So what prompted me to do this? How did the idea originate? In the 5th grade Sunday School class I teach, there are a series of books called, Heroes of the Faith. I figured if they were there for my kids to read, I should know what they say, so I borrowed one: a biography of a man named George Muller. This book profoundly changed my life.
George started out as a young man, a gambler, drinker, in and out of jail who found a relationship with Jesus Christ that turned his life completely around. Reader's Digest condensed version is that in his lifetime George started seven orphanages from scratch, established 117 schools and cared for 1,024 orphans in his lifetime - all while being disinherited from his father's fortune and without asking for or borrowing one penny. George depended on God directly to meet his every need.
There was one story in the book that greatly impacted me. One day the headmistress of one of George's orphanages called him and said, "The day has finally arrived. We have 300 children seated for breakfast and I have nothing to put on their plates." George called to his grand-daughter, "Come and see what God is going to do". He walked in to the cafeteria and instructed the children to bow their heads over their empty plates to bless the food. He prayed, "God we thank you for this food that we are about to eat and for always providing for us." Before he said "Amen", there was a knock at the door. It was the town's baker. He said the Lord prompted him to get up in the middle of the night and start baking. He had enough loaves of warm, fresh bread right out of the oven to feed all the children. Before all the bread was distributed, there was another knock on the door and there stood a milkman whose cart had broken down right in front of the orphanage and the man had to give away the milk before it could spoil. Could they use it?
I started to think, Why don't we see things like this today? And I realized that we don't see God meeting our needs by and large because we aren't in need. We are self-sufficient. We have jobs, savings accounts, credit cards, friends and family to borrow from, cash/title loan places, etc. We go everywhere but to God. And we includes me.
That's when God started speaking to me about having the kind of faith George had. "Come see what God is going to do". Such bold words. Such faith. And He gave me the idea of The Experiment. It's my way of saying to all who will read it, "Come see what God is going to do".
As days went by, I became more and more convinced that this wasn't just a hare-brained idea, but something God was truly calling me to. But I wasn't sure where to start or how to get the word out. I went to my Pastor for advice. Scott Richards is one of the wisest men with a sincere passion for God that I have ever met and I value his opinion. He sat and quietly listened while I poured out what was on my heart one Sunday morning before service. When I finished, he endorsed my project, but with some words of advice that I am so thankful for.
This can be a great tool in God's hands, he said, but I'd caution against a few things: it's so easy for what starts as a calling from God to become a work of the flesh. He told me to keep my eyes on Jesus. It has to be about Him and what He's doing and not about me and what I'm doing. I need to give God the flexibility to change direction even if I think I have how it's to work all mapped out. I need to be led by the Spirit or it's never going to work. He reminded me that God isn't calling everyone to this right now, so be careful I don't get haughty and start judging people or start comparing myself to others. Finally he said, make it sure it's a "get to, not a got-to". This is something I get to do to draw closer to the Lord, see Him move in my life, and point others to Him. It's not something I've got to do because I committed and people are watching. Once it becomes that, it's a work of the flesh, and I've failed my experiment.
So, armed with my inspiration and my Godly advice, I believe I am ready to embark on the biggest adventure of my life. I'm excited to see what God is going to do. I'm a little bit scared that I might let Him down along the way. But I know His grace is sufficient for me. So here I go....
George started out as a young man, a gambler, drinker, in and out of jail who found a relationship with Jesus Christ that turned his life completely around. Reader's Digest condensed version is that in his lifetime George started seven orphanages from scratch, established 117 schools and cared for 1,024 orphans in his lifetime - all while being disinherited from his father's fortune and without asking for or borrowing one penny. George depended on God directly to meet his every need.
There was one story in the book that greatly impacted me. One day the headmistress of one of George's orphanages called him and said, "The day has finally arrived. We have 300 children seated for breakfast and I have nothing to put on their plates." George called to his grand-daughter, "Come and see what God is going to do". He walked in to the cafeteria and instructed the children to bow their heads over their empty plates to bless the food. He prayed, "God we thank you for this food that we are about to eat and for always providing for us." Before he said "Amen", there was a knock at the door. It was the town's baker. He said the Lord prompted him to get up in the middle of the night and start baking. He had enough loaves of warm, fresh bread right out of the oven to feed all the children. Before all the bread was distributed, there was another knock on the door and there stood a milkman whose cart had broken down right in front of the orphanage and the man had to give away the milk before it could spoil. Could they use it?
I started to think, Why don't we see things like this today? And I realized that we don't see God meeting our needs by and large because we aren't in need. We are self-sufficient. We have jobs, savings accounts, credit cards, friends and family to borrow from, cash/title loan places, etc. We go everywhere but to God. And we includes me.
That's when God started speaking to me about having the kind of faith George had. "Come see what God is going to do". Such bold words. Such faith. And He gave me the idea of The Experiment. It's my way of saying to all who will read it, "Come see what God is going to do".
As days went by, I became more and more convinced that this wasn't just a hare-brained idea, but something God was truly calling me to. But I wasn't sure where to start or how to get the word out. I went to my Pastor for advice. Scott Richards is one of the wisest men with a sincere passion for God that I have ever met and I value his opinion. He sat and quietly listened while I poured out what was on my heart one Sunday morning before service. When I finished, he endorsed my project, but with some words of advice that I am so thankful for.
This can be a great tool in God's hands, he said, but I'd caution against a few things: it's so easy for what starts as a calling from God to become a work of the flesh. He told me to keep my eyes on Jesus. It has to be about Him and what He's doing and not about me and what I'm doing. I need to give God the flexibility to change direction even if I think I have how it's to work all mapped out. I need to be led by the Spirit or it's never going to work. He reminded me that God isn't calling everyone to this right now, so be careful I don't get haughty and start judging people or start comparing myself to others. Finally he said, make it sure it's a "get to, not a got-to". This is something I get to do to draw closer to the Lord, see Him move in my life, and point others to Him. It's not something I've got to do because I committed and people are watching. Once it becomes that, it's a work of the flesh, and I've failed my experiment.
So, armed with my inspiration and my Godly advice, I believe I am ready to embark on the biggest adventure of my life. I'm excited to see what God is going to do. I'm a little bit scared that I might let Him down along the way. But I know His grace is sufficient for me. So here I go....
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