Miracle on Wilshire Blvd.

Preface:

By raise of hands, how many people dread it when the church asks you to tithe? Ok, put your hand down 'cause you look like an idiot raising your hand alone with your computer.

In all honesty, that used to be me too. I used to tithe, but I would always sit there in service and think to myself, "I wonder how big the pastor's house is?" Then one horrible afternoon in January, a tree fell on my car, my insurance company gave me the boot, I had to transfer the titile of my car to my name, register it in California, and get new car insurance. *POOF* My savings account was gone. Now that I was broke, tithing was the first thing to go. Then I got called out on it by a few people in the kids ministry and I reluctantly started tithing again.


Miracle on Wilshire Blvd:

June 20, 2010 was like any other Sunday morning for serving at Oasis. Once again, I snoozed my alarm one too many times, probably didn't shower, put on my Texas Tech orange and white Oasis volunteer shirt, stopped at Starbucks for a cup of instant personality, and then gathered in the back parking lot for the Oasis Kids prayer meeting. But this time, I didn't show up late. Time came for the big news, prayer requests, and praise reports before the prayer. I took the opportunity to tell my volunteer team about my plans to move to Switzerland and ask for prayers about the sadness of leaving and my anxiety over my financial situation. After tearfully exposing my emotions of being totally overwhelmed, a voice from the circle asked me if I would accept a love offering, to which I quietly responded, "yes."

Now for those of you who don't know what a love offering is, a love offering is an offering...of love...in the form of money. It is a gift that is not to be mistaken for a loan or investment and does not require anything in return. It is a beautiful thing.

After the prayer circle was finished and the crowd dispersed, a woman who I merely recognized approached me and asked me how much money I needed. Woah. Talk about an awkward situation. How do you begin to tell someone how much money to give you? Standing in the parking lot in complete silence after being asked am impossible question, I just kept thinking that $500 would be tremendous. But it's not easy to look a stranger in the face and say, "hey, can I have $500 and never pay you back? K, thanks!" I mean, it's easy to fantasize about winning the lottery or finding yourself in the position of Preston Waters in Blank Check, but in real life I didn't just get hit by a car on my bike by a convict who who had just stolen millions, so this woman owed me nothing.

After realizing that I had been standing there with a blank look on my face for far too long, I mumbled, "I need a lot." (A lot? What does that even mean?!) She looked me in the eyes and said, "Would $1,000 be enough?" I burst into tears and she gave me a check for $1,000.

"Bring the whole tithe to the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the Lord Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it." Malachi 3:10