Our Testimony from March 2004 through August 2007
Tom: This story begins in March 2004 when I was laid off from IBM after nine years. For the next three years, God provided for us in miraculous ways, time and time again. First, there was my severance pay, then unemployment benefits. Then God sold our house in just 10 days at full asking price—one of many miracle side stories. After that, I worked with a friend from church, and finally, I discovered an IBM retirement plan I didn’t even know I had. Each time, money came in just when we were at the end of what we had, and it was always exactly enough.
God closed every door to traditional employment for me and made it very clear to both Linda and me that my work was in ministry. In 2001, we began a ministry of life coaching for people struggling with sexual addiction, building on the amazing progress we had made in our own lives and marriage. I worked with men, Linda worked with their wives, and together we worked with couples.
During this time, God called me to expand the ministry beyond Pure Desire, the group materials by Ted Roberts. I started meeting with men almost every day, counseling them and sharing the Word. God continued to bring new men into my life and opened new doors for ministry. Through this process, I was being transformed into a godly man, very different from who I was when we started. God also placed a desire, vision, and calling in our hearts to start a house church in the near future.
In February 2007, I was at our Thursday morning Bible study with the guys. One of the men I had been mentoring commented on my faith, noting how great it was that I had gone three years without a job and was still trusting God. This struck me because, while it may have appeared strong, my faith was actually very weak. Spiritually, I had never truly learned to rely on God’s power and strength. Instead, I had always depended on my physical abilities and mental skills to avoid challenges and solve problems. I had never allowed God to test me or to build my faith.
As James 1:2-4 says: “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” Faith is made strong through testing, just as physical strength is built through working out.
After this realization, I prayed that God would strengthen me spiritually and make my faith strong. I understood that this would come through trials and testing, and I was aware it would be painful, but I believed it would be worth the outcome.
On March 1st, I committed to truly trust in God regardless of the circumstances. In the week leading up to a Men’s Retreat in mid-March, Linda and I were sitting outside on the deck eating dinner and discussing our finances. I told her we were falling behind. Linda then asked, “How short are we each month? How much more do we need to bring in to make up the difference?” I told her we needed to double her salary in order to pay all our bills. She panicked and insisted I needed to get a job right away.
From September through February, God had stopped providing for us beyond Linda’s salary. We were accumulating debt at an alarming rate and were down to buying groceries with credit cards. Linda’s former boss, now with a new company, had asked about her availability to work when they were ready to hire. Linda suggested he talk to me, as I was available. We spoke, and it seemed like a great fit, but he needed funding before he could bring me on. Weeks turned into months, and while we stayed in touch, there was no progress.
In the meantime, I became more discouraged by God’s apparent lack of provision. I stopped tithing in November for the first time in nearly 27 years as a Christian. We simply didn’t have money to tithe and were paying bills and buying groceries on credit cards. I also wasn’t meeting with as many men as before and was less productive around the house.
Finally, in January, I was hired as a contractor to do some research. While I excel at research and enjoy it, the role required cold-calling to generate sales leads, which I absolutely hated. I did well initially but quickly became disillusioned and didn’t put in many hours. After four weeks, the contract ended with no renewal. I had an opportunity to earn money but didn’t take full advantage of it. It wouldn’t have solved our debt problem, but it would have helped.
Linda was frustrated by my lack of ministry work and my minimal effort during the contract. When she asked about our bills and how much we needed, she lost it and told me I needed to find work immediately. I reluctantly agreed and started planning to look for a job. Her perspective was that if I wasn’t going to fulfill God’s calling, then I needed to work.
The next day, I was in a miserable mood. I was sure of God’s calling, and so was Linda, but it felt like a pipe dream. I questioned if we had completely messed up by me not working. Despite everything, the three years I’d been out of work had been the best of my life. I had grown tremendously and was able to help our daughter with her son and during her second pregnancy while her husband was deployed in Iraq. I spent meaningful time with our grandson, making his dad’s absence easier to bear.
Wednesday evening, I prayed and told God that He needed to give me an answer at the men’s retreat that weekend. If not, I would start looking for a job on Monday and abandon ministry. Giving God ultimatums is never a good idea… but I did it anyway. The next morning, at the men’s breakfast, a friend who hadn’t attended in months showed up. He shared how they had been talking about me the night before and felt he needed to come. His words encouraged me to trust God and stay on the path He had called me to. I left the breakfast in better spirits.
The theme of the retreat was “Surrender.” On Friday night, the pastor taught about Jacob wrestling with God all night. In the morning, God touched Jacob’s hip, dislocating it, and Jacob refused to let go until God blessed him. The pastor encouraged us to wrestle with God that weekend and ask for His blessing. He referenced the scene in Gladiator where Maximus organizes the gladiators into formation and commands them, “Don’t break the line.” The pastor’s admonition was for us to stand together and not break the line.
On Saturday morning, leaders spoke about the importance of relationships and how they had built their friendship. While one man spoke, God gave me a vision of myself standing on the stage with two rows of men on the steps in front of me. He told me to do this demonstration, so I approached one of the leaders and shared the vision. He agreed to call me up after they prayed.
After the last speaker finished, the leader invited me up. I stood on the stage as in the vision and began calling men to stand on the steps. These were men who had spoken into my life or allowed me to speak into theirs. I moved from table to table, calling them up. By the end, I had called around 50 men out of the 80 present. As I looked at them, I realized there were probably twice as many who weren’t there. The stage was filled from end to end. Looking over the heads of the men, I couldn’t see the enemy; I was protected by “my army.”
I spoke about how these men had shaped me into the man God intended. I encouraged everyone to allow others to speak into their lives, to mold and sharpen them. As Proverbs 27:17 says, “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” I wanted to speak about each man’s impact on my life but knew it would take all day. The moment was powerful for everyone present.
Afterward, I sat down, and God asked, “How was that blessing?” I responded that it was incredible. Then He asked, “Do you still feel poor?” I had always struggled with a “poverty mentality,” believing I never had enough. In that moment, I realized I was the richest man in the room where it truly mattered. These men were my “silver and gold,” my “treasures in heaven” that would never fade. I was overwhelmed with gratitude and finally understood the depth of God’s blessings in my life.
The scripture from 2 Corinthians 9:6 came to mind: “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” I had sown generously in relationships and reaped abundantly. This moment transformed me, breaking my poverty mentality and replacing it with gratitude for God’s provision. I told God to forget about my ultimatum. His call on my life was clear, and I reaffirmed my commitment to trust Him no matter what.
When I got home, I felt like I was walking on air and shared with Linda what God had done. Beyond breaking the poverty mentality, I felt a strong commitment to give out of our need—not just from what we had left over but even from what we needed. It became clear that we should see others’ needs as greater than our own and give accordingly, trusting that God would provide when we stepped out in faith. We can’t reap until we sow, and as Scripture reminds us, God gives seed to the sower.
Around this time, we had watched the movie Facing the Giants a couple of times. Its message of trusting God to do the impossible resonated deeply with us, providing encouragement and faith for the months ahead. It reinforced that with God, nothing is impossible.
By April, we had fallen behind on our house payments and were struggling to keep up with our debts. Linda had an old IRA from a previous 401(k), and she asked if she should cash it out to make two house payments and help us catch up. I felt strongly that it wasn’t meant for us—that we needed to give it away. Linda immediately agreed, feeling confirmation in her spirit. She was surprised, knowing how I had clung to every penny in the past. But God had broken that mindset in me, and I no longer felt the need to hold onto everything for ourselves.
After cashing out the IRA, we prayed for God to show us where to give the money. Ten days passed, and no clear need had come up. I prayed again, asking Him to lead us soon or we’d be tempted to use it for our bills. During that time, God brought to mind the story of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts—how they had pledged to give everything but held back a portion and were struck down for lying to the Holy Spirit. While I wasn’t afraid of such drastic consequences, I didn’t want to break my commitment to God.
Linda also wrestled with the temptation to use the money for our own needs. God reminded her of Sarah’s story—how she had tried to fulfill God’s promise her own way by having Abraham conceive a child with Hagar. He gently told her, “You are thinking like Sarah, wanting to make my promises happen in your own way.”
A day or two later, we heard about a single mom with four children who was in desperate need. An email she sent caught our attention, as she shared how she was trusting God to provide. Both Linda and I knew this was where the money was meant to go. We gave her the funds, and it was an incredible blessing for her and her family. They were able to pay off bills, buy groceries, and meet their children’s needs. For us, the joy of being used by God to bless her far outweighed any temporary relief we might have gained by using the money for ourselves. It showed her—and reminded us—that God provides.
Even though giving the money didn’t resolve our financial struggles, the peace and satisfaction we felt in obeying God were priceless. We were reminded that trusting Him often involves stepping out in faith, even when the outcome is uncertain.
At the end of April, I faced another challenge: my car needed an inspection, but the tires were worn out, and it wouldn’t pass without replacements. On April 29th, while at church, a friend who owns a mechanic shop asked how I was doing. I had just been listening to Praise You in This Storm, so I replied, “God is faithful in the storm.” He pressed further, asking about the storms I was facing. I hesitated but felt the Lord prompting me to share about the car.
He immediately offered to help, asking me to bring the car in the next day. I told him I didn’t have any money to pay for the repairs, but he simply said, “I didn’t ask you for any money.” The following day, he put on four brand-new tires and completed the inspection—on the very last day it could be done. Praise God for His provision!
Stepping Off the Cliff
In late April or early May, while paying bills and praying about our situation, I felt God telling me that He would pay off all our debt—house payments (first and second mortgages), both cars, and maxed-out credit cards totaling around $195,000. His purpose, He revealed, was to free us to serve in full-time ministry without being tied to financial burdens. I asked Him if I had heard correctly, and His answer was clear: “Yes, all of it.” He instructed me to trust Him and believe.
When I shared this with Linda, I told her it felt like we had just “stepped off the cliff.” She was initially skeptical but chose to trust my spiritual leadership—a rare dynamic for us—and supported the vision.
This might sound like wishful thinking, but God was challenging us to believe Him for the impossible, to trust beyond what we could accomplish with our own resources. True faith, He reminded us, means stepping out in obedience, even when the path ahead is unclear. We committed to never using credit again, never taking out loans, and living solely on what God provides.
In the months since, God has reaffirmed His promise daily, often multiple times a day, through scripture and devotionals. One recurring message was to “believe and not doubt,” to trust Him fully. As part of this journey, He led us to forgive debts owed to us, including one from our son who had used our credit card for car repairs. This act of forgiveness not only relieved him but also freed us spiritually, allowing us to fully embrace God’s provision.
One particularly powerful moment occurred while Linda listened to the Bible on her commute. In Mark 5, Jesus tells Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe,” even after receiving news of his daughter’s death. That reassurance resonated deeply, reminding us that nothing is impossible with God.
I attended another men’s retreat in mid-May, which helped renew my focus. However, as late notices and calls from creditors piled up, doubts crept in. Questions about integrity, credit scores, and public perception weighed heavily on us. One morning, Linda was especially burdened, but God comforted her through 1 Peter 4:12: “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.” She felt God’s presence and reassurance in a profound way.
This journey forced us to confront idols in our lives, including reliance on our credit and reputation. God asked Linda directly, “Will you make your credit your god, or will you make Me your God?” We chose to surrender those idols and trust Him completely.
The movie Facing the Giants provided additional encouragement. A scene where a man asks his wife, “If God never gives us children, will you still love Him?” mirrored our own question: “If God doesn’t fulfill our dream of being debt-free for ministry, will we still trust Him?”
Another moment in the film spoke to preparing for blessings. A man shares the story of two farmers who prayed for rain, but only one prepared his fields. “Which one truly believed?” he asks. That challenge prompted us to prepare our hearts by embracing generosity and breaking free from a poverty mentality.
At the end of May, I had just enough money to make a payment on Linda’s car. But God challenged me: “If you truly trust Me to pay off all your debt, why make a payment? Use that money for other needs and let Me fulfill My promise.” It was a test of faith, and in the end, that money went toward car repairs instead, which was essential to pass inspection.
As time passed without a miraculous payoff, doubts arose. Did I really hear from God? Or was this a product of my own desires? One Thursday morning, a friend shared that while praying about giving us financial help, God told him, “Don’t help Tom; I’m working on him.” Hearing this was a tremendous encouragement. It reassured us that we were in God’s will and that He had everything under control.
We realized that God was restricting others from stepping in so that He alone would receive glory when His promise was fulfilled. This journey was not just about finances but about building our faith. He is preparing us for ministry by strengthening our spiritual foundation and trust in Him.
Sharing this story with others often brings skepticism at first. But as people hear the details, their disbelief transforms into wonder. Many find it inspiring and express a desire for deeper faith. God’s ways often defy logic, but His hand in our journey is undeniable.
One scripture that continually strengthens us is Matthew 14, where Jesus invites Peter to walk on water. Peter succeeds until he’s distracted by the storm and begins to sink. When he cries out, Jesus immediately saves him. That story is a vivid reminder to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, especially during the storms of life.
Right now, we are walking on water—doing the impossible—because Jesus has called us to. We wouldn’t have chosen this path on our own, but obedience to His call has borne fruit and deepened our faith.
