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CBN.com Tom and Joan Shankland have raised five kids on one solid principle; Put God first in every area of your life. And teaching them God’s way in the area of finances is an easy topic for Tom because he is a financial advisor. And that means teaching them to give some of their money away.
“I think one of the things I learned from CBN was the law of reciprocity,” says Tom. “That you can not outgive God. And once you give, it will come back. It’s like the law of gravity. And I hope I teach people that.”
But in 2006, Tom and Joan faced a financial train wreck. They lost several tenants simultaneously and had to shoulder $10,000 dollars a month in mortgages right when they were trying to pay for a daughter’s wedding. . The Shanklands were staring at bills totaling $100,000.
“It was a heavy load because we’ve never been in a situation like that before,” says Joan. “I didn’t like being in the situation. It was not a good place to be. And I was wondering how in the world we were going to come up with all this money.”
“It was a lot of money,” says Tom. “But God has never failed us, never. And we were confident that God was going to take care of it, we didn’t know how, but He would. We just new it."
One day Joan was watching The 700 Club and she told Tom she wanted to increase her pledge to CBN.
“I said ‘some day, and I know this is not a good time because we are faced with more bills than we ever had. But I said someday I’d really like to increase our pledge to the 700 Club,’” says Joan. “And he said, ‘How much were you thinking?’ So I told him that I’d like to increase it to the Founders Club and he said, ‘Go ahead.’”
God was about to bless their $5,000 pledge in an awesome way. The following Monday, Tom landed a new client. The income generated from that client covered their Founders pledge for the next five years.
Tom’s clientele increased rapidly. They easily made all the mortgage payments and paid the wedding bills. Then they experienced another blessing. They found new tenants quickly, and found a buyer for one of the rentals they had wanted to sell.
“God was very faithful in that. Just to be able to bring him in that quick and sell it. You know, I think we sold it quicker than if we were looking for an appropriate tenant for the house,” says Tom.
“I know that God heard our cries. And He either provided it or wiped it out so we know that God did it,” says Joan
“God is faithful,” says Tom. “And when you are faithful to Him, you can not outgive God. Period. That’s it. Said and done.”
God wants to bless you too! One way you can give to God’s work is through CBN. Not only will you reach thousands each day with a message of truth and hope through The 700 Club, you will also help feed and clothe children around the world, bring medical aid to those suffering, and so much more. Please join with us today.
Mentioned in the Video
- CBN.com Tom and Joan Shankland have raised five kids on one solid principle; Put God first in every area of your life. And teaching them God’s way in the area of finances is an easy topic for Tom because he is a financial advisor. And that means teaching them to give some of their money away. “I think one of the things I learned from CBN was the law of reciprocity,” says Tom.
Guest Info
Transcript
Manuel Din had dreamed of running a successful Christian karate school. He’d taken over a business from an associate, but that school soon went bankrupt. Manuel was forced to start all over. After only six months, he began to struggle financially again. He wondered if he would have to close this school too. “I wasn’t getting any students,” Manuel says. “I wasn’t getting any business and the bills. The rent was due and the phone bills and the light bills were due and I just couldn’t sleep.” He ended up deep in debt. “Me being in $18,000 worth of debt meant that one or two things would have to happen,” he says. “Number one, I would have to close again or two, I would always have to be at the mercy of the landlord.” One day, as he sat in his office he turned on The 700 Club and learned a principle that would change everything. “Pat was talking about giving. He said start at $20 dollars a month. So, I made a $20.00 check. I said, ‘I am going to trust God. I am going to expect a miracle.’ I was expecting God to bring me some students,” Manuel recalls. Three days later, that’s exactly what happened. “I decided to do a special. And probably an hour later I put the flyer in the window and a gentleman walked in the door and signed up four students. And he paid me cash,” he says. That’s when Manuel decided to increase his pledge to CBN. “I went to 40 dollars a month and soon the school began to fill up. I started to have the money for the rent, which at the time was like $2,000. I didn’t have to borrow any money anymore to pay the bills or light bills. When I saw that happen, I continued,” Manuel says. “I just continued to give and God kept on giving to me back.” Manuel increased his pledge again and became a CBN founder. His business increased so much that his wife Elizabeth came on to help. Within 6 months of that pledge, Manuel’s landlord decided to cancel $18,000 worth of back rent because of small improvements Manuel had done around the business. “They decided that they were not going to bill me for it. And I give thanks to God for it,” he says. Since that time, the school has doubled in size – to 145 students. Now, Manuel is looking to buy a larger building and his family is benefiting from the growth in the business. “I don’t know what to say,” Manuel says. “I just know that it was the Lord and that God did it. So, I am challenging anyone who is listening to me today to do what I did. Just trust God and start giving. And watch God move in your life."Download
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