Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen...From Senior Pastor Kekel's CEO Blog

I arrived at bible school with a few hundred dollars left from exiting the military and bused around St. Louis in the June heat, looking for employment. When my last $10.00 went in the offering bag that night, my attitude was this; "Lord, you know I need a job, and this isn't even enough to get back home; I'm believing you to provide, and it all belongs to you anyway."There was a Brother next to me who knew nothing about it, and was on his way to Germany. While the music played and people talked, he leaned over and said, "here's ten bucks, that'll hold you til you get a job." I was floored, and the next day they called me in to a place I had applied. I worked there for years; starting at $2.25 hr and then got on a GI Bill apprenticeship; it was a machine shop, but wasn't too bad except for the heat. Each day you had to clean from your shoes all the metal chips. I worked there three years until I went graduated and went onto the Evangelistic Field as a single man. Cracker Barrel restaurant parking lots make great hotels, by the way. The job was worse than others I'd had as a teenager, rehabbing buildings, maintenance and working with my Uncle. He liked to harvest firewood from cleared construction sites, and sell the cord wood. We'd cut and split, and deliver. We also did landscaping maintenance in the "rich area." I never thought "why do these people have more than us?" I knew why. He taught me to work, hunt, fish, encouraged me to think about God. He tried to be the Dad I never had, and I guess he was. He was a WWII Vet from infantry/ halftrack missions in Germany, and liberated some camps over there, after battles in Herken Forest

http://history340wescoe.blogspot.com/2008/04/herken-forest.html

He would let me use his snow blower back in Flint, Mich. where we lived, and I would drum up work up and down the street, clearing driveways. In the summer, I delivered newspapers on good sized route, and also cut lawns and in the fall raked leaves. My mom and her siblings were depression era kids, and believed in the power of saving their money, and they imparted that to me. Too bad I didn't listen better! So when my wife and I married, we set up a budget, and saved like Pastor taught us to. There wasn't much income, but we saved 20% (pastor taught to save 10%) and we cherished the $20.00 budgeted "just for us." A lot of those people back then that R W Davis helped to get properties, sold them off and spent the money, etc. Not us. Ask them, and they'll tell you that they made some wrong decisions, as we all do.

I was teaching two classes and preaching every Thursday night during my final semester of bible school, and I immediately said "yes!" when Pastor asked me IF I WANTED TO GO OUT. I quit the next day; no more grease.

The Attitude of Giving

During that time in school, my apprenticeship check wasn't coming in, for months. I called the VA again, and again, and this time said "I'd hate to call my Congressman about this" and I got the check in two weeks. The Lord put it on my heart to give that check to the school, 4 digits worth. I still have this same faith today that God is doing a great work in NTCC and no matter what you give to, or how much you give, an attitude of giving is one key to blessing. There are many more, but look at the bible if you won't believe me.

* The widow that gave two mites, gave sacrificially, Jesus said, and continued to say that the Pharisees gave of their abundance, but the widow gave of her life sustinence. Her attitude was different. Jesus was saying that the amount wasn't most important.

*He that gives a prophet or one of His little ones a glass of water in His name, shall not be without his reward, Jesus said. It was but one more supportive statement to the fact that one's attitude toward not only God, but toward His ministers, determines God's attitude toward you.

It was the ATTITUDE with which people gave, in these accounts and all through the bible, that incurred the blessing of God.

Blessings

Biblically speaking, the blessing of God isn't a compliment from the throne of God, saying "Hey, God bless you son." but rather it is the opposite of a curse. Something that follows you all the days of your life!

Ps. 23 -Goodness in addition to mercy, my cup runneth over. If someone's cup runneth UNDER, perhaps the Lord isn't really their Shepherd

Ps. 68:19 Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah.

That means that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR YOUR GOOD! That the "lines" will begin to fall in pleasant places for you. Heh, God is sooo preferential, isn't He? He treats His kids better than He does the devil's kids.

Here's an example; Tracy Ann Pelfrey. Rev Olson was asked if someone's kids should be in contact with Tracy Pelfrey's, and knowing the spiritual condition of Tracy, he adivised against it. Tracy went into a rage with huge red letters (that's how you know when she's mad) and called him some of the filthiest names I've ever heard someone call a minister; it was very repugnant. She said he was so low that he would dare to mention children. He did nothing wrong. Then later, she proceeded to talk filthy about NTCC people's kids; the point is, preferential treatment of her own. EVERYONE treats their own children differently.

You see April, we should listen to the blessed people and tell ourselves that we can have it too, and NOT choose the opposite, which is to company with the whiners and the entitlement-minded. That brings us to another great way to have blessings...

Rule #2
Never resent and criticize others who have more than you, because there's always someone who has less.

Saying "serve God and you will be blessed" is the BIBLE, not NTCC Jargon. With what measure you mete it out, you receive. There are some other things that your fellow money-lovers need to learn, no offense. Such as principles of work, saving, frugality (part of Practical Theology class, I'm sure you know) wise spending habits, coupons, finding the best price when you buy. I say money lovers not to offend, please don't feel that way, but ONLY money lovers snipe about what others have.

You know my $100,000.00 red sports car people complain about? It's a black 2003 model SLK32, and the blue book value is about $13,000. Check it yourself. Someone should feel really embarrassed over hearsay they repeated about that. "How is it?" I shopped, I researched, I waited over a year, and prayed, yes prayed, without a covetous spirit, and BAM, there it was.

You aren't being truthful about, the X-men "NOT getting together." You have regular meetings on private groups, strategy sessions, etc. If you would talk to some of those people who have "been around so long and have less than us blessed people" they would tell you that they really didn't need two cars, a quad, a boat, tools, a dog and 3 cats and 4 birds with all their expenses; the stereo, the 4 kids that they wanted so badly; their sporting gear, tickets to the game, the music lessons, eating out all the time, sodas, lunches (because their wives wouldn't prepare for them) computers and internet service, curves, fingernail jobs and pedicures, brand name groceries and horses, shall I go on?

Let's expand your great question
Why do doctors who make 6 digit incomes have no money? Have debt, no time for their families, etc. And then there's the man in Panama who is a millionaire or very rich, because he started a business and bought properties, etc., and has rental income. There are some of those in the Philippines too. If a person can't see "how that is" then they don't know the first thing about how money works.

I was visiting a couple who had a big problem similar to yours, and the man quit coming to the church (this should make Tracy Ann Pelfrey's day) because of your false accusations concerning the 40 acres, which I already explained over and over, only to be called a liar. So I said "well, you guys have a nice home here, and a BMW, and nice things right?" "Yes" they replied. I said "you must have stolen them." All I got was a chuckle, but the point was made, with impact. People with the "victim" mentality, think everyone else is the villain, when the problem really is within them.

Some people expect the Organization to give them a handout, while others lend a hand. Remember Nehemiah, "the people had a mind to work" We have a great work to do, and we can't come down.

I Tim. 6 (17-21) "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; 18 That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; 19 Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life. 20 O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: 21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen".

More on this later,

Thanks, M C Kekel