward to God with hands raised. Faces that were in pain or were sick or were worried when they arrived, were now praising God.

All of us inside stopped what we were doing and were just amazed at the sight and beautiful sounds. There wasn't a dry eye among us.