Refresh: Just keep networking

"Good news refreshes the bones." - Proverbs 15:30b

This is part of an ongoing series called "Refresh" which highlight tales of God providing, especially in amazing, fun and unexpected ways. Details may be modified to protect privacy. May this tale help refresh your bones!

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I attended a really solid church while in college. I loved it! It was the kind you’re excited to bring lots of friends to. Lots of others felt the same way, so when I went into full-time ministry and began fundraising, I expected to meet a ton of eager supporters there!

However... without going into the details, no one in the church gave despite my very best efforts. (The church itself didn't give either.) It took me several months before I finally realized that nothing there was panning out, which of course was ridiculously discouraging to say the least.

However... I had met one encouraging couple there who seemed interested (though they never gave), and they introduced me to a lady at another church who received me warmly when I followed up. I had an appointment, asked her to give, and several weeks later got my answer: no.

However... that lady did end up giving me the number of a pastor she knew. I was excited about getting into another church network, but - you guessed it - neither the pastor nor anyone in that church ever gave even a dollar.

However... that pastor referred me to a foundation that support missionaries.

That foundation now gives fully one-sixth of my total support need every month.

Today's lesson?  Just... keep... networking!!!

Submitted by "Rebecca"

The better yoke

Are you feeling burdened by fundraising? Do you labor day after day toward your goal without seeing progress? Are you longing for rest?

Jesus welcomes you with these words:

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

If you're feeling exhausted, discouraged or "heavy laden", you may not be wearing Jesus's yoke. If that's the case, what yoke are you wearing?

Are you wearing a yoke of performance? This yoke drives you hard, requiring more and more of your time and energy - all the while promising that rest will come right after the next task is accomplished... just keep it up a little longer!

Are you wearing a yoke of satisfying others? This yoke promises you respect and praise while threatening you with loneliness if you fail. You just have to make sure people always think well of you. Surely you can handle that small task!

Are you wearing a yoke of fear? You're never sure what's coming next, but it'll probably be bad. Holding onto this yoke allows you to worry about every possible outcome so you're always prepared for the worst.

Are you wearing a yoke of success? So long as you give your whole life over to your work, you'll keep up with or even surpass others your age. Then they can't look down on you for fundraising! You'll show them...

Are you wearing a yoke of distance? This yoke requires you to not put too much trust in anyone or hope in anything. True, you'll never be happy, but at least you won't get hurt again.

Are you wearing a yoke of goodness? Just be good enough! You're so close! Just make sure you read your daily devotions, you always say something spiritual in your Small Group and you tithe 11%. Oh, and make sure you're smiling all the time.

Whether one of those describes you perfectly or it's something else altogether, Jesus is offering you a better yoke. An easy one. It doesn't mean that you'll never experience difficulty, but it does mean that you'll experience His empowering grace and all-encompassing mercy in the midst of it.

Let go of your heavy burden. Put on Jesus's yoke. Find the rest your soul longs for.

Fundraising with a heavy heart

This past week I've felt discouraged a few times - probably because my time in the Word hasn't been consistent and some close friends are at odds. I'm also in the middle of planning a support trip that isn't coming together much yet...

A few months back I got word that my mom suddenly lost her job. That night I was scheduled to make calls to donors...

A month or so before that I'd heard that an adulterous affair had taken place among relatives. I was leaving on a support trip a few days later...

In each of these cases, I was entering into fundraising with a heavy heart. Surely you've been there, too. The feelings can stem from anything ranging from the inconvenient to the tragic. A loved one is sick. (Maybe you are, too.) A friend or relative just passed away. You've recently lost some funding. Your ministry isn't going great. You feel "ugly" due to a few too many pounds or an outbreak of acne or even a bad hair day.

For years I used to think that if I wasn't feeling "encouraged", I was left with two options in my fundraising:

1. Don't do it.
2. Fake it.

Option 1 can sometimes be what you need; a day/night off can often be refreshing, so long as it doesn't become a pattern of avoidance or self-pity. However, I often chose Option 2: paste on a smile, call people and tell them you're "doing great!" and you're "really encouraged with what God is doing!"

Perhaps some of that is even true. I have friends who tell me that if someone asks how they're doing, they'll reply, "Better than I deserve." While perhaps theologically accurate, it's also not quite honest. Or maybe we want to be doing better than we are, so we take a page from self-help books and simply fake it till we make it! Exude positive energy! Align your chi! Be a better you! "I'm super-diddly-duper, neighborino!"

But is there another option? Can we be discouraged and do fundraising?

[1] For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. [2] But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. [3] For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, [4] but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. [5] For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. [6] Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. [7] But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. [8] So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us. (1 Thessalonians 5:1-8)

Note several things about what Paul did with the Thessalonians:

• Paul did not set out to deceive (v3). He was honest with the Thessalonians about his sufferings (v2).
• Paul was not out to please man (telling them what they wanted to hear) but rather God (v4-6).
• Paul did not just share the good news about God with them, but also opened up his own life (including, of course, the suffering and sin). (v8) Why? Because Paul was affectionately desirous of them and they had become dear to him (v7,8).

Paul did not buy into the lie that missionaries have to be happy all the time. Yes, the gospel is joyful - but the Bible is honest.

In the cases I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I ended up opening up with those supporters I spoke with. No, I didn't tell everyone everything (Paul also says we should be gentle (v7)), but I let people know that I was having a hard time. In many cases, my vulnerability opened up the door to much deeper conversations than may have otherwise been possible. (Your supporters are familiar with suffering, too!) As we together discussed the implications of the gospel in a broken world, our heavy hearts were lightened.

This blog often uses the term "fundraising" (which I don't love) but the truth is that we're building gospel-driven partnerships with our support teams. We are called to share not only the gospel of God but also our own selves. As a missionary and as a fundraiser you are called to minister - but also to be ministered to. Don't neglect that. Be honest. Share truth. Receive grace.

Watching the numbers

Most blogs, including this one, have a reporting feature that allows you to see how many people have viewed any particular post and when they did so. It can be a useful tool for determining which topics are resonating with your audience and which aren't.

These reports can tend to produce a rather euphoric condition when some posts get significantly more web traffic than average, but the opposite is also true: if there are less page views than normal, it can be a temptation to want to throw in the towel altogether.

Watching your ministry "fund balance" is similar. For many fundraisers, there is one or perhaps a few times each year when your fund balance begins to climb. (This is often around the end of the year, but it may also happen when annual donors send in gifts.) It seems like much of the year, however, the trend is generally downward.

This may be a sign that you need to raise additional support. It may mean that you have delinquent donors to follow up with. Or it may just be that most of your funding comes in spurts, so naturally the rest of the year tends to trend downward. (All three of those things are true of me right now!)

Rather than thinking rationally about those possibilities, however, I usually just react emotionally the moment I see the latest report. If my fund balance is heading upward at that moment, I'm tempted to put my feet up and stop fundraising altogether. "Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry!" (Luke 12:19) If it's trending downward, however, I immediately assume that the world is ending. The trajectory will no doubt continue to plummet and I'll end up living in a cardboard box. I'll say to myself, "God has surely forsaken me! Woe, woe to me! I'm going to go from zero to box in 2.7 weeks! All is lost!"

But maybe you're holier than I am. If so, you can move on with your day now. If you ride the same emotional roller-coaster I do, however, let's look together at three Biblical truths that can help us:

You'll never have enough

Billionaire John D. Rockefeller was once asked, "How much money is enough?" He responded, "Just one dollar more." How true! How many page views would truly satisfy me? At what point would I know I had enough funding? Even if I had a truly viral post or received a $1M gift, I'd still keep looking to the next one because the results wouldn't last.

The truth is that deep within all of us is a God-given longing for something more. The question to ask ourselves is, what is that something? Unless your answer is "Jesus Christ", you'll always be left unsatisfied. You'll never have enough.

God loves the rebound

I don't claim to understand this completely, but God loves the rebound. It doesn't seem to matter whether it's turning an upward trend downward or turning a downward trend upward - the Bible is full of God doing both.

Perhaps it's because God is so opposed to the proud but so gracious to the humble (James 4:6) that He causes the strong to be brought low. Perhaps it's because He is glorified when weak men demonstrate His power (1 Cor 1:26-2:5). Perhaps it's because our favorite Bible stories are of the very low skyrocketing to fame, like the armor-less shepherd slaying the giant with a stone or of the unarmed slaves escaping countless Egyptian chariots through a wall of water. Whatever the reason, God loves turning things around. So it shouldn't surprise us when He rebounds our blogging influence or our financial security.

Your value is not in the numbers

"Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." (Luke 12:32) Did you catch that? Jesus emphasizes that the flock was not large but the reward could not be greater. God does not give proportionally as we might expect. That's because our value is not in what we have or what we create or even how many of us there are. Our worth is in His sovereign choice to love us. He decided this before we had anything at all - yes, before we were even born.

The impact of this blog and the state of my fundraising is already known to the Lord and He will accomplish exactly what He wants in exactly the way He wants at exactly the time He wants.  My degree of euphoria or depression as a result of watching the numbers while this take place makes no difference whatsoever.


These are wonderful truths worth considering regularly. May we all have a response of faith to trust in Him next time we see our reports, regardless of which direction they're trending.

Unless this blog entry doesn't go viral. Then I'll throw in the towel ;)

The End of Yourself

There are many things in life that can bring you to the end of yourself.

A terrible boss. Chronic health issues. Long bouts of depression. A failing marriage. A rebellious child. Ongoing addictions. Relentless sin struggles. Deep loneliness. And, of course, fundraising.

If even one of these is weighing on you, you might find yourself struggling to get out of bed in the morning. If two or more are affecting you, you may come to believe that you just can't do it anymore.

Your heart will cry out for relief. Your mind, in those rare occasions where you can think clearly, will be racing to come up with a way to escape. As option after option falls away, you are overcome with despair and cry out even more. It's a deeply painful downward spiral.

If you've never felt that way, just wait - so long as you live long enough, you will.

Yet there is hope. Not wishful thinking hope. Not "it'll all work out" romantic-comedy hope. Not even "God works all things together for good so chin up!" hope. This better hope lies before you, clear as day, but it requires making a choice.

The path you've been walking down thus far has not offered any options. You don't want to be on this road, but you've had little control over the things that have brought you to this point. Yet before you lies a fork in the road with two paths to choose from.

The first path is marked, "The End of Yourself". That path leads to you giving in. It means quitting your job. Or refusing to leave your bed. It means getting a divorce or abandoning your family. It results in offering yourself to your addictions and embracing your sin. It could mean giving up on the fundraising you've worked so hard at. Regardless of what it looks like, that path leads to you making your last stand. You will take control of something. It is the worst of all scenarios, but at least you had some say in it.

But there is another path. Strangely, it too is marked, "The End of Yourself", and it too leads to you giving in. You can't see as far down the path, so the details are hazy, but what is clear is that despair has no place there. Yes, you see pain, as it is obviously not an easy path, and it seems that you may or may not actually quit your job or get healthy or have an easy marriage or finish fundraising. But there are others there and they seem okay. Your addictions will still pull at you along the way and sin will gain a foothold more often than you'd like or expect, but it will never win. This path is not pretty, but it is infinitely better than the first path.

Consider now the words of the Apostle Paul, a man intimately familiar with the second path:

For I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
(Philippians 4:11-13 ESV)

Paul tells us that down that second path is where we'll discover the gospel. Those who run down either path will shout together, "I can do all things!" But only those heading down the second path will finish with, "through him, my Savior, my God, who strengthens me!"

The gospel tells us that while we were yet sinners, dead in our transgressions and sins, being altogether foolish, disobedient and deceived slaves, Jesus died for us (Rom 5:8, Eph 2:1, Titus 3:3). When we were at our absolute worst, without any hope in the world, God Himself came and rescued us. Nor was this just a once and done rescue - Jesus is still working that same power in the lives of all those who put their trust in Him.

That power is the hope our hearts are crying for. It's a reminder that Jesus came at our most desperate moment and it's a reminder that He has never left our side. He will be there again at our next most desperate moment, as well as the one after that and the one after that. Each time it will require coming to the end of yourself, but you find discover that you can do all things through Him who strengthens you.

Some day you will come to the end of yourself, but remember that it is not the end of the journey. In fact, it could be just the beginning.

Crouching at your door

I probably don't have to tell you that fundraising is hard work. Not only is it hard work, but the wages aren't always satisfying. Yes, there are times when you work hard and are rewarded with a $100/mo donor, a great networking opportunity or maybe some words of encouragement. But there are also times when your "reward" is (or at least appears to be) disinterest, rejection, misunderstanding or even threats.

When that latter "reward" comes our way, it's very easy to start wallowing in self-pity, stoking angry thoughts and entertaining envious daydreams.  Few of us would call such a state of mind "good", but we may easily miss that such thoughts are downright dangerous.

In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it." (Genesis 4:3-7 ESV)

Here we see that Abel's hard work was rewarded as he had hoped, but Cain's hard work was not. His heart moved quickly down a dark path - a journey not unnoticed by the Lord. So God reassures him that all is not lost - He will still be accepted if he does well. But God also issues a strong warning: Sin, like a ferocious lion, is crouching at Cain's door, hungry and poised to devour him. Tragically, Cain does not heed this warning but rather gives full vent to his rage at Abel's expense.

In the course of fundraising, especially in the times of great disappointment, you will find yourself in Cain's position. Sin will be crouching at your door, and its desire will be for you. Failing to rule over it may not result in murder, but there are many other wild beasts that are crouching there. They may take the form of sexual sin, alcohol or substance abuse, retreating into a world of distraction and escapism, workaholism, retail therapy, overeating, cutting, gossip, or any number of false gods that promise deliverance but instead destroy you*. (By the way, if you read over that list and find yourself in shock that Christians could struggle with that stuff, I suggest that you ask yourself why your Christian friends aren't being honest with you... and perhaps why you're not being honest with yourself.)

The image God presents is that this Beast called Sin is just outside the door, ready to pounce. But it can't get in unless we open the door. That sounds simple enough, but if you're like me, once you crack that door open for the first time (likely many years ago), it's very hard to close it - especially while the Beast is tearing you to shreds moment by moment.

So is there any hope for those who have already opened that door? Can we rule over sin?

"O death, where is your victory?
 O death, where is your sting?"
The sting of death is sin . . . but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:55-57 ESV)

Yes, we can rule over sin - but only with divine help! The victory is ours - through Jesus Christ! In Him even death is powerless. Though formerly we were slaves to sin, readily sacrificing ourselves to the Beast at the door, we need never return to that place. We are free to run to another master - and Jesus has shown Himself to be the best Master. When confronted with His grace and mercy, we are left speechless, marveling that our false gods ever appealed to us.

As holy sinners still being sanctified, we'll undoubtedly find ourselves with Cain's thoughts once again. When that happens, Sin will still be waiting at the door - yet we needn't fear it any longer. The gospel has left that Beast declawed and without fangs. It won't give up easily, though; it will still cry out with fearful shouts, trying desperately to destroy us with shame-laden reminders of who we once were.

When that happens, run to your Savior. He was dead but was resurrected to defeat death forever. The Beast is dying too - but will never rise again.

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* If you find yourself struggling with persistent sins, don't try to go it alone. Get help! Here are some online resources you may find useful:

• CCEF: Life-giving, gospel-driven tools for counselors and counselees.
• Desiring God: Few resources better capture the majesty and wonder of Christ.
• The Relentless Fight: Encouraging, empowering, and equipping Christians for the great fight of faith.
• Harvest USA: Proclaiming Christ as Lord to a Sexually Broken World.
• Escaping Escapism: Finding true refuge in Jesus

One-sided

You just finished nursing a tall latte because your contact never showed up for the appointment. As you stare at the empty cup, you also realize that not one of your supporters replied to last month's prayer update. You tried to redeem the evening earlier by making calls, but only ended up leaving another round of voicemails.  It feels like you poured yourself into your work and other people, but no one seems to care.

Fundraising often seems one-sided.

Sometimes we feel guilty for having "selfish" thoughts like that. We try to tell ourselves (and others) that we're just having a bad night. Lots of people care - really! They're just... busy... or perhaps they just forgot to respond... to all twelve voicemails... or maybe...

Maybe fundraising is often one-sided!

That's actually not a wrong thought - just an incomplete one. Consider what Paul tells us in Romans:

As it is written:
"None is righteous, no, not one;
        no one understands;
        no one seeks for God.
All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
        no one does good,
        not even one." (Romans 3:10-12 ESV)

The truth is that our fundraising is often one-sided... just like the gospel. We try again and again to get the attention of our contacts, eagerly seeking to share the amazing work God is doing and giving them an opportunity to partner with us for His glory and their joy. Is this any different from how the Lord pursues us? He tries again and again to get the attention of His people, eagerly seeking to share the amazing work He is doing and giving them an opportunity to partner with Him for His glory and their joy.

How well do we respond?

Before Christ saved us, our hearts were completely unresponsive to God's efforts to reach us (see Romans 3:10-12 above.) Now that we know Him and have dedicated our lives to Him, we generally don't respond all that much better.

Yet in the midst of our rebellion, how does God treat us? "God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8 ESV)  And again, "He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also with Him graciously give us all things?" (Romans 8:32 ESV) Or as James puts it so plainly, "He gives more grace." (James 4:6 ESV)

Let's therefore choose not to wallow in self-pity over our empty coffee cups. Instead, let's greatly rejoice that God knowingly entered into a one-sided, grace-based relationship with us... so that we could knowingly enter into a one-sided, grace-based relationship with others.

3 John: Opposition to Fundraising

In the previous post we looked at what the short book of 3 John teaches us about the validity of fundraising from verses 5-8.  But as you've probably noticed during your own fundraising experience, not everyone is excited to send and support missionaries as John had advised Gaius.  John knew this too, so he wrote about a source of opposition to fundraising in verses 9-11.

[9] I have written something to the church, but Diotrephes, who likes to put himself first, does not acknowledge our authority. [10] So if I come, I will bring up what he is doing, talking wicked nonsense against us. And not content with that, he refuses to welcome the brothers, and also stops those who want to and puts them out of the church. [11] Beloved, do not imitate evil but imitate good. Whoever does good is from God; whoever does evil has not seen God. (3 John 1:9-11 ESV)

After John is done encouraging Gaius in how he ought to treat the visiting missionaries, he turns his attention to a troublesome character named Diotrephes.  John gives Gaius his assessment of Diotrephes' character: Diotrephes likes to put himself first (9) and he does not acknowledge apostolic (Biblical) authority (9).  He talks "wicked nonsense" against John and others (10).  Moreover, not only does he refuse to welcome the missionary brothers, but he also stops others from doing so, even excommunicating them (10).  Finally, John observes that even though Diotrephes is a church leader with the power to excommunicate others, he "has not seen God" and is therefore not a Christian at all (10).

This is an important example to us even many years later, for men like Diotrephes still infect many churches.  We would do well to recognize that they exist and not be shaken when we discover them during our fundraising.  Here are some things we can expect based on John's letter to Gaius:

• Some (even leaders) will refuse to welcome us (10)
• They will refuse to do so on unbiblical grounds (9)
• Some will not welcome us based on pressure from leadership, even if they want to (10)
• We should not let these situations harden us against other believers, because those doing these things may not be believers at all (11)!

Now, this is a blog about fundraising, the gospel and Biblical encouragement.  It might seem that we're coming up short on those latter two in this post!  But let us not forget the nature of the gospel and how the Scriptures portray service to Christ - it is often not easy and we are often not welcomed.  Consider these words of Christ from John 15:

"If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you: 'A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours. But all these things they will do to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have been guilty of sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin, but now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. But the word that is written in their Law must be fulfilled: 'They hated me without a cause.'
'But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. And you also will bear witness, because you have been with me from the beginning." (John 15:18-27 ESV)

Jesus reminds us that part of being associated with Him, part of doing His work, is being hated by those who hated Him.

And yet - here's the encouragement part - Jesus says He sent us a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who has filled us with the power of God Himself.  It is because of Him that we are enabled to do the very work that we are fundraising in order to do.  And - here's the gospel part - remember that we too were once part of that world that so hated Christ.  But by the power of the same Holy Spirit, by the blood of the same Savior, by the faithful work of others who had been brought from death to life, we were rescued.

So, if there's hope for you and me, there is even hope for men like Diotrephes.  But someone's got to reach them.  And that's why you endure this time of fundraising.  That's what God has called you to do.  So go pick up that phone. Go on that trip.  Raise those funds.

The world is waiting for you.