Day 1 – A single mom’s grocery money
Nancy was a single
mother with young children. Her ex-husband sent her only a small
amount of grocery money every week--so small it couldn’t even feed 1
person, much less her family of 4. But Nancy decided to begin giving
to God from her little bit of grocery money and trust Him to
provide. Shortly after, she got a job with a cookbook company. The
company paid Nancy to go grocery shopping and prepare meals so they
could take photographs for their cookbooks. When they were done
taking pictures, Nancy could keep the food she had purchased and
prepared. Isn’t that an amazing story of God’s goodness? Nancy
learned that even if you’re poor, you still need to learn to give
from whatever you have.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 2 - African man saves children going blind
While
ministering in Africa, I met a Christian worker who raised his 6
children on $10 a month. He told me the story of how children in his
village were going blind because of a disease that could be
prevented with medicine that only cost 50 cents. He began to pray
and ask God to send a rich person to their village to help give the
money for the medicine, but no one ever came. As he kept praying,
the Lord told him he should give the money to buy the
medicine. But with 6 children and only a $10 a month salary, he
couldn’t see how he could do this. But he and his family prayed and
decided that every month they would buy the medicine to help one
child. When I last spoke with him, he'd been doing this for 7 years
and had saved 84 children from going blind. And his family saw God
meet all of their needs.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 3 – NBC TV reporter asks, “Does God want
you rich?”
After
my 40-Day Spiritual
Journey to a More Generous Life book became an unexpected
bestseller, I was contacted by NBC to do a TV news story. When the
TV reporter interviewed me, she asked, “So, you think God wants
everyone rich?” I said, “No, I don’t believe that.” She was a little
surprised by my answer and then asked, “Well, what do you believe?”
I responded, “I believe that everyone needs to learn to become more
generous with whatever God has given them.” She then asked, “Well,
didn’t your book becoming a bestseller make you rich?” I replied,
“No, it helped me become more generous!” The truth is--every one of
us in America is rich when you compare us to the rest of the world.
What each of us needs to learn is how to become more generous with
whatever God entrusts to us.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 4 - A middle-class family becomes
millionaire givers
Steve
owned a small business and had an annual salary of $50,000. He went
to a conference where Dr. Bill Bright challenged people to give a
million dollars to the LORD’s work. Steve told Dr. Bright it would
be impossible for his family to give a million dollars. Dr. Bright
asked, “How much money did you make last year, and how much did you
give?” Steve said, “My salary is $50,000 and we gave $15,000.” Dr.
Bright said, “Next year, trust God to help you give $50,000.” But
Steve said, “That’s my entire salary!” Dr. Bright said, “Trust God
and see how He provides.” With God’s help, Steve’s business did well
and his family joyfully gave $50,000. The following year, God helped
them give $100,000. Each year, his family lived on his $50,000
salary and gave all their extra income to the LORD’s work. Within
several years, they gave over a million dollars!
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 5 - Young girls helps buy multimillion
dollar camp for $1.00
I heard
a missionary tell an amazing story of a child’s generosity. John
Bechtel, a missionary in Hong Kong, wanted to start a Christian camp
to reach people for Christ. A bankrupt multimillion-dollar hotel and
conference center became available for sale. He made an offer to
purchase the property and then traveled around the world to raise
the millions he would need. But no one was willing to help and he
returned to Hong Kong discouraged. Then one day he got a letter from
a young girl that included $1 and a note saying she wanted him to
use this to buy the camp. John Bechtel prayed and took the girl’s $1
to the real estate closing and the corporation decided to accept the
$1 as full payment! Since the camp first opened, over a million
people have come and over 100,000 have accepted Christ.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 6 - Managing God's supply line for over 40
years
In the
1950’s, Ressa and Al took $5,000 out of their savings and gave it to
a pastor who wanted to start a Christian camp. The pastor ultimately
left his church so he could direct the camp ministry full-time. For
the next 40 years, Ressa and Al sent money to the camp every month.
The first year, only 19 children attended the camp, but now
thousands come to the camp every year. While the camp director was
on the the front lines, Ressa and Al helped man the supply line with
their monthly gifts. 1 Samuel 30:24 says those who stay with the
supplies will share equally with those in the battle. In heaven,
Ressa and Al will get to meet thousands of people they helped lead
to Christ through their faithful and generous giving that helped
start and sustain that camp for many years.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 7 - A Communist learns God is the Owner
and Provider
A
number of years ago, I was teaching a seminar on what the Bible
teaches about finances to Christians in Eastern Europe. After the
seminar, one of the people came and told me how much the teaching
helped everyone. He said during the 70 years communism was in their
country, people were told the Communist government owned everything
and the government would provide for everyone. He went on to say
that communism fell, and people came from America and said that
capitalism was the way to go--where people own everything and they
have to provide for themselves. He then said, today I learned the
best news of all. God is the owner of everything and He is our
provider. He learned people must be faithful and generous with
whatever God gives them.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 8 – Firewood for a church in Bulgaria
Years
ago, I was teaching a seminar in Europe on generosity. Nik, from
Bulgaria, said he learned for the first time that everyone is to
give to God from whatever they have. When he got home, a church
group called him and asked if he knew any rich people who could give
money to their church to buy firewood to keep their church building
warm. Nik asked if they had enough wood to keep their own houses
warm and they said, “Yes.” He told them that if God had blessed them
with firewood, they should bring some of the wood to the church.
They said, “No, that’s our wood.” Nik continued, “God has already
blessed you with the wood you need for your church and your homes.
But you need to learn to faithfully give from whatever God has given
you!” Within a few weeks, the church received a winter’s supply of
wood from all the church members!
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 9 – Trusting God with a $20 bill
I
became a Christian while in college and began to attend church with
my Christian friend who helped lead me to the Lord. One Sunday
morning, during the offering, I looked in my wallet and was shocked
to discover I only had some $20 bills. Before I was a Christian, I'd
maybe put in a few coins or a dollar in the plate, but to give a $20
bill felt like an impossible task. But then I thought, If I don’t
put something in the plate, my friend will probably think I really
didn’t become a Christian. And, I actually thought, I wonder
if I could put $20 in the plate and take out change! I then
sensed the Lord speaking to my heart to trust Him, and give one of
the $20 bills. If I had trusted Him to forgive my sins, couldn’t I
also trust Him with my finances? I decided I could trust Him and I
put $20 in the plate that day.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 10 – Count your blessings every week
When my
wife and I were first married, we only made $15,000 a year. We were
giving 10% of our income to the LORD’s work, but we had a desire to
be even more generous. Then I came across 1 Corinthians 16:2 that
says, “On the first day of the week, each of us is to give according
to how God has prospered us.” I told Sandi that on Sunday nights I
wanted to take out a pencil and paper and write down all the ways
the LORD provided for us during the week. Each Sunday, we discovered
that in addition to our small income, there would be special
financial blessings that happened nearly every week. So, we'd give
10% of our income to our church and another 10% of the financial
blessings we counted to share with others. The first year, we gave
$4,000 to the LORD’s work on a $15,000 income.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 11 – Tithing story from an 89 year old
widow
A
friend e-mailed about his 89-year-old mother. She had called him on
the phone to confess she hadn't been tithing because she was on a
fixed income--but she'd decided that she was going to start
faithfully tithing again. Within a few days, she got a call from her
pastor asking her to go on a church prayer retreat with all the
expenses paid by the church. The next day, she went to her bank to
get some money and the bank teller told her, “Don’t withdraw any
money, since your 90th birthday is coming up, our bank is going to
give you a present of $100 in cash!" The following day, she got a
letter from a community group to let her know she had been chosen to
receive a $500 grant to help pay her utility bills. After she began
tithing again, she was amazed at the unexpected provisions she
received from the LORD.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 12 – The Cinderella winter boots
When I
was in my 20s, I quit my executive job and joined the missionary
staff of a Christian camp in northern Wisconsin. My salary was
decreased by 90% but I had great joy in serving the LORD. When
winter hit and the snow started to accumulate, I realized I only had
city shoes and no warm boots. One morning, I prayed and asked God to
send me money so I could buy winter boots. When I checked my mail, I
received 3 letters from friends but there was no money in the
envelopes. I was a bit discouraged; but then my friend, Larry, came
into the camp office carrying a pair of boots and he wondered if
anyone needed some warm boots. I told him I did and when I tried
them on, I felt like Cinderella because they were my exact size!
That day, I learned that God’s provisions were bigger than money.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 13 – God’s provisions of a house and food
When I was
in my 20s, I moved to another city to take a new job. After I was
told my salary, I sat down and wrote up a budget. First, I decided I
would give 10% of my gross income to the LORD. I then discovered I
could only afford $100 a month for rent and $55 a month for
groceries. That wasn’t much money, but I prayed and asked God to
lead me. That same day, someone invited me to their house for
dinner. It was a large home where 6 single Christian guys lived.
After dinner, they invited me to move in with them. I told them I
couldn’t afford it. They then told me the rent was $100 a month and
the shared grocery bill was $55 a month. I was blown away. I had
decided to honor the LORD with 10% of my new salary and then God
gave me a great place to live for exactly what I could afford. You,
too, can learn to honor God and see Him provide.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 14 – Tither’s support group
While
teaching a financial class in my church, I was sharing that people
need to learn to give 10% or more of their income to God. Bob raised
his hand and told me and the class, “I don’t agree with that--in
this day and age with the high prices of everything there's no way
that a Christian can afford to give to God first.” When I got home
that night, Bob phoned me and asked, “Brian, do you really believe a
Christian can afford to give to God first? I said, “Yes.” Bob said,
“I’m too scared to do that. The only way I would have the courage to
give to God first is if you started a Tither’s Support Group.” I
told Bob we'd start with a group of 2. “You and me?” he asked. “No,"
I said, "You and God!” Starting that week, Bob became a faithful
giver and he found out God was willing to be his faithful provider.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 15 – God knows Bob’s bus number
My
friend Bob first started giving 10% or more of his paycheck to God
when he was in his mid-30s. At first, he was scared to start doing
this, but as time went on he discovered how faithful God could be in
providing for his needs. One day he called me and told me the story
of when he was completely broke and couldn’t even afford to
purchase the bus pass he needed to get back and forth to work. As he
was sitting at his desk feeling sorry for himself, the phone rang
and a woman in another department asked Bob if he knew anyone that
needed a week’s bus pass for bus #47. Bob said, "That’s my bus #,
and yes, I need a bus pass!” He was amazed. Bob was learning to give
to God first when he got paid, and he was experiencing God as his
faithful provider. He told everyone that God even knew his bus #!
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 16 – Christian school refund check
When my
friend Bob first started giving 10% of his paychecks to the LORD, he
was really scared to do this. One Sunday, Bob came to church with
his check already written out. He saw me and said, “Brian, you
better start praying. By giving this check today, I have no idea how
my family is going to make it this week." I began praying and on
Thursday night Bob called to let me know how God provided. On
Wednesday, he got a letter from his children’s Christian school,
saying a recent audit showed that 3 years earlier he had overpaid
tuition by $138, and the refund check was enclosed. I jokingly told
Bob that this was truly a bona-fide answer-to-prayer financial
miracle since no Christian school in the history of the world had
ever sent any parents a refund check!
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 17 – Little girl yelling, “God, I want my
quarter back.”
At church one day,
my friends Tom and Jean were trying to get their 4-year-old
daughter, Amanda, to put a quarter in the offering plate. But Amanda
squeezed her fingers tightly around the quarter and would not let it
go. Much to the embarrassment of her parents and the snickers of
people around them, they finally had to carefully pry each of her
fingers off the quarter before it finally clinked into the offering
plate. Later that afternoon, Jean heard Amanda playing on the back
yard swing. Every time Amanda got as high as possible on the swing,
she'd yell at the top of her lungs, “God, I want my quarter back!
God, I want my quarter back!” Have you ever felt like Amanda? Do you
sometimes have a hard time giving to God? You, too, can become a
joyful giver without anyone having to pry your fingers off of what
you’re so tightly holding onto.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 18 – Psalm $67.07 blessing reaches to the
ends of the earth
One
morning, I was having my daily devotions and I came across Psalm
67:7 that says, “God blesses us that all the ends of the earth will
worship Him.” At work that day, I was given a small bonus. My first
thought was: How can I use this financial blessing to help
someone at the ends of the earth? That night in my small-group
meeting, I was talking with a young woman who was going on a mission
trip to a small island in the Philippines. That sure sounded like
the ends of the earth to me. So with Psalm 67:7 still on my mind, I
gave her $67.07 and told her when she got to her destination at the
ends of the earth, to find someone that really needed help and give
them the $67.07. A few weeks later, I got a letter from a young
Filipino man telling me he received the money and that it met a
great need in his life.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 19 –
Generosity devotional multiplies
like 5 loaves and
2 fishes
Do you
remember the little boy in the Bible who tried to give Jesus his
lunch to feed the 5,000, and the disciples thought it wasn’t enough?
When I first wrote the 40 Day Spiritual Journey to a More
Generous Life Bible devotional, I contacted seven Christian
publishers to see if any of them would want to publish it. They all
told me no one would ever want a generosity devotional. But my wife
and I still felt Jesus could use this devotional to bless thousands.
So, we took some inheritance money and printed the first 15,000
copies. Within 2 years, we had to print over 300,000 more copies to
keep up with the demand. We also got requests from around the world
to translate the book into 43 foreign languages. We feel just like
the little boy that gave Jesus his lunch and stood in amazement as
Jesus kept multiplying it to feed thousands.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 20 – Bank failures in Mongolia leads to
increased giving
One day
I received an e-mail from a pastor in Mongolia. The banks in his
country had failed, and people and churches were going through times
of tremendous financial turmoil. He asked if there was any way I
could help. I e-mailed him a version of my 40 Day Spiritual
Journey to a More Generous Life Bible devotional that takes
people through 400 Scripture verses and 40 biblical principles to
help them learn how to manage their finances and giving. They
translated the generosity devotional into Mongolian and gave a copy
to all 1,100 believers in their church to prayerfully read through
the devotional in their personal and family devotions for 40 days.
He wrote back a few months later; the book had been a help to
everyone and the church’s giving had increased nearly 60%.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 21 – Laptop computer given for Bhutan
Bible translation
The
Bible teaches we are to give from “whatever we have.” While
ministering in India, I found myself without any cash and no ATMs
within hundreds of miles. I met a Christian from Burma who for 10
years had been translating, by hand, the entire Bible into the
Bhutanese language. He had 66 school notebooks filled with all of
his translation work. But he now needed a computer so he could type
everything into the computer and have the Bible printed and
distributed all over Bhutan. I wanted to help him, but I didn’t have
any cash. The LORD then prompted my heart with the thought, “He
doesn’t need money, he needs a computer; give him the laptop
computer you have.” The next morning, I gave my laptop to this
Christian brother so he could finish his translation work. He left
rejoicing in God’s provision.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 22 – Disabled woman becomes a generous
giver
A
church in Kentucky began to teach an adult class using my 40 Day
Spiritual Journey to a More Generous Life Bible devotional. One
of the women attending the class was on disability, had never given
any money to the church, was always asking for financial help from
the church’s benevolence fund, and never served in any way. After
the class was done, the pastor wrote me and said that through the
40 Day Generous Life devotional, this woman came to the joyful
discovery that God wanted her to learn to become a generous and
giving person. The pastor said the very first check she gave to the
church after the class was over was for $2,800. She then began to
generously donate her time, giving rides to any shut-ins that wanted
to attend church. God transformed this woman from being a taker to
being a giver.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 23 – Emptying the checkbook the day before
a job interview
My
friend, Matthew, was let go from his job. As the months passed, his
family survived on unemployment checks and the last of their
savings. On the night before a big job interview, he was going
through his checkbook and realized he hadn't given to the LORD in a
number of months. Since he and his wife had learned to give at
least 10% of their income to the LORD, he calculated how much they
were behind in their giving and found out it was all the money they
had left in their checkbook. So, he wrote out a check to the LORD
for the full amount. When he told his wife what he did, she
screamed. But he reminded her, “God is our provider and this is
something we really need to do.” By God’s grace, he had a great
interview and was offered a better job than the one he lost.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 24 – A businessman’s #1 financial
priority
A number of years
ago, while serving at a Christian camp, I met Steve, who was part
owner in a family business. Steve was one of the most generous
people I'd ever met and he gave many large donations to the camp.
The family business went through some problems and Steve moved away
to another state to start a new company from scratch. I visited him
in his new offices and I knew his young company was struggling.
During our meeting, he made a commitment to give another generous
gift to the camp and I asked him, “Why?” He told me in his career
he'd made a lot of money and lost a lot of money, but the only thing
that remained constant was His giving to the LORD. Regardless of the
ups and downs of the economy and his business, his No. 1 financial
priority was to faithfully give to the LORD’s work.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 25 – God’s sword for fighting the dragon
of materialism
My friend Don was a
wealthy businessman and a very generous man. One day I asked Don,
“Why are you so generous to the LORD’s work?” He said, “It helps me
slay the dragon.” I asked, “What dragon?” He said, "In America the
dragon of materialism breathes down our necks everyday. The fiery
message from this dragon is that we cannot be content unless we keep
spending more and more money on the latest, greatest, newest, and
shiniest stuff." Don said, "The only way he knew how to fight this
dragon was to be a faithful and generous giver. Every time he took
out his pen to write out a check to the LORD's work, it was like
taking a sword and telling the dragon to back off. Don used his
giving to tell the dragon that he belonged to God and that
everything he had came from God.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 26 – Miracle story of God's provision for
a woman with a 35% car loan
I once knew a
single woman named, Jan, who was having serious financial problems.
One of her debts was a car loan with a 35% interest rate. She
began to take financial classes at our church to help get out of the
financial mess she was in. During the class she discovered the
importance of giving to God first whenever she got paid. Our
church was able to help her return the car to the loan company and
get her debt 100% cancelled. We were then able to find someone
in our church to freely donate to Jan a dependable used car.
She always referred to this car as "God's car" and she offered to go
and freely give rides to anyone who needed a ride to church.
She went from financial bondage to financial freedom and generosity.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 27 – African story: Jumping out of a tree
into a father’s arms
I was teaching in
Africa how the Bible tells us in Malachi 3:10 that God invites us to
“test Him” when it comes to giving tithes and offerings. Afterwards,
one of the men explained to me how African father’s teach their
children to trust them. When a child is around 3 years old, a father
will take the child and place him high up on a tree branch. He'll
then go below the tree branch and tell the child to jump. The child
is normally too scared to jump, but the father encourages him by
saying, daddy is big enough, strong enough, and daddy will catch
you. Finally, the child will push off from the tree branch and fall
safely into the father’s arms. My African friend said when God
invites us to give, he's encouraging us to push away from our
financial fears and learn that God is big enough to safely catch us.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 28 – Idea on a napkin turns into a
million-dollar donation
Friends of mine
decided to sell their beautiful $4-million-dollar vacation home. But
the house sat quietly on the market for 4 years. One day over lunch,
the man commented to his wife, “Maybe the reason God hasn’t allowed
the house to sell yet is that we don’t know what we'd do with all
the money if it did sell.” So, they wrote down on a napkin what
they'd do with the $4 million dollars if the house sold. First, they
wanted to give over a million dollars to the LORD’s work by helping
their church, widows and orphans, and missions. They also wanted to
build a retirement home and be of help to their children. The very
next day, they got a $4-million-dollar offer on the house! When the
check arrived, they followed through on their commitment to give
over a million dollars to the LORD.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 29 – Musical cars: 4 families blessed in
48 hours
One morning while I
was praying, I felt prompted by God to give my car away! In our
church, there was a single mother with 6 children and she was
driving a Suburban and couldn’t afford the monthly gas costs. The
station wagon I drove got great gas mileage, so I asked my wife what
she thought about giving this family my station wagon, and she liked
the idea. So, we ended up giving her our car in exchange for her
Suburban. We then gave away her Suburban to a Christian camp
missionary who needed a 4-wheel drive truck. We then purchased a car
from a friend who desperately needed to sell one of their cars to
generate some cash. This musical car exchange all happened within 48
hours from when I received a prompting from the LORD to give away my
car.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 30 – Getting God’s help out of a financial
mess
My friend George
and his wife didn’t think they could trust God when it came to their
giving and finances. So, they relied on their own financial wisdom
and within a few years found themselves in tens of thousands of
dollars in debt they couldn’t pay. They asked me to meet with them
to find a way out of the mess they had created. I shared with them,
“You've made such a mess of your finances that it is going to take
all the help of heaven to get you out of this mess.” I explained
that the only way I knew to heaven’s help in their finances was to
start giving at least 10% of their income to the LORD’s work
whenever they got paid. They agreed this was the right direction to
go and in the coming weeks, months, and years, the LORD helped them
get out of the financial mess they'd created for themselves.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 31 – The $44 donation and the $45 dentist
bill
My friend George
was tens of thousands of dollars in debt. I shared with George and
his wife that to experience God’s help in their finances they'd need
to learn to give at least 10% of their income to God’s work whenever
they got paid. The next time George got paid, he looked at his stack
of bills, looked at his checkbook, and then with a shaking hand
wrote his first check to the LORD’s work for $44. He called a few
days later and told me that his wife went to the dentist and the
receptionist commented that they had an outstanding bill of $45 but
that the dentist had made a decision to forgive this debt. George
and his wife were amazed at the creative way God had made up the
amount they had given as they began to trust Him with their
finances.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 32 – The miracle provision of a washer and
dryer
My friend George
was tens of thousands of dollars in debt. I shared with George and
his wife the importance of faithfully giving to God, not going
further into debt, and learning to pray about their needs. A few
weeks later, their washer and dryer broke on the same day and they
couldn’t afford to fix or replace them. So, instead of going further
into debt, they decided to pray about this need. A few days later,
George was helping his neighbor, who was moving out of state. After
they loaded the moving truck, they realized they'd forgotten the
washer and dryer. When they tried to load them in the truck, there
was no room. The neighbor then sold this 2-year-old washer and dryer
to George for $100! Through George’s faithful giving and prayers, he
learned that Jesus could be his Provider.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 33 – 8-year-old boy gets to go to camp
My office worker’s
grandson was visiting in the office one day. Little Isaiah was 8
years old and his parents were going through a difficult divorce.
Isaiah came up to my office to say hi and I asked him if he had
anything special he was going to get to do over his summer vacation.
He looked down at the floor and said, “No, we can’t afford to do
anything fun this summer.” The LORD prompted me in my heart to help
send him to a Christian camp for a week. “Isaiah,” I asked, “How
would you like it if I talked to your mom and helped send you to a
fun Christian camp this summer?” My heart was touched as his eyes
lit up with excitement as he said, “That would be awesome!” God
cares about hurting children and when we learn to give to help a
needy child, we get to please the heart of God.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 34 – Thousands of men holding up their
wallets
at Promise Keepers events
I had the privilege
of speaking to thousands of men at Promise Keepers events about
managing their finances God’s way, and learning to become faithful
and generous givers. Oftentimes, at PK events, speakers have men
stand up to dedicate themselves to God. But at the end of my
message, I have men take out their wallets and hold them up to God.
I would then lead them in the following prayer: “Heavenly Father,
all I have and all I ever will have comes from you and belongs to
you. LORD, please help me be a faithful manager and a generous giver
of all you entrust to me now and for the rest of my life. In Jesus’
name, Amen.” For most men, this was the first time they had ever
dedicated all they have and all they ever will have to God. Have you
done this?
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 35 – Truck manager donates 6 trucks to
camp
While working for a
Christian camp, I received an unusual phone call. The man on the
phone said, “You don’t know me, but I was wondering if your camp
could use 6 pickup trucks if my company donated them to you?” I told
him “we sure could,” but I was wondering why he thought of us. He
told me he was a Christian and his job was to manage his company’s
fleet of pickup trucks. Each truck was to be used for 3 years and
then new trucks would be purchased. He was told by his boss that he
could get rid of the old trucks any way he wanted. He said, “I know
that God has placed me in this position so I can be a blessing to
ministries that are reaching people for Christ.” Has God blessed you
with the control of any resources that could be given to reach
people for Christ?
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 36 – Birthday presents for Jesus at
Christmas
Every Christmas, my
family would read the Bible story about Jesus’ birth before our
children got to open their Christmas presents. We would always
remind them it was Jesus’ birthday we were celebrating. But last
year, we realized if it's Jesus’ birthday we're celebrating, why
aren’t we giving any gifts to Jesus? The Bible says when you give to
the least of these, you're giving to the LORD. So, this past
Christmas, we gave each of our children a specific amount of money,
which was worth far more than the Christmas presents they'd be
opening in a few minutes. We then gave them a list of needy people
and missionaries. Each of them had to then choose and tell everyone
how they were going to give the money they had as a Christmas
present to Jesus. Afterwards, we opened our gifts.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 37 – Worker on minimum wage donates $2,700
necklace
While our church
was going through a building fund drive to purchase a new building,
a young woman asked if she could talk with me after church. She told
me that she only made minimum wage but she really wanted to help
financially with the building fund project. She said she had an ugly
necklace she would never wear that was given to her when her wealthy
aunt died. She was wondering if we could take the necklace to help
with the building fund drive. I told her that we couldn’t use the
necklace, but she could sell the necklace and give the proceeds to
the building fund. Within a few weeks, she was able to sell the
necklace and she joyfully gave a $2,700 donation to the building
fund drive!
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 38 – Unexpected $500 sales bonus fulfills
a faith promise
Every year my
church invited people to make an annual faith promise to help
support missions. One year, I felt prompted to make a $750 faith
promise. When the year was almost over, I discovered I'd only given
$250 towards my $750 commitment. I was a salesman and I'd gone a
whole year without any sales! A few days before the last $500 was
due on my faith promise, my boss asked me to come to his office.
Since I hadn’t sold anything all year, I was sure I was going to get
fired. Instead, my boss gave me a $500 sales bonus check for all my
hard work and the cheerful attitude I always displayed. I was
amazed! I got a $500 sales bonus and I hadn’t had a sale in a year!
I drove to the church rejoicing as I took the $500 the LORD
miraculously provided so I could fulfill my faith promise.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 39 – Milk for a prisoner’s 6 children
One day I was
talking with Patrick at our church. He was one of 6 children being
raised by their mother while their father was serving a multi-year
prison sentence. Somehow the subject of milk came up in our
conversation. Patrick mentioned he loved milk but at their house he
and his 5 brothers and sisters didn’t get to have milk very often
because they couldn’t afford it. The LORD brought to my mind Matthew
10:42 that says whoever gives even a cup of water to a child, will
not lose his reward. I went home and talked with my wife and we
joyfully decided to purchase a year’s supply of milk that would be
delivered to their home every week so these 6 children could have
milk without their mother having to worry about the cost.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org
Day 40 – Factory worker’s $500 miracle bonus
Our 3-year-old
church had a chance to buy a $2-million-dollar building for only
$500,000 if we could come up with the money in 90 days. I told
everyone in the church to be watching for unexpected financial
provisions in their life during this 90-day period. A factory
worker, named Mike, told me he thought it was stupid for me to tell
people to look for unexpected monies so people could give generously
to the building project. But the next week, Mike’s factory foreman
called him into the office and gave Mike an envelope. Mike thought
it was a pink slip saying he was getting laid off or fired. But
instead, it was a $500 bonus for his good work. Mike couldn’t
believe it. He had never heard of anyone in his factory getting a
bonus before. Mike joyfully gave all $500 to the 90-day building
fund project.
BACK TO THE TOP
This is a true story in a series of radio spots by Brian
Kluth of
www.GiveWithJoy.org
and
www.kluth.org