The currency of credibility. Oh my goodness. There I was in my $13.00 navy blue wool Pendleton suit from the consignment store staring at this expensive instrument which held the ability to wordlessly let other professionals know that I was…um….I don’t know precisely, but that I and the counseling agency I had recently established was just that. Established.
Our suite of offices was next door to an office supply store where I had first asked for onion skin paper. You know, well, some of you do who are old enough to have learned to type using that thin paper you put with a sheet of carbon paper when you needed to have a copy of what you were writing. When I’d made the request for onion skin and a package of carbon paper, the young woman waiting on me confusedly asked, “You want what?” and a nice gray haired lady came right over and told her she knew exactly what I meant and that she thought there might be some in the basement. Soon she appeared with a dusty ream of onion skin and packet of carbon paper for me and knowingly said with a smile, “Not in the market for a photocopier yet, right?” In October of 1988, with lots of prayer, faith, and a dollop of desperation, I’d put my entire savings account of $3000.00 on the line to start up a Christian mental health full service out-patient clinic in Manchester, NH (complete with phones, business account, stationery, furnishings, lease with room to grow as we’d add counselors, and all the things needed to run a credible professional enterprise) and no way was a photocopier nor even a secretary anywhere in the cards for us yet. But there I was, visiting this Mont Blanc pen every week at the office supply store because the lady who knew about onion skin paper said one of these days it’d be going on sale.
You need to know I was NOT trying to *impress* anybody with this fancy pen. It’s just that in every negotiation I’d been in as the Assistant Director of another mental health clinic, all the important contracts with hospitals and psychiatrists were signed by key people holding these quietly dignified black pens with the all-important white logo on the top. When I participated in negotiating/mediating these big meetings, I could see the eyes around the room silently taking in who had these pens of power and who did not. Those who didn’t were treated politely and then more or less dismissed as not being in the right “club” to do business with or qualified to offer services for their organizations. Pretty stupid, right? But that’s how it was, and if I was going to play in the big leagues, I’d have to have the credibility to get the meetings I needed to present what our clinic had to offer. So I started saving up in a special account for that important pen. Good thing all the meetings were inside and I didn’t need to have a Mercedes!
At that time Catholic Medical Center (big hospital in Manchester) only had an “in-house” Employee Assistance Program. This meant any time an employee needed to talk with or be assessed by a counselor, they had to go through a particular door in the hospital where everybody knew why they were there. Not very conducive for effective utilization of these services, especially by those who needed them the most. I was positive our clinic could administer and provide quality services within the format of an affordable off-premises Employee Assistance Program and after tons of research, I wrote a proposal to do just that. Now I just needed that pen. Yes, it went on sale and I plunked down my $99.00 and the rest is history. Brookhaven Christian Counselors won the contract for this historic change in Catholic Medical Center’s policy and a successful off-site Employee Assistance Program built from a “loaves and fishes” philosophy (how we ran our agency) of economy was born.
Loaves and fishes. Know the story? In Mark 6:34-44 you can read about how Jesus, though it was late, wanted all the people who’d been there on the hillside listening to His teachings (food for the soul) to be fed (food for the body) before they left. His disciples were appalled saying it would take 8 months of a man’s wages to do that. Undaunted, with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, and the amazing multiplication factor of faith, 5000 people were well fed with baskets of food left over.
In the 14 years our counseling center was open, thousands of people from more than 54 cities and towns in 3 different states and every possible denomination (and non-denomination, or no particular faith at all) received help at below “market” prices, with or without insurance, hundreds of hours of which were given for free. From day 1 until the last day of operation, a Bible in our waiting room was always open to Psalm 91, as this psalm together with the “loaves and fishes” philosophy formed the cornerstone of our organization. Our staff did not become financially affluent (no Mercedes), but were compensated very well, were fulfilled and happy, and had health and dental insurance and several other perks also.
Our first fruits of income always went to the Lord (regardless of what the numbers were on the stack of bills….that’s where the “loaves and fishes” economy came in, rooted together in our belief in God’s continued promises of protection of us in Psalm 91), next came our staff compensation [salaries and benefits], responsibilities paid to our creditors, and a portion of the last to the Director (that’d be me) and I prospered as well. Oh…and we did progress to having a photocopier, fax machine and computers along the way, too.
Psalm 91 and the “loaves and fishes” economic philosophy is central to how Pastor John and I live our personal lives as well. We sacrifice much, tithe and give more, and are very blessed. A couple of weeks ago I told everyone in the congregation that we’re all on the “Stewardship Committee” in that we’re all responsible and accountable for our church and its ministries, not just some of us. The Bible doesn’t tell us to SELECT which of our talents we’re to give back from (time, money or personal abilities), but to give from all these areas, including our ongoing, consistent presence, fellowship and worship together! After all, everything we have is from God, even ourselves: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17); “You are not your own, you are bought with a price.” (1Cor 6:19).
The Lord intends that we are to be life-long generous managers of His resources, as our “giving” in every way is part of how we worship God. As you prayerfully contemplate our upcoming Faith Promise commitment as well as our Capital Fund Campaign, I encourage you to stretch your thoughts around the “loaves and fishes” concept and steep yourself in Psalm 91. Think about how to increase your gifts back to the Lord from the storehouse of what He has given you. Challenge yourself and step out in faith. I can testify with my life and life’s work that the Lord will not let you down when you keep Him first in your life. Recently I read this phrase somewhere: “The possibilities are endless when the people of God use their resources in a godly manner. Utterly unstoppable momentum”. Think of it! Amen.
Our suite of offices was next door to an office supply store where I had first asked for onion skin paper. You know, well, some of you do who are old enough to have learned to type using that thin paper you put with a sheet of carbon paper when you needed to have a copy of what you were writing. When I’d made the request for onion skin and a package of carbon paper, the young woman waiting on me confusedly asked, “You want what?” and a nice gray haired lady came right over and told her she knew exactly what I meant and that she thought there might be some in the basement. Soon she appeared with a dusty ream of onion skin and packet of carbon paper for me and knowingly said with a smile, “Not in the market for a photocopier yet, right?” In October of 1988, with lots of prayer, faith, and a dollop of desperation, I’d put my entire savings account of $3000.00 on the line to start up a Christian mental health full service out-patient clinic in Manchester, NH (complete with phones, business account, stationery, furnishings, lease with room to grow as we’d add counselors, and all the things needed to run a credible professional enterprise) and no way was a photocopier nor even a secretary anywhere in the cards for us yet. But there I was, visiting this Mont Blanc pen every week at the office supply store because the lady who knew about onion skin paper said one of these days it’d be going on sale.
You need to know I was NOT trying to *impress* anybody with this fancy pen. It’s just that in every negotiation I’d been in as the Assistant Director of another mental health clinic, all the important contracts with hospitals and psychiatrists were signed by key people holding these quietly dignified black pens with the all-important white logo on the top. When I participated in negotiating/mediating these big meetings, I could see the eyes around the room silently taking in who had these pens of power and who did not. Those who didn’t were treated politely and then more or less dismissed as not being in the right “club” to do business with or qualified to offer services for their organizations. Pretty stupid, right? But that’s how it was, and if I was going to play in the big leagues, I’d have to have the credibility to get the meetings I needed to present what our clinic had to offer. So I started saving up in a special account for that important pen. Good thing all the meetings were inside and I didn’t need to have a Mercedes!
At that time Catholic Medical Center (big hospital in Manchester) only had an “in-house” Employee Assistance Program. This meant any time an employee needed to talk with or be assessed by a counselor, they had to go through a particular door in the hospital where everybody knew why they were there. Not very conducive for effective utilization of these services, especially by those who needed them the most. I was positive our clinic could administer and provide quality services within the format of an affordable off-premises Employee Assistance Program and after tons of research, I wrote a proposal to do just that. Now I just needed that pen. Yes, it went on sale and I plunked down my $99.00 and the rest is history. Brookhaven Christian Counselors won the contract for this historic change in Catholic Medical Center’s policy and a successful off-site Employee Assistance Program built from a “loaves and fishes” philosophy (how we ran our agency) of economy was born.
Loaves and fishes. Know the story? In Mark 6:34-44 you can read about how Jesus, though it was late, wanted all the people who’d been there on the hillside listening to His teachings (food for the soul) to be fed (food for the body) before they left. His disciples were appalled saying it would take 8 months of a man’s wages to do that. Undaunted, with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes, and the amazing multiplication factor of faith, 5000 people were well fed with baskets of food left over.
In the 14 years our counseling center was open, thousands of people from more than 54 cities and towns in 3 different states and every possible denomination (and non-denomination, or no particular faith at all) received help at below “market” prices, with or without insurance, hundreds of hours of which were given for free. From day 1 until the last day of operation, a Bible in our waiting room was always open to Psalm 91, as this psalm together with the “loaves and fishes” philosophy formed the cornerstone of our organization. Our staff did not become financially affluent (no Mercedes), but were compensated very well, were fulfilled and happy, and had health and dental insurance and several other perks also.
Our first fruits of income always went to the Lord (regardless of what the numbers were on the stack of bills….that’s where the “loaves and fishes” economy came in, rooted together in our belief in God’s continued promises of protection of us in Psalm 91), next came our staff compensation [salaries and benefits], responsibilities paid to our creditors, and a portion of the last to the Director (that’d be me) and I prospered as well. Oh…and we did progress to having a photocopier, fax machine and computers along the way, too.
Psalm 91 and the “loaves and fishes” economic philosophy is central to how Pastor John and I live our personal lives as well. We sacrifice much, tithe and give more, and are very blessed. A couple of weeks ago I told everyone in the congregation that we’re all on the “Stewardship Committee” in that we’re all responsible and accountable for our church and its ministries, not just some of us. The Bible doesn’t tell us to SELECT which of our talents we’re to give back from (time, money or personal abilities), but to give from all these areas, including our ongoing, consistent presence, fellowship and worship together! After all, everything we have is from God, even ourselves: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17); “You are not your own, you are bought with a price.” (1Cor 6:19).
The Lord intends that we are to be life-long generous managers of His resources, as our “giving” in every way is part of how we worship God. As you prayerfully contemplate our upcoming Faith Promise commitment as well as our Capital Fund Campaign, I encourage you to stretch your thoughts around the “loaves and fishes” concept and steep yourself in Psalm 91. Think about how to increase your gifts back to the Lord from the storehouse of what He has given you. Challenge yourself and step out in faith. I can testify with my life and life’s work that the Lord will not let you down when you keep Him first in your life. Recently I read this phrase somewhere: “The possibilities are endless when the people of God use their resources in a godly manner. Utterly unstoppable momentum”. Think of it! Amen.
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