Surviving and Thriving in Hard Times

"Wow! You're like 10,000 feet closer to God, you know," says Steve. "To me, it lifts a lot of concern out of my shoulders to be up there and be flying, looking down."

A computer consultant, Steve enjoyed his side business of buying and selling planes. He and his wife, Cherie, also invested in multiple rental properties. Things were going well.

"That encouraged us to stretch a little bit and we were looking for real estate here in Florida. And then we came across this one. I love flying, and this one has a hangar in the back yard, and a runway."

Cherie adds, "That was a real blessing I feel like God provided. Yeah, we were prospering."

Things changed when the housing market crashed.

Steve says, "We realized the pains of borrowing, and when we had to sell a property, it was worth $200,000 less than what we paid for it. We really went into a tailspin and, to use an aviation metaphor."

Cherie sais, "I can see the numbers, it's very clear, on the computer, that we're gonna be in the red. Even if we sold all our houses, it wouldn't solve our problem. We're so far in debt."

Creditors began calling in their loans. Now they faced foreclosure on another property and wondered if their own home would be next. Steve decided to call CBN to ask for prayer. 

"They'd pick up the phone and you could feel the power of the Holy Spirit, barely able to tell them the situation. And they'd say, 'Well, let us pray for you.' And then just really invited God in and just – you just heard that-that quiet voice that said, 'Be still and know that I am God and watch what I'm going to do.'"

Steve and Cherie worked hard to keep food on the table, including starting a honey farm. They put everything they could into paying thier debt.

"It came down to rolling quarters sometimes. We got chickens to lay eggs, because I figured if it gets any worse, at least we'll be able to feed the kids eggs from the chickens that we have."

Despite the financial struggle, they felt it was important to tithe and give to Christian ministries. They became CBN partners in 2008.

"One of the promises that I held on to is Malachi 3:10: See if I don't open up the heavens so much so you won’t be able to contain the blessing."

Cherie says, "As we continued to tithe, it seemed like we would get a check come in just at the right time. Something would always happen at the right time to turn it around, and we always had enough."

Steve held onto the promise in Malachi, and they continued to tithe. In 2014, Steve and Cherie decided to increase their giving little by little.

"New Year's resolution was we're gonna start at 10% and each month go to another, 11, 12, 13, 14%. I think we got up to 15%. And year in-in June uh it was – the floodgates were opened. We were able to settle the foreclosure, uh resolve another foreclosure."

One of those victories came when a friend offered to help Steve buy a plane. Steve had left computer consulting to work as an independent insurance adjuster. The plane allowed Steve to fly into areas in Florida devastated by hurricanes Irma and Michael, helping people with their insurance claims.

Steve says, "What would normally take a person 11 hours to get to this area, and I can fly in there in two hours. Uh people can't get in there to help because all the roads are blocked off. I can fly into ground zero."

Cherie says, "Steve gets his license, hurricane happens, you know, then uh funds start coming in."

Now, the couple are debt-free and have settled their foreclosures. Steve still enjoys buying and selling airplanes. They used their beehives to start a successful bisiness called Bee Healthy Honey, and are the official bee-keepers for President Donald Trump's Mar-a-lago Resort. And they're still giving to CBN.

"I like giving to CBN because they're so accountable. Operation Blessing, it's exciting to see them go in and help when there's a disaster," Steve says. 

"Yeah, Superbook has been a great encouragement. It actually surprises me how much I get out of it," Cherie says.

They're also thankful for God's faithfulness. 

"We're just stewards of His Kingdom. And He owns it all. I want people to understand that the Lord provides. so if you have a need, lay it out before Him. Say, 'Lord, this is the need.' You know, and He will provide."