Does anybody know this guy?

By Chuck Cordovano

Does anybody know this guy?

This is 19 year old Joey Prusak, a manager at a Hopkins, MN Dairy Queen.  Tuesday, a week ago, a regular customer, a man visually impaired, came into his store and dropped a $20 bill.  An elderly female customer picked up the bill and put it in her pocket.

Joey served the man and, when the female who picked up the money tried to place her order, Joey asked her to return the $20 bill.

According to the TheBlaze.com:

Prusak took matters into his own hands.
“She walked up to the counter and I asked her to please return the $20 bill to the gentleman. She looked at me like ‘what are you talking about,’” Prusak said, recounting the incident to TheBlaze. “I asked her again to return it and she said, ‘No, it’s mine I just dropped it.’ I told her I’m not going to serve you if you are going to be disrespectful as you are stealing someone’s money like that.”
The woman then allegedly became disorderly and began cursing at Prusak, who remained both firm and polite.
“She started getting really angry … started swearing and whatnot. I stayed relatively calm; I deal with customers on a daily basis. She kept swearing though and I asked her to leave the store. I told her if you aren’t going to return the money, you need to leave right now.”
She then “stormed out,” Prusak said.
“What happened next I would have never expected,” an anonymous customer wrote to Dairy Queen, which was later posted on Reddit, sending the story viral. “Your employee approached the young man and took out his wallet and said, ‘Sir, on behalf of Dairy Queen, I would like to give you the $20 that you happened to drop on the ground as you walked away from the counter.’”
“I was in shock by the generosity that your employee had, taking his own money out of his own wallet to give to the customer because some other lady decided to steal something that wasn’t hers,” the customer continued in the letter.
Prusak said it was the right thing to do.
Well, this boy is all over the news for doing the right thing!

I guess that’s the world we live in.

Years ago, when I was a Methodist, before I was immersed through grace to become a Southern Baptist, I attended a church study group.  An older gentleman in the group was convinced the world was coming to an end based on all the bad things happening in the world.  I told him that bad things have always happened in the world, we just see more of them today.

Occasionally, we even get to see the good things in the world…

God wants good things for us.

This lesson started out as a discussion of love and I believe through Jesus we have a new covenant with the father based on love.  But, anyone who speaks publicly or preaches, or teaches Sunday School goes through a process to write a speech or develop a sermon, or create a lesson.  For Christians that involves prayer and soul searching and listening for the Holy Spirit to nudge you in one direction or another.  For me, it also requires a lot of research.  As those of you who try and share with the class know, what you want to say, and where God takes you in the process, are sometimes two different things.

Pastor Mike’s lessons on worship and how we worship and why we are called to worship as well as our lessons here, from Scott, and our discussions on serving others within our Sunday School  class have weighed on me this week.  So, I start out looking at “love” in my Life Application Bible and on line and I’m led to Romans 12: 9-21:

“ 9 Don't just pretend that you love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Stand on the side of the good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. 11 Never be lazy in your work, but serve the Lord enthusiastically. 12 Be glad for all God is planning for you. Be patient in trouble, and always be prayerful. 13 When God's children are in need, be the one to help them out. And get into the habit of inviting guests home for dinner or, if they need lodging, for the night. 14 If people persecute you because you are a Christian, don't curse them; pray that God will bless them. 15 When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sorrow. 16 Live in harmony with each other. Don't try to act important, but enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don't think you know it all! 17 Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable. 18 Do your part to live in peace with everyone, as much as possible. 19 Dear friends, never avenge yourselves. Leave that to God. For it is written, "I will take vengeance; I will repay those who deserve it," says the Lord. 20 Instead, do what the Scriptures say: "If your enemies are hungry, feed them. If they are thirsty, give them something to drink, and they will be ashamed of what they have done to you." 21 Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good.”  NLT

Just getting to Romans 12: 9-21 wasn’t enough . . . I had to put that into context so I had to back up to verses 1-8:

“1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice -- the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask? 2 Don't copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is. 3 As God's messenger, I give each of you this warning: Be honest in your estimate of yourselves, measuring your value by how much faith God has given you. 4 Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, 5 so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others. 6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money, share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”  NLT

What do I find out about Romans 12?  Well, I find that Romans was written by Paul to both Jews and Gentiles in Rome.  It is an outline for living a Christian live and is as relevant for us today as when Paul wrote it to the Roman Church.

As we search for ways our class can learn to share our problems with one another and love each other better; be better Christians generally, Paul gives us this outline in Romans 12.

• Give yourself to God daily – think of what Christ has done for you and give sacrificially
• Don’t fall into the traps of this world and allow God to change you by changing the way you think
• Be honest with yourself
• Find your gift and give back
• Don’t just pretend to love others – really love them – genuinely love
• Stand up to what is wrong
• Work hard and be patient in hardship
• Keep praying
• Help God’s people
• Be hospitable
• Don’t curse people, bless them
• Share sorrow and happiness with others
• Live harmoniously with people, enjoy their company
• Don’t be a know it all
• NEVER pay back evil to anyone, live honorable
• Live in peace with others
• NEVER avenge yourselves, leave that to God
• If your enemies are hungry feed them
• Don’t let evil get the best of you, conquer evil by doing good

19 year old Joey Prusak seems to have it about right.

Life In A Hole

Life in a hole.

From Facebook: Facebook friends and family, I need a prayer tonight. Tomorrow, I will be at the hospital and it's going to be a very hard day. This is really heavy on my heart.

Life in a hole.

Also from Facebook: I'm so very nervous and anxious. I just need to breathe! I would take an Ambien but it is almost daylight.

Life in a hole.

In an e-mail: Quite honestly, Scott, my wife does not love me anymore and we both know it.

Life in a hole.

From The Carpenters: Rainy days and Mondays always get me down.

Life in a hole.

From a conversation at the ballpark: I have failed my children. All of their friends have so many opportunities, and mine look at me and wonder, “Why not me?”

Life in a hole.

In an e-mail: My child is an alcoholic. 

Life in a hole. 

From a conversation over lunch: I close my eyes at night and see myself walking up the steps of a gallows. I have failed at life.

Life in a hole.

I've been in a lot of holes and you have, too. Some are just a temporary bad mood, others are a day-long funk (like, for me, last Thursday), others linger for a while, some show up to haunt us from our childhood, and some are deep and wide. We can see some of the holes coming from a distance, but others surprise us and we fall in before we can help it. Some holes are in our head, created by a wild imagination and too little rest. Some are knee-buckling and all too real.

We live our lives in and out of holes.

The purpose of this lesson is to give four reminders about life in the hole.

Jesus is there in the hole.

The Bible is one giant book about men and women who find themselves in holes and are touched by the hand of God. I would tell every hurting person - unemployed, separated or divorced, and sick over an uncertain future - to read the Bible and draw hope from God's redemption of people who found themselves in holes.

Most all of us are, to a degree, Sunday morning Christians. We want a nice, clean and easy faith life. When things are going great, we say, "Well, thank you, God, for all these blessings, and for making my life so great." We walk tall and proud when we are out of the holes. And, then we step in a hole and we panic. We forget all about God. The true color of our faith is exposed.

But, listen, God is in the hole. God is everywhere, and He is everywhere all the time. And, His son, Jesus, is calling us to faith in Him and a restored relationship with God, who can bring peace to us in the hole.

One of my favorite Bible stories is from Daniel 3:19-28. It's the story of the three boys, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar ordered everyone to bow down to his golden statue. These boys refused, and the king had them throw into a furnace so hot it killed the guards who threw the boys inside. As the king looked inside, he saw a fourth figure with the boys, and he saw the boys were no longer bound. Ultimately, the three boys emerged from the furnace unharmed.

Many presume that fourth figure in the furnace was an angel. It could have been, but I believe it was Jesus - years before He was ever born in the manger. The reason I believe the figure was Jesus is because the king was converted to a faith in our holy God because of the experience.

I won't unpack this whole story for you, but look closely: These boys were consistent in their love of the Lord, and they stood for the things of the Lord. Their faith was not altered by the hole because they knew the Lord was in the hole with them. The hole was not prevented, but the Lord was in the hole with them.

In the first chapter of Joshua, over and over, God says to the people, "Don't be afraid. I am with you, always." The next time you feel a panic coming, open Joshua 1 and read it. Don't be afraid. Jesus' last words to His disciples, knowing they would all be martyred (John survived poisoning and was exiled), Jesus said, (I know you are going to find yourselves in holes as you carry the gospel), but I am with you until the end of the age (forever)." That message is for us today, too.

At one point in my life, I was unemployed. I was in a hole. The Lord called me to spend my idle time - waiting on interview callbacks - visiting people in the hospital. And, so I went to the church, got the hospital list, and went to visit those who were sick. I didn't know the right words to say, but I quickly found my "being there" was welcome ministry. Ministry is a great way to get out of a hole. During those visits, I had opportunity to sit - day by day - with a man whose daughter was dying with cancer. She was in the final stages. This was a strong family of faith, and she was a believer. I sat with this daddy every day until she died. I will never, ever forget the peace of that hospital room, and the peace this man enjoyed. He knew that Jesus was in that room. He knew the presence of the Holy Spirit was calming and I dare say glorious even in the face of a dying girl's groans. I will never get over that "knowing" that Jesus is in the hole with us, and that Jesus trumps death. I understood - in my own unemployment - that Jesus was in the hole with me, too.

Two more things: Jesus understands that we are afraid. It's okay. Just remember this from 1 John 4:18, "My perfect love will banish fear from your heart." Turn to Jesus in the hole. Pray.And, Jesus hears our prayers. 1 John 5:14: "And, we can be confident that He will listen to us.” For those who know Jesus, God is listening when we speak to Him, asking Him to make our lives right according to His will for us. 

I believe that most people, even most Jesus followers, never pray. My own prayer life isn't what it should be. Most people don't know how to pray. Most people are embarrassed to pray, believing it is a sign of weakness. Heck, I've even had people tell me not to pray for them because they saw it as a sign of charity. Pray, people. Pray. My most peaceful time with God comes when I say nothing out loud. I just kneel in front of the sofa, put my head in my hands on the sofa, and just focus on the Lord. As people come to my mind, I pray for them. I thank God for sending His son to die for me. I thank God for crossing my life with people who help me grow in faith. Sometimes, I cry out for God to help me out of a hole. There are no perfect prayers, and it's ridiculous to believe that we must seek out a "professional prayer warrior" to pray for us. I get nervous when I hear people, in the context of prayer, talking more about human intercessors than they do about Jesus. Brennan Manning wrote The Ragamuffin Gospel. I am reading it; you should read it, too. In it, Manning writes that God sees our prayers like a parent sees a toddler's coloring book. The toddler doesn't understand the colors.The toddler can't color within the lines. The result is a sloppy scribbling on a piece of paper. But, every parent looks at it and sees it as a Picasso. It's beautiful and it goes on the refrigerator. That's how the Lord sees our prayers. No matter how sloppy they are, God delights in the fact that we are praying. So, pray from the hole.

The size of the hole doesn't matter.

A friend of mine sent me a recent e-mail from within a hole.

I was so thankful that he took time to send it, honoring me with the opportunity to encourage him.

But, like so many of these cries from the hole, he wrote, "I know people are struggling with things that are a  lot worse than this." I told him, the power of God to be all to all and at all times is beyond our feeble attempt to even understand the word "power." God sees a person He loves, and He sees that person crying out from a hole. He focuses on the person; not the hole.

In Psalm 5:22, we read:  “Give your burdens to the LORD, and he will take care of you. He will not permit the godly to slip and fall.” There is not a heavenly pecking order when it comes to holes. Psalm 139:12: "Even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.”

If you believe that God doesn't care when your car won't start and you don't have the money to fix it, you are not in worship of a God who can hang each star and call it by name. If you believe that God doesn't care when you are sad because the children are growing up and moving on, then I call that blasphemy. It's an insult to God. If you have a faith in Jesus as the Lord and Savior of your life, your burdens - great and small and even tiny - burden the God who loves you enough to send His son to die for you.

The size of the hole does not matter to God.

Tell others when you are in a hole.

We hate charity, don't we? Why? Because in our "stand on your on two feet" culture of personal supremacy, we have relegated charity to be synonymous with government welfare. Charity is a spirit of generosity and helpfulness. Believers have an obligation to be involved in charity as providers and as grateful recipients. I believe a person demonstrates their faith in Jesus by their approach to charity - coming and going. Jesus' death and resurrection was charity. How can we follow Jesus, and not be deep in charitable lifestyle - receiving and providing?

In 1 Peter 5:9, we read, “Stand firm in faith, because you know the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of suffering.” As believers, you and I join a universal family of faith, regardless of the sign outside the church building. We are part of a local church family, and many of us are a part of small groups of faith friends.

At the depth of one of my darkest holes, God sent a voice - spoken through the mouth of a family friend - who said, "Scott, your biggest mistake in this hole was not turning to your family and friends, who love you. As soon as you feel the ground shifting, reach out to those who love you.” Those words were a mile-marker in my faith life.

But, wait a minute. If I start telling people about my hole, they will start whispering about me. They might start raising money, and that will be embarrass me. They might start bringing chicken casseroles. They will take my pain and make it public knowledge. Some will try to fix my life. Some might say I deserve what I get. If you start feeling or thinking this way, well, you are hearing the voice of Satan, who wants you to stay in that hole with all its darkness and all its fear. You and I were not meant, as Jesus followers, to live private lives of pain. We have an army of fellow hole-dwellers standing with us. God says turn to the army of faith.

I was visiting a church recently, and sat on the periphery of a staff meeting. The pastor announced that one of the staff members was resigning. Her life had been in a hole for a long time, and she made the decision to leave the staff. There was obvious pain in the room, and there was no turning back from her decision. Clearly, around the room, there was concern for the hurting person. But, there was also pain at being robbed of the opportunity to love and serve this person before her climactic decision to leave.

It is sinful to be in a hole and selfishly rob others of the opportunity to exercise their faith - their charity - and to see how God will work in it. You can hide behind all the veils of privacy that you want, and initially some privacy with the Lord may be needed, but ultimately, I believe the Lord is going to say, "turn to your family of faith with this." Hole-dwelling can be very selfish and sinful. Don't be that way.

When you are not in a hole, help provide a ladder for those in the holes.

In those times when we are not in a hole, the last thing we want to do is think about the holes. Right? We stand on good ground, we breathe deep and we try to stay away from holes. We don't visit hospitals, prisons and nursing homes because they remind us of the dark places - the holes. And, we don't want to think about them. We don't want someone else's life to rub off on us. What if they pull us into the hole with them? We just want to rest and enjoy life outside the hole rather than looking down in holes.

Well, it's this selfish and sinful attitude that causes those in the hole to distrust us. Our inability to help people out of holes is why so many people get comfortable in holes and don't tell anyone. They don't want to be failed by those who claim to love Jesus. Is there a more sad statement than that? Not for me.

In 1 John 4:7, we read, "Dear friends, let us continue to love one another, for love comes from God. Anyone who loves is a child of God and knows God.” We have to love one another. Believers must always carry ladders with them so we can help people out of holes.

I was able to exercise my faith last week, and received such a blessing from it. A friend of mine from high school was recently transferred to Texas. In this economy, it was one of those "move or lose it" corporate decisions, and so she moved. This separates her from beloved family. She's in a hole. I noticed her painful cry through Facebook. She wrote, "I'm having a difficult time adjusting to (Texas) and being without my husband and best friend, and my family. Keep me in your prayers that I will settle (calm) down and I will find a good church here for my Sundays away from my home church."

The Holy Spirit nudged me to contact a ministry counterpart (a wife, mom and grandmother much like my Georgia friend) in Texas, and my Texas friend reached out to my Georgia friend. They made a connection. Who wins in that? We all do. My Georgia friend, a believer, cried out, "I'm in a hole!" The Spirit moved me to bring a ladder. My Texas friend jumped in to help with the ladder. All of us were blessed with the reminder that God is larger than all the holes we face. 

Are you in a hole today?

Do you feel all alone in the hole?

Does God seem a long ways away? Do you know He cares? 

Do you know Jesus as your Savior from sin, and as the comfort – the cool water – while in the hole?

Do you feel Jesus there with you in the hole?

Do you have other believers around you, loving you? Are you confiding in them?

Are you experiencing the undefinable joy of blessing someone else’s life?

Are you walking in tandem with our Savior?

Excuses - "They (the church) just want my money."

If you and I talk to enough people about church, we will soon hear the excuse, “They are just after my money.” The best way for me to combat this excuse is (a) live with my own Biblical approach to money, (b) talk about changed lives through the church, which requires money for mission and ministry, and (c) help people have a Biblical understanding of money. When people criticize giving to the church they often focus on the bureaucracy of organization, but we must focus them on the lives changed. Property requires money, but consider the lives changed through the rooms and corridors of our church. Missions and ministry require money, but consider the lives changed through Vacation Bible School, mission trips, and small groups. Gatherings require money, but consider the lives changed through worship and fellowship and Bible teaching. Yes, money is necessary for the work of the church, but the work of the church is to love and serve people toward being followers of Jesus.

For the first 30 years of my life, I loved money. I hit my young-adult stride in the spend-spend-spend 1980s. I loved the Lord, but I loved money more. I would not have admitted that fact, then, but my actions and words and emotions told the true story. I thought more about money than I thought about the Lord. Each week, I spent 2-3 hours at my church, but I spent 10x that energy thinking about and worrying over money. I was always looking for ways to make money. Most of my pursuit of money fell to two categories: (1) To fuel what I wanted (not needed) for myself and family; and (2) To keep up with other people (who didn’t really care anything about me). Satan used that worldly intoxication to put me on a roller coaster of highs and lows, always wanting, always reaching, and always wasting. It almost destroyed me and my family. In fact, were it not for the saving grace of Jesus and a complete surrender of my life to Him – it would have destroyed me. The past 22 years have been much simpler, and much more peaceful.

The then and now is why I can write so assuredly about faith and money.

Here are five things you should know:
1. Followers of Jesus don’t see money the way the world sees money.
The world – with Satan’s direct influence – sees money as a means to gather up and influence for the good of self. I watch people. Someone will go on a trip – it’s not long before their friends are going on the same trip only a little better. Someone will improve their yard – it’s not long before their friends are improving the yard. Someone buys a car – it’s not long before their friends are trading cars. Someone pays for their child to do this – it’s not long before friends are paying for their children to do the same. And, back and forth they go like rats in Satan’s wheel. Followers of Jesus see money as a tool to improve the lives of others, building relationships with others through which they (we) can talk about Jesus. The side of the ledger on which you and I fall - spending on self or spending on others -  is a barometer of our faith life. Look in the mirror. Talk to your spouse or close friends. Where are you with money – self or others? Do your actions reflect a believer or an unbeliever? There’s not a lot of gray. Because . . .

2. Followers of Jesus understand that everything belongs to God, including all of our money. That money you have? It’s not yours. It belongs to the Lord – every nickel and every dime. And, it’s not the IRS to whom you and I will account – it’s our Lord to whom we will account for our management of His money. Many alleged believers will nod their head at understanding this, but when it’s time to open the wallet they go brain dead. What? Suddenly, we cling to the wallet and hear Satan’s whisper, “They don’t deserve it. You need it. If you help them, you can’t do this or that for your own children.” Psalm 24:1 reminds us that “the Earth is the Lord’s and everything in it.” Wealth belongs to me and you – just like a child’s bedroom belongs to him. We have it to use, but it doesn’t belong to us.

3. Other than the Kingdom of Heaven, Jesus spoke about money more than any other subject, and 11 of 39 parables involve money or commerce. Jesus knows that good and evil turn on the coin. Satan wins through our attitudes, worries and celebrations of how we use our money.
In Mark 12:17, Jesus looks at a coin, sees Caesar’s head on it, and says, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s.” Look at your life. Whose image is on your life? If my life bears the image of Jesus, my life belongs to Jesus. Unconditionally. Even today, all the money in my wallet bears the faces of government leaders and government monuments. Whose image is on my life? Have I confessed Jesus as my Savior? If so, have I turned from all the world calls important – including money – to follow Jesus, to trust Him, to trust that all things work to the glory of God, and to trust that He is greater than money – that He will provide for everything that I need according to His plan for me? Jesus says those who cling to and worship money – and over-focus on money – can’t possibly worship Him. That’s why he praises the poor woman in Luke 21-1-4 “For they (those who focus on small percentages of giving, but hoard the rest for self) have given a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.” And, it’s why he condemns the money-worshippers in Luke 8:13 – “No one can serve two masters. For you will hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Note: You have to fully engage Nos. 1 and 2, above, and embracing this one comes much easier. If I have a believer’s approach to money, I can cheerfully be ready to give away all that I have.

4. If God owns everything, and I am simply His steward, what does God want me to do with His money? Like many of you, who perhaps grew up in church, my mama would give me a little offering envelope each Sunday. And, she would give me a quarter to put in the envelope. She would say, “This is money for Jesus.” The Bible lays out several uses for money, including investing and providing for family and staying out of debt and more. But, everything is toward a goal of turning our money back into people. Even giving to the church is seeding our money into lives changed for Jesus. And, the more sacrificial the more we model God’s gift to us – His son Jesus. What are you and I doing without this year – giving that away to others in need? And, especially to those we don’t even know. Each of us, I believe, will give an account to the Lord for how we managed His stuff on Earth. (Revelation 20:12 – And the dead were judged according to the things written in the books, according to what they had done.) Friends, a person’s deeds and actions, especially with regard to Biblical generosity, are clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with Jesus. Good works don’t get you in that eternal relationship, but they are a sign of the relationship’s existence.

5. As the church is a fellowship of believers, we can often do more with God’s money – together – than we can individually. And, while Scripture is clear that you and I have a personal responsibility to plow our money into others beyond church, it is clear that we have a responsibility to ALSO pool our money for greater impact. In Acts 2:44: “And all the believers met together constantly, and shared everything they had. They sold their possessions and shared the proceeds with those in need. . . . And, each day the Lord added to their group those who were being saved.” Paul constantly writes about believers, through churches, supporting one another.

To the Kingdom of God, through the church and through your own private conviction by the Holy Spirit, you should be prepared to sell and give away everything that you have. Everything. Be prepared to give everything to the Lord. I came into this world naked, and from the first diaper everything was a gift from the Lord. Nothing is really mine.

Here’s my guide for giving:
“You must each decide in your own heart how much to give. And, don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. And, God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others. As the Scriptures say, ‘They share freely and give generously to the poor. Their good deeds will be remembered forever.’ For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you. Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God. So two good things will result from this ministry of giving – the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.” (2 Corinthians 9:7-12).

What people need to know:
1. All our money belongs to God. Believers separate themselves from “it belongs to me” to “it belongs to God.”
2. As God sacrificed His son, Jesus, for us – we are to sacrifice what we have for others – especially those who have nothing.
3. We are to give generously because it’s not ours in the first place, and we should delight in giving away to those whom the Lord loves.
4. And, we can do more for the Kingdom together than we can do individually. Church giving, in additional to personal giving, is very important.

We will deflate the excuse that “the church is after my money” when we begin talking about lives changed, ministry empowered, love shared, and sanctuary found through being arm-in-arm with one another and having a Godly perspective of money.