Giving back to God what he has first given me makes me want God even more.

Todd and Mary have been Summit members for over seven years. They have loved seeing God move in them as a couple and in the church body, but they will both admit that it has been a bumpy ride of faith. When Multiply was first presented to Summit, Mary was working full time while Todd was finishing up his PhD. They were on a very tight budget and didn’t have much to give, but they both felt strongly that God wanted to stretch their faith by giving more than 10%.

“This process has turned our hearts from legalism to generosity in all aspects of life….it’s not just about the money, it’s about how God is aligning our hearts to his will,” said Todd. “Every step of faith is a struggle; each new step seems harder than the last one.”

Multiply not only affected Todd and Mary’s giving, but also where Todd looked for a job after he finished his schooling. He had several offers around the country, but they both felt as if God wanted them to stay and grow with Summit. This stretched their faith quite a bit because Todd hadn’t received any job offers in Raleigh, and his graduation was quickly approaching. Yet God provided, and just a few weeks before he graduated, Todd was offered a job in the Triangle.

With the new job came the question of whether they should “up” their Multiply giving. Again the decision was a struggle, but they decided that they should. In the end, Mary said that neither of them wanted to miss out on seeing God move in their lives and in the Summit. She also said that while it’s always a temptation to go back to the “It’s all mine” mentality, she realized that God would lovingly not let her have things that would draw her away from him.

“I want to be Jesus to people, and it’s hard to do that with a lot of ‘stuff’ in my life,” said Mary. “We have both seen God bring money into our lives right when we needed it. He will always take care of us, which makes sense because it’s all his to start with,” said Todd.

by Elizabeth Ashford
Volunteer Writer