Preparing To Receive

The next step in our path to Spiritual and Physical Abundance is goal setting. Tithing is the first step. Step two is goal setting.

A very important law in the universe is the law of cause and effect.

We are purposefully creating a cause in the world through tithing. I can only imagine what our tithe of 10% of our last paycheck to the San Diego Food Bank will cause in the world. Equally so, I can only imagine what the effects will be.

But one thing is for certain, we will reap from that harvest of seeds.

I know we need to prepare to receive. That is where goal setting comes in.

When you place an order online at a department store - you need to specify what you want. You simply cannot expect the department store to pick the item out for you and expect them to get it right.

You have to be specific and place your order.

Then after you place the order you need to have faith that it will be arriving soon. You do not call the department store every 15 minutes asking them if they have sent it yet!

Such is the law of manifestation. We have tithed and that will result in receiving back.

Now is the time to get specific about what we desire in return.

Perhaps you did not realize you could be specific in the returns of your harvest? Well not only can you be specific, God prefers you to be specific.

So I have decided to pick something I really want. I admit I do not have the abundance yet to acquire this, but I am putting my faith in God that He will make that abundance available.

What I want is a town home. A 3 bedroom 2.5 bath 2 car garage luxury town home. I would like this town home some where's in greater San Diego. I want this town home to be no more than 5 years old and be moved in ready - meaning no work is needed at all. This town home will have all the luxury trimmings:

Interior Laundry - Both Full Size and energy efficient
Wood stained cabinets
Dual Pane windows
Marble Counter tops in the bathrooms
Granite counter tops in the kitchen
Beautiful Gas range stove w/ extra large oven
1000+ Watt Microwave oven
High end dishwasher
Large Dual refrigerator/Freezer with ice maker
Large Oval tub in master bath - jacuzzi tub even better
Very Large walk-in Closets
Built-in cat 6 cables for Internet
Beautiful Clubhouse w/ resort style pool/jacuzzi

I want to manifest this town home as soon as possible, but no later than Christmas 2010.

I want to be able to afford this town home - meaning it doesn't cost more than 33% of my gross income including all Taxes, Insurance, Principal, and Interest, HOA fees, etc.

Below are some pictures of the Town Home I envision:

The Kitchen



The Living Room - Two Pictures





The Dining Room



The Bedroom

A Few Questions Answered

I asked God these questions and here are the answers I received.

Question

Should I wait for the recession to end before beginning Tithing?

Answer

To end your personal recession you should begin tithing immediately. Do not delay.

Question

How Much Should I Tithe?

Answer

10%. That number is the same for everyone and thus is fair. Whether rich or poor, it is still 10%. Give generously and boldly with an attitude of gratitude and your receiving will be the same.

Question

Should My Tithe Go Only To The Church?

Answer

No. God is everywhere. Tithing is a spiritual habit that reaches outside the church. Listen to your heart and give your tithe to wherever you think God is needed. It is perfectly fine to give your tithe to the Church and equally fine to give it to a bum on the street.

Question

Is it okay to skip tithing if money is tight and it would mean bills going unpaid?

Answer

“Seek Ye First the Kingdom of Heaven and its Righteousness and all else will be given unto you.”
Matthew 6:33

The source of everything you have is God. If you truly believe that, then pay God first. Put your financial fears to rest and trust in God.

Question

Can I Tithe more than 10%?

Answer

Absolutely. The law is simple. Whatsoever ye have want of in this world - add unto it. The more you give, the more you shall receive.

Some people tithe based on what income they want to have, not what income they currently have. Those persons have mighty faith in God's law.

There are other laws in the universe besides tithing. In simple terms of manifestation - if you want a thing, give a thing. If you need money, give money. If you need love, give love.

God works through us as channels. You cannot give from emptiness and thus if you are doing Gods work, you will be given what is needed for that work.

This is important. Though you may not have enough money to tithe 10% right now - understand that God will refill your financial cup. Have faith!

Question

Is tithing any different than paying the IRS taxes?

Answer

Tithing is not a debt you owe, but a seed you sow. Tithing is working in harmony with the laws of circulation. A body of water needs to be constantly refreshed with new water - otherwise it becomes stagnant and diseased. The blood in your body is constantly being replenished. Tithing is keeping the flow of money constantly replenished.

In a way, yes it is much the same as paying the IRS taxes. But in many ways it is very different.

Question

What do I tithe if all of my money is being applied to bills?

Answer

If you gross $1000 a month - you tithe 10% of that. Remember, you pay God first. The IRS doesn't get paid before God, not even the rent.

You live off the remaining 90%.

After you have established the habit of tithing, you will find that 90% goes much farther than the 100% ever did.

Question

Do I need to be a Christian to tithe?

Answer

Not at all. The only true requirement is your belief in the laws of money. Tithing is a part of the laws of money. The belief that God created the laws of money, while helpful, is not necessary to reap the rewards that you sow.

Question

Should I attach expectations when I Tithe?

Answer

Yes!

Bet you did not expect that one!

When you give through Tithing, you should have the expectation that you are helping others in a multiple of ways. Expect that your tithing will make a difference in more ways than you can possibly imagine.

New 21 Day Goal - No Complaining or Gossiping

Hello World.

My tithing idea came to me yesterday during a meeting at my Church. Me and my wife are attending a class called Fresh Start. It basically introduces you to Christianity and helps you meet other people in the Church. We've been attending this Church off and on for the last couple years and really didn't know anyone - so we decided to take this class to change that.

Anyways - sometime in that class I decided we needed to give more. I have always believed that in order to solve life's most difficult problems - we must help others with their problems.

After that Fresh Start class, we went to the main church gathering. Our Church has 5 Sunday gatherings - so you have plenty of opportunity to go to Church on Sunday.

At the main gathering the pastor that normally leads was on vacation and a youth pastor led the session. Ironically it was all about giving. Specifically it was about giving to the undeserving. The synopsis was God wants you to give and to give to everyone - both those that are deserving and those that are not deserving.

My mind was racing because this was just a continuation of the idea I had already started - we needed to give more to others.

I started thinking about what we could give. I had this really heavy jacket I bought to go to Colorado for Christmas 4 years ago. The jacket was expensive but I would never wear it in San Diego. I figured there was a homeless person in downtown that could use the jacket more. So I put it in my mind to find that homeless person and donate the jacket to them to keep them warm this winter. I haven't done that yet - but it is high on the list of things to do.

So back at home that day I was looking for something to read to help me define my giving goals. I found a book on the shelf titled: The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity" - a simple guide to unlimited abundance.

I skimmed the title pages to see what the book was about and low and behold Chapter 1 was all about tithing. Ironic again.

I read that chapter and figured this was just another coincidence to help me on my new path.

So....back to the title of this post. There are four spiritual laws and the second one covered in the book, after tithing, is goal setting. The idea is once you start giving your 10%, you need to prepare to start receiving. Giving and receiving go hand in hand. Just like yin and yang.

So in order to better receive from God you must set good quality goals. I am working on this part next. I have an idea of some things I would like to set as goals - such as a new town home and being debt free. But an important recommendation in the book is to change the way you think in order to better attract abundance in your life.

Specifically it asks you to do a 21 day quest of No Complaining and No Gossiping. Those two things distract the mind from the state of abundance and attract the wrong things in your life.

So I figure I am going all the way with this Tithing goal and I want to meet God half way. I think this 21 day quest is part of that half way. After all - I don't even know how big my half is yet! My half could be growing bigger and bigger as God sees fit. So for our half of the contribution we will err on the side of caution : -)

So for the next 21 days I will not complain about anything and I will refrain from Gossiping. If I misstep, I will forgive myself of the misstep and start the 21 days over.

I think a good way to go about this is to use affirmations. My mind is conditioned to complaining and gossiping. I can admit that. Some affirmations I like are:

"Have an attitude of gratitude."

" Look for the God opportunity."

Let me explain the second one a little. The God opportunity is simple. Many times in life we see only the negative in a situation. The God opportunity is assuming that God is creating opportunities for you and you simply trust these supposed negative occurrences in your life are those opportunities in disguise. For instance, today my trolley kept stopping on the second to last stop. I realized I might be late for work because of this. Then I stopped and changed my perspective to "perhaps there is a God opportunity here that I will be missing if I don't pay attention".

When you start getting negative because things are not going your way - you miss out on those God opportunities. So I instead started paying attention. I looked at all the people around me, I looked outside the trolley window and all the things occurring.

To be honest, I did not find a God opportunity. But I could think of several that could have happened. I know this is grim, but it helps to illustrate why you should trust the reality of life - even when things seemingly don't go your way - such as being late for work. It could be that an earthquake is about to strike and my floor will suffer casualties and me being late is to ensure I am not on the floor.

Like I said - grim. But it does help you trust God more. I always try to assume that if my plans are off a little bit, that perhaps there is a good reason for it - whether I ever know for sure or not.

That is the positive thinking bug that I want to catch. Perhaps being late due to the trolley created the God opportunity for me - which was to start thinking positive even in inconvenient situations. After all, I am going to need a lot of positive thinking to continue this 10% tithing quest.

The First Donation

Well I am a believer in getting the ball rolling as soon as possible. So after deducting the donation at Church today, I figured out how much we need to donate to bring the total to 10% of my paycheck last Friday. I then logged onto the San Diego Food Banks website and donated that to feed the hungry.

So the first donation is complete.

We are right with God now.

Not sure where that money we just gave God will come from to pay some important bills, but I have faith God will provide a way.

Until then, I did a payday advance from Wells Fargo. LOL. God may work in mysterious ways - but Wells Fargo is doing Gods job until God comes through on his part of the bargain. Rent is due in a few days and they won't understand that God has some of the rent money.

I want to make a note that while we don't know where we are supposed to get an extra 10% of our money to donate to God - everything we have right now is provided from God. It is all an illusion. Or better put, it is all on loan anyways. God can take what we have at any moment. So I say we already have that 10%. We always had that 10% - we just kept it for ourselves.

We will count on God to help us pay the bills. We are not going to keep putting God at the bottom of the priority list. God is the true source of our current income anyways - so really we are just giving God back the money he gave us any ways.

Sigh....leap of faith I tell you.

First day of the Usher 10% Tithing Experiment

Hello World!

Today is day one of the Great Usher 10% Tithing Experiment. The basic idea is God is the source of all abundance in the world. Simply put, God gives us work, God gives us our paychecks, God gives us someone to love, God gives us children to raise, God gives us everything.

But God created a law called the law of Tithing. The law is simply that you must give back to God 10% of any money you receive in whatever form. By form I mean it could be a bonus from work, $100 bill you found in the gutter, your paycheck, or a $1000 gift from mom and dad.

This law only applies to money. Unlike the IRS, God doesn't tax you on property, gifts, etc, unless it is money. So if someone gives me a home - the law of tithing 10% does not apply.

If my work gives me a food basket worth $100 instead of a bonus - the 10% tithing does not apply. If my work instead gives me the $100 in cash - I must tithe 10%.

Now this is spiritual law. It is a law that you cannot break. Some of you may think you don't tithe, but you do. Remember that car accident last month? You know the one that cost you $6000 because you did not have full coverage. That is the law of tithing being forced upon you. Remember when you lost your purse two weeks ago - costing you $1000. That is tithing.

The law of tithing operates with or without your approval. God giveth and God taketh away!

Now the good news is that there are other spiritual laws in the Universe. One such law is the law of giving. What ever you give you will receive three times more. Some say 10 times more. Personally, I think 3 sounds more realistic. But hey, it could be ten I suppose.

If you give $10 to someone - God will give you at least $30. Now that $30 is not cash my friends. God works in mysterious ways. The law of giving is not about money, but about energy and abundance. That $30 is not necessarily going to manifest as $30 in hard cold cash. Perhaps you will lose your iPhone and this time around someone actually finds it and returns it to you. There is your $30! Perhaps someone buys you breakfast tomorrow. You get the idea?

Now getting back to the Great Usher 10% Tithing Experiment.

I want you to understand that we are taking a great leap of faith here....pun intended : -)

We aren't broke, but we certainly are not living in great abundance. Truth is we have no savings and we live paycheck to paycheck. We have piled ourselves into high debt for the billionth time. We absolutely cannot afford to tithe 10% of everything we receive. All in all that equals around $600 a month.

If we were to spend $600 a month buying ourselves new clothes and eating at nice restaurants - it should bankrupt us. That $600 would come from bills that we normally pay!

So in all reality, Tithing $600 a month should bankrupt us by the end of the year, or sooner.

Yet - we're going to do it any ways!

Why you may ask?

Because it is time for a change. We are stuck in a self-fulfilling prophecy. We are debt creators. We have been debt free a few times only to get find ourselves back in debt again.

Nothing seems to change.

My wife and I have great ideals about helping the less fortunate in this world, yet we lack the financial abundance to do so.

The little abundance we have only provides a few weeks vacation a year. So if we wanted to spend 3 months helping the poor in the Philippines, we would have to schedule it over several years of vacations!

We realize that the answer is not more money, but a change in priorities.

The problem is we are asking God for money to solve our problems, but we are not giving a lot of that money back to God.

In essence we are not meeting God half way.

We are going to change our priorities. We are going to meet God half way. We are going to pay God first!

If God truly is the source of all our abundance, including our financial abundance, then God will not let us down.

If we spend 10% of all money we receive by giving back to God, then we believe God will refill our financial cup. God is responsible for paying our rent, for paying our credit card bills, and for whatever job I have that gives us our bi-weekly paychecks. If we give God some of that money back, we believe God will make sure to take care of whatever we lack as a consequence of that.

The goal is to break this viscous financial cycle. We want to live life more abundantly and be of greater service to God and the rest of the world. We believe we are responsible for our limited abilities.

God wants us to have more abundance and to be able to have the freedom we need to do greater things. But God will not do everything for us. We must meet God half way.

We are taking a great leap of faith. We are going to meet God half way and prove to ourselves that God indeed is the source of our money.

This will be an interesting year.

You heard right - we are committing to tithe 10% for one year.

Now I am not a mainstream Christian and tithing does not come naturally to me. I tithe at Church on occasion and I believe in giving back. But I have never tithed consistently.

I am going to state this for the record - I am challenging God.

That is right - I am not afraid to challenge the big guy. I am challenging God to prove to us that He truly is the source of our abundance.

We will follow the law of Tithing that God created and in return God will provide us with abundance. We plan to use that abundance to do Gods work.

God has one year to prove to us He truly is the provider of our abundance.

One year to show us that it is not our work, our government, our significant others, that is ultimately responsible for the abundance we have in life - but it is God.

Like I said - in all reality, Tithing 10% should break us financially. We should start missing payments to creditors, lose our car, be unable to pay the rent. But I believe God will provide for us in our times of stress.

God will return the favor at least three times fold.

Keep checking back to this blog. We will be blogging the whole year and you can follow the ups and downs to this wonderful experiment.

I hope this blog inspires others to give a try at their own experiment and prove to themselves that God indeed does exist and is the source of all abundance.

You do not need to believe in God to try this and you do not need to be of any specific faith.

This experiment is for those who are like us - financially stuck - and need a way out. If you feel like you are repeating the same mistakes in life - financial mistakes or if you lack the means to accomplish your goals in life - then this experiment may be the key to your financial jail cell.

If you do not believe in God, perhaps you may discover God by the end of your experiment.