Telling Our Stories III
When Chris and I were married August 18, 1974, I am sure that our parents were very concerned for us. We were young. I was at Baylor, and we did not have too much money. We had to put off having children, until I was finished with school, and until we could afford them. However, God was faithful in so many ways to see us through. Let me give you just a few examples.
Our first apartment was an older house with four apartments. It was fully furnished, and the landlord rented it to us for just $65/ month, even though he knew similar places were going for twice that much. Of course, I was blessed because my parents paid for my tuition and books all of the way through seminary, but God provided for Chris and I to pay for everything else. The first year of our marriage He did that with me making $45/ week plus $1,000 given to us by Chris' grandmother. She gave it with the condition that Chris would not work the first year, so we would have more time together. Therefore, we paid cash for everything, no credit cards, and we were able to buy Christmas presents and everything on less than $3,600 of income. Most people don't believe us, but we paid $10/week for groceries, and I got fatter than I was to start with.
I graduated from Baylor in three years, and we moved to the house in Aquilla. It was $40/month, but it was not very nice. We called it the "shack." However, God provided a much better house in six months, and it was $25/month rent, and we bought furniture and things from the owner worth $300, so we paid that off in 2 years by paying $15 extra a month. It was still $40/month. We still have some of that furniture to this day, too. When I heard that the seminary had a $300/semester scholarship for pastors of small churches, I filled out the application. When the lady looked it over, she told me that no one could live on that little money. I assured her my figures were correct, and I received that extra money.
When I was about to graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, we started praying about having children. My insurance only paid $300 for baby expenses, so I thought we needed at least $1,000 in savings before we tried to have a baby. We prayed about it, and I do not know how it happened, but soon God had allowed us to save that money, and it was in the bank. Also, I was able to get a job with the city of Whitney, Texas in the summer breaks while I was at the seminary. I was a city boy in the country, but God gave me a job supervising teenagers, who were paid by a special government grant. The boss did not want to do that, so he hired me. I fixed water pipes and sewer pipes. I painted the parking space lines. I read water meters. Soon, we had saved enough for a freezer, too. Chris had already been hired at the hospital to do insurance claims. When she was hired, we knew no one in town, and that is why they hired her. They did not want someone who would spread gossip about the bills at the hospital. She worked until December before Lori was born in March. Since then God has provided, so that she has not had to go back to work.
God is such a wonderful provider! We always tithed, and we tried to give to missions from the beginning. I have found God's Word to be true. He will bless us, when we are faithful to be good stewards of what He gives us to manage. He has proven that over and over through the years.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 28 and Mark 1-2.
Our first apartment was an older house with four apartments. It was fully furnished, and the landlord rented it to us for just $65/ month, even though he knew similar places were going for twice that much. Of course, I was blessed because my parents paid for my tuition and books all of the way through seminary, but God provided for Chris and I to pay for everything else. The first year of our marriage He did that with me making $45/ week plus $1,000 given to us by Chris' grandmother. She gave it with the condition that Chris would not work the first year, so we would have more time together. Therefore, we paid cash for everything, no credit cards, and we were able to buy Christmas presents and everything on less than $3,600 of income. Most people don't believe us, but we paid $10/week for groceries, and I got fatter than I was to start with.
I graduated from Baylor in three years, and we moved to the house in Aquilla. It was $40/month, but it was not very nice. We called it the "shack." However, God provided a much better house in six months, and it was $25/month rent, and we bought furniture and things from the owner worth $300, so we paid that off in 2 years by paying $15 extra a month. It was still $40/month. We still have some of that furniture to this day, too. When I heard that the seminary had a $300/semester scholarship for pastors of small churches, I filled out the application. When the lady looked it over, she told me that no one could live on that little money. I assured her my figures were correct, and I received that extra money.
When I was about to graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, we started praying about having children. My insurance only paid $300 for baby expenses, so I thought we needed at least $1,000 in savings before we tried to have a baby. We prayed about it, and I do not know how it happened, but soon God had allowed us to save that money, and it was in the bank. Also, I was able to get a job with the city of Whitney, Texas in the summer breaks while I was at the seminary. I was a city boy in the country, but God gave me a job supervising teenagers, who were paid by a special government grant. The boss did not want to do that, so he hired me. I fixed water pipes and sewer pipes. I painted the parking space lines. I read water meters. Soon, we had saved enough for a freezer, too. Chris had already been hired at the hospital to do insurance claims. When she was hired, we knew no one in town, and that is why they hired her. They did not want someone who would spread gossip about the bills at the hospital. She worked until December before Lori was born in March. Since then God has provided, so that she has not had to go back to work.
God is such a wonderful provider! We always tithed, and we tried to give to missions from the beginning. I have found God's Word to be true. He will bless us, when we are faithful to be good stewards of what He gives us to manage. He has proven that over and over through the years.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Matthew 28 and Mark 1-2.