You have been teaching about these things. Jesus did for others.

I work one day a month for the Senior Center of Yuba City. The last meeting was October 2. We had a guest speaker, the Head Administrator for the food bank of Yuba and Sutter County.

She informed us that the food bank is feeding 30,000 people a month in those two counties. Wow! I have been praying and praying about God's money. Then I came to church wearing a shirt that someone had given me sometime ago. On it, it had

Psalm 82:3–4

A person came up to me at church and wanted to know what it meant. So I came home and read Psalm 82:3–4
It says: 3 Defend the poor and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and needy. 4 Deliver the poor and needy; Free them from the hand of the wicked.

After reading it this is what I came up with. To listen to what the words are and then actually do something about them to help our brothers and sisters in need! Just like Jesus. I believe the Bible calls us to stand up for those in need.

So I gave $100 to the food bank of Yuba & Sutter County. My prayer were answered through that verse.
Thank You, Lord.

$100 Samaritan's Purse (Hurricane Helene)
$100 Tunnel to Towers Foundation Vets 1st Responders
$100 We Must Protect TulsiGabbard Non-Profit (Hurricane Helene)

$100

My “talent” lies in agriculture, specifically cattle. We raise purebred Angus bulls as a seed stock producer and sell them to the commercial cattleman.

As Brad announced this challenge, I felt instantly led to accept and that I would just be a good servant and sell beef. I took it home & prayed & asked God for guidance, in that $100 wouldn't buy a breeding bull, so what could I invest it in? I thought semen, but I have no talent in selling that. I went around & around. First maybe selling a whole steer, well that was more money than anyone I contacted wanted to spend. So, I was stuck. God said make it reasonable, but I thought $100 investment & selling a whole beef would be lots of $$. I think He laughed at me. Not reasonable. Where’s your talent?! I asked my neighbor, who has wanted to buy some meat from us, but even she said 1/2 a steer was too much. What would $100 buy reasonably? Maybe a 1/4 of a beef?

I inventory my freezer, as we had just harvested a heifer. I came up with about a quarter of a beef; 70 lbs of cuts and 45 lbs of ground beef. Priced it out to $945. I called my neighbor back, she said great, but doesn't get paid for two weeks. Stalled out! Oh no! God was still laughing, He said “reasonable!” So, I asked what does that mean? Reasonable, sensible, affordable, believable? He said you figure it out…!!! Yikes, I am running out of time here!

I was telling my about the “Talent Challenge”, to a friend who had turned me down to buy a side of beef previously, and she said I'll take 40 lbs of ground beef, but I don't need a full side of beef. Then I got it! It dawned on me, the most commonly used meat is ground beef. Affordable, reasonable, believable. So, I put together a 40 lbs package of ground beef, to which my cost is about $100 to raise the animal and sold it for $8 a lbs, including the butchering, cut and wrapped = $320 for ranch raised certified Angus Beef. And the Lord said great. Everybody wins. A fair & reasonable investment for all!

I donated $100 to "Pastoral Training of Asia" to purchase shoes or school supplies so children can attend school and learn about Jesus. As the oldest of six children and a mother who worked as a waitress, I'm sure I never had more than 2 to 3 pairs of shoes. So when Jim said shoes were needed. My ears perked up.

I am blessed to know that there will be children who will have shoes who otherwise might not.

Here is what I did with the $100 that was given to us to further God's kingdom:

For several weeks prior to the $100 challenge, an old friend from college had been on my heart. I hadn't seen or heard from him in decades! But God put him on my heart, so I began to pray for him.

As I remembered, he was a man who had a natural gift of evangelism. In fact, we had taken a class together that was trying to teach us about how to tell people about Jesus, but this young guy didn't do very well in the class because it was so academic, while he was much more relational and real. As a young man, I always wanted to be like him, and never forgot him.

Through the magic of the Internet, I located him and felt that God was impressing on me to send him the $100 as either an encouragement for him, or for him to use in someway to further God's kingdom. So I sent the money and prayed and waited, he sent me an email and told me what happened with the money. God clearly had his hand in this situation (which I believed even before I received his reply.)

Friends Email:

I could hardly bleed my eyes when I saw your name on the letter. Of course, I remembered you. And I greatly appreciate the beautiful letter you sent, and the lovely, thoughtful comments regarding our past. How this whole thing came to be, was just remarkable your pastor giving out the $100 bills and all. Let me tell you about the way God use that…

Last night I hosted a party at my home, called “Summer Sunset.” I know, it's way past summers end, but I was simply too busy in September to find an opening in my schedule. It was an elaborate affair that is a function of both music and connecting friends, both new and old. I think the age spread was ages 2.5 to 82.

During the day, I dropped into my office for a few minutes to pick up some random items for the event, and I saw your letter on my desk. I saw it must be personal, so I opened it quickly, partially unfolded the pages and when I noticed the hundred dollar bill, I quickly put that in my shirt pocket and put the envelope in my coat pocket, not knowing who it was actually from. I thought I would save it for later that night after the party to read.

Anyway, I really needed help with set up and a couple of friends came over to do the heavy lifting. I also needed a woman's touch on some decor and I called a young woman, I know to see if she would be able to help. Her name is Erika and she owns a small coffee shop which she operates until about noon every day. I know that she is struggling financially and has hard times at home, so I offered to pay her for her help. She was delighted and showed up at my house about 3 PM.

While she was working, we discovered we needed a few items from the grocery store and she offered to go buy them. As she was preparing to leave, I stopped her so I could give her a credit card to pay for the items. Unfortunately, my wallet was in my truck, which was locked and my keys were on the whole other side of the yard, so I just handed her that $100 bill. The one from you.

When she got back to my house, she carefully handed me the change and a receipt for the $9.98 she had used for the items. Before the party even started, I noticed she had her coat on and was standing next to the doorway out of the backyard. I approached and noticed she was crying a little bit. I attempted to comfort her, but also knew that was not my place. She said she needed to go home as “social settings” were uncomfortable for her at this time in her life. I knew she had a long drive home and I handed her the change from the purchases and she refused it. I didn't quite know what to do, so I said, “think of this as a gift from God, not from me”. She took it, was comforted and started on the 30 mile drive home. Later in the evening, I read your letter. My, Oh My, was I ever surprised to find it was from you, and was I ever blessed to know that God had worked to get the money to a precious friend who needed it so much. This is the life of faith, and trusting Him, and all He does.

Erika may never know what actually happened. But regardless, it is another step in the process of bringing one of his children to himself.

We may never know the actual physical, emotional, and spiritual results of this investment of money, but I can say this: God is SO much bigger than we think. He looked down on me, my friend, and his situation and reach through decades of time and right into the precise moments of need. Wow, what a God we serve! He is always seeing the entire picture, while we see only small glimpses of reality.

Thank you so much for trusting me to invest this money.

May the story bless you as much as it has blessed me.

To explain my experience with finding a good investment for the $100 I need to provide some back story first.

The distinct and sometimes harsh seasonal changes, especially winter, that I grew up experiencing caused my family not just to observe, but prepare. Our heat source was only our woodstove. When summer turned to fall there needed to be firewood stored away for the cold winter days ahead. Summertime excursions to the mountains to cut wood were a familiar activity that I looked forward to. Our family worked together to make the most of each trip, and we came home each time with an overloaded pick up truck.

The part of this memory that is the sweetest to me, is where we shared our wood with the widows in town who also needed firewood for winter. Visiting their homes and filling empty wood sheds with winter fuel was a natural and traditional part of the season.

Now as summer turns to fall and I feel the cool crispness in the air I have the traditional apple pie cravings, but also the memory of our families efforts to bless the widows in our community.

I had no idea of how to invest this money, for God's Kingdom. I prayed a lot for two days without inspiration. My husband asked me about a little town in Idaho that we had spoken of earlier and I couldn't remember the name. The next morning it bothered me that I didn't remember and eventually I found it through an Internet search. A random course of curiousness led me to see if there was a church in that town. There was one so I followed their link to Facebook in which I watched their live prayer and sharing time preceding the church service. During the sharing time it was mentioned that a lady who had been recently widowed was in need of firewood. There was my answer! I felt a God nudge. As usual, I didn't act immediately because I was thinking of a monetary investment.

God nudges continued until I realized that to invest this God's way was to not expect a monetary return, but leave it to Him to see the big picture and work out His part His way.

I went forward with writing a letter to the pastor explaining what the challenge was and that if he would deliver the money to the widow I would be grateful. Loving God's people through God's people was the goal, not providing enough to solve a problem entirely, but encouraging and loving was my part in God's plan.

The next Sunday I watched the service on Facebook again and the pastor read the letter to his congregation, handed the envelope to the widow in the front while the people cheered and clapped.

It has been said that one man's trash is another man's treasure. On October 5th I participated in Gridley's “14 mile yard sale” with two other people. We plan for two weeks, brought all items for sale over to one person's house. Showed up at 6:30 AM that morning to set up and be ready by 8 AM. We prayed together that we would have a fun day fellowshipping and have an opportunity to share with others which we did several times. I was able to sell most of what I brought. It matched the talent I was given to the penny. Although I didn't “invest” my talent per se. God spoke to my heart, saying the money you earned should go to a good cause. You don't need it! It is my desire to give back the talent. God bless me with along with the talent. God allowed me to earn so that Calvary Chapel can use it for the Asian ministries we support.

Thank you, Lord for giving me this opportunity and blessing me with being able to double the one talent given. Matthew 25:22.

Before the envelope happened, I found out that a young girl  that I am very fond of (she is the daughter of our only full time employee)  had completed two years at Yuba College (her goal being to become a teacher).
But she was frustrated and had not applied to Chico State to move forward in the first semester, but got a job in a clothing store instead.  I asked my husband if he would please speak with our employee and ask if I could talk to his daughter about this. He speaks only Spanish so I had to have my husband speak for me. He was very grateful and wanted me to talk with her. So I called her and arranged to have lunch the next Saturday when she would be off. She came and we talked for a long time. She really does want to finish and I encouraged her as I know she is very capable of doing the work.  

The next Sunday that we attended was the one where you were handing out the letters.  I had no idea exactly what the Lord would want me to do, but I took the envelope, and within an hour was thinking of her. After much prayer, I felt the Lord was with me and I knew I wanted to give it to her. I wrote her a note to go with it, encouraging her that I was going to be with her on this journey. I knew that the Lord’s money was to be invested in her, and I explained what was going on at our church regarding the money.  She came back quickly with a lovely thank you.  She is a special girl from a lovely family. We don’t know what we would do without her dad.
I chose to put two 50’s back in the original envelope and put it back to work.  My niece and her husband live much nearer to Chico. They are both retired teachers. They have already offered for her to stay with them free of charge, which is something they have done for several of the relatives in our family. I’m going to seek help in helping her apply to go to Chico next semester. Everyone involved in this adventure is committed to the Lord and are going to be helpers. I can’t thank you enough for giving me this chance to serve the Lord in this special way.   Please keep Selene in your prayers.

Throughout the Bible, we read about our Lord meaning us where we are.
He meets the physical needs of His people in the desert for 40 years, when His people moved into the land, He gave them all they needed, and when Jesus healed people by physical touch and even His spit with a little dirt to open the eyes of the blind.

In John 4 Jesus went to Jacob’s well and spoke about the water we drink is temporary, but He can give us the living water of eternal life.

Our Lord meets us where we are, He meets our physical needs so He can draw us close to meet our spiritual needs.

Matthew 25:34–40
34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

Shouldn't we as followers of Christ be Christ like and help the less fortunate? The ones that cannot help themselves. Let's meet the freshly needs and then we can meet the spiritual needs as well.

I was able to join with others to help provide water to the less fortunate in the world by give water. Below is the company that helps provide that around the world, even in the area Tammy Walker is in. Christian company connected with Christian people and churches teaching about Jesus Christ. Every $25 provides water for someone, for life.

Faith in Action
Lifewater is a Christian water organization. We serve every person regardless of religion or background, providing clean water, improved, hygiene, and better sanitation for families and remote, rural villages. We partner with Christian ministries to share the love of Christ and build the local church.

Christian Community Develop
In areas where churches are present, Lifewater, trains church leaders in foundational theology, and God's mandate to love the vulnerable. Where there is no Christian presence, we partner with ministries to share the good news of Jesus.

In the Bible, Jesus heals people physically, and spiritually. Following His example, our staff share life-saving health practices, and bring safe water to meet physical needs; our ministry partners share about God's love, distribute Bibles, and plant churches – meeting a spiritual need.

I want to thank Jesus for all these people, and putting it on our to do this. I have learned more about myself and what I need to be doing.

$60 of the $100 was put towards gifts bags containing a Bible, a note, a balloon, and some puzzle activities. The bags were distributed to patients of Orchard Hospital.  I returned the extra money.

I asked the Lord to show me how he would have me invest his money.

Investing for His kingdom, seemed to be more than an increase in dollars, but in souls.

I continue to ask Him to show me –

1. The very next day I received an opportunity to contribute to Messianic Jewish Alliance of America with a matching gift of $13 for every dollar donated. I sent $100 (13*100=$1300)
2. Then, I was also chosen to be on-call to serve on a jury in Sacramento for the month of October.

• I would not receive any pay from my job for this time served as our employee manual states that we may use our sick time for the time we need to takeoff for jury duty. I have no sick time remaining for the year. Therefore, I would only receive a stipend plus mileage each day served.
• Each week, as I called in I was told that I would not be serving for the following week. Therefore, I had this opportunity gift from God. I wouldn't be short, I would receive my full pay!
  • That next Sunday, Jim and Shonda Davis were here and it was laid on my heart to give an extra hundred dollars to one of our Calvary Chapel missionaries, beginning with them.
• The Lord has blessed me to be able to give each week.
  • The week the Davises were here – September 29 $100
  • To Tammy and Africa – October 6 $100
  • The Goldsteins - Chosen People – October 13 $100
  • It is the 18th today and I'm seeking the Lord as to where $100 will be invested into his kingdom on Sunday, October 20.

This investment has kept these ministries before my heart. I am praying more consistently for them.

The Lord led us to help a family in our apartment building.

They were struggling financially and needed exactly $200 to cover their PG&E bill. They were hesitant at first, but I assured them it was a gift from God. The mother had tears in her eyes. She said “are you sure,” I said “yes.” She finally accepted it and I could see a weight lifted off of her and her family.

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I took the $100 talent provided by God and added $100 of our personal money making a talent gift of $200. After my prayer, I felt the Lord direct me to invest this $200 talent in support of the "Jesus Film Project." Some of the results are listed here.

Thank you for your recent gift to help spread the good news through the ministry of "Jesus Film Project." Your investment will make an eternal difference in the lives of unreached men, women, and children. Not everyone can read or will read the Bible. "Jesus Film Project" delivers the story of Jesus on film, so all can hear Him speak in their language and see His love play out on screen. We are passionate about sharing Jesus with the world because we believe everyone, everywhere should have access to His life changing love and forgiveness. That's why, by God's grace and through the help of our partners, our Christian films are available in over 2000 different languages. They are designed to break language and literacy barriers so anyone can watch no matter where they are in the world.  Our prayer is that God will honor and bless your partnership in helping to share His message of love and forgiveness with people in spiritual darkness Luke 6:38. And on their behalf, I say thank you. I am pleased to share with you the impact of "Jesus Film Project" through emails I will be sending to you in the coming weeks. May you be encouraged as you read and see how unreached people across the globe are hearing and understanding the good news in great numbers. The Holy Spirit is speaking to their hearts and transforming their lives as they experience "Jesus."

More than 200 million men, women, and children have indicated decisions to know Christ after viewing the film in their heart language. Through Jesus Film media someone says "yes" to the Lord every second. It's a universally recognized tool for global evangelism and church planting. On average, 10% of people who attend the Jesus film showings make the decision to follow Christ.

Our envelope was number 16. After much prayer and consideration, we invested our $100 in Lydia’s House, which is a 10–12-month women’s residential discipleship program offering love, support and healing in a faith based, clean, sober and nicotine free home. We chose this ministry as we have seen first hand the impact it has had on the lives around us. It has not only affected the women who have gone through the program but also on their family and friends. This program is not like anything the world has to offer, it is not a rehab program which focuses on the problem, it is a home that offers hope through a personal relationship with Christ. The women experience freedom from spiritual and emotional issues with prayer, counseling and Biblical curriculum. The transformation process is from the inside out, dealing with the hearts of women and the real root issues of their behavior, not just the outward symptoms. Discipleship is a process, in which Lydia’s House helps to initiate so that the women can be transitioned back into their family and into a local church body.

I invested an extra $100 of my own money with the $100 I received from the church. I contacted someone who used to go to our church many years ago. This person has a ministry in handing out gospel tracks. I sent tracks to him to pass out as the Lord leads him. He is currently praying about the possibility of a ministry on his college campus. I do not know the details of that ministry. When I called, he had just finished a meeting with a missionary friend of his. He had asked his friend how he gets money to do the ministries the Lord has put on his heart to do. His friend told him not to be concerned about that. He said the Lord provides. I had just called up at that moment, wanting to get tracks to him. It was an encouragement to all three of us to see how God provides. We all had different ministries, however, the goal was the same, to get God's word out to the unsaved.

Application - God uses each one of us in different ways to get His work done. 

I invested my $100 for supplies for a community dinner on Saturday, October 19 at the Orville senior center. Leftover food was taken out and distributed to the homeless.

The result that I received was to see the community come together for food and fellowship. A wonderful blessing.

I received a text at 6 AM Friday morning, October 18, which said:
Hello, I am sorry, but my father-in-law passed away early this morning and I won't be able to make it in today. Is it OK to touch base in a couple of days to reschedule?
I responded and said: Absolutely, I am sorry to hear of your loss. May God wrap his loving arms around the whole family and comfort you during this time. ❤️
She texted me: Thank you❤️

I knew instantly, while I was still laying in bed that this was what I was to invest the $100 for His Kingdom in.

This person that I am speaking of has a business that I have visited only three times, and I don't know too much about her, except that she is a sweet woman of about 40 years old, mild mannered, polite, and I believe her and her husband do not have a lot of money.

The next day Saturday, October 19, I sent another text. To her, saying:
Hello, I know that this is a difficult time for you and your family. Would it be possible for me to simply drop off a Gift of Love for you and your family? Please know that I would not be coming to Intrude or spend time with you…
If it would be OK, please text me a time and address. Sincerely…

She answered back by saying: Hello… I don't know what to say, you are so kind. As grateful as I am it is difficult to give you a time, things are so up in the air with the family in town. And then said I should be home around six-ish. Again, I really appreciate your thoughtfulness. I answered, by saying that I can make that time work, and I assured her that I would just simply drop it off. And said: Thank you, my prayers are with all of you.

It took me a while to get home from Oroville, when I got home, I had a text from her, saying:
Thank you so much, you could not have blessed us at a better time. I am truly grateful for your kindness.
I answered her. “You're so very welcome, Always remember that you are loved by our Father in Heaven.

I gave them a card w/the money inside and wrote:
“Please know that this money is not from me. It is a gift from God.”

Prior to this, I had been struggling with this and @ the time I was about ready to give up, and turn the money back to you, and tell you I am so sorry, but I am unable to complete this assignment.

However, when I left Orville last night, after seeing how poor these people, I felt so good that I had made the right decision. That God wanted me to.

Results: only time will tell.

God's $100 investment

I invested God's $100 into ‘Family Protection Ministry’ a Christian watch group.

‘Family Protection Ministry’ keeps an eye on any legislation being written in California that may negatively impact Christian families living here. They research new bills, lobby, the legislators, writing the bills, and request them to revise the bills when those bills have a negative impact on some of the people the legislators represent.

With God's help, FPM has been very effective in protecting Christian liberty and homeschooling families in California.

Investing in an establish ministry, such as ‘Family Protection Ministry’ encourages them and is a way for other Christians, like me, to ‘come alongside’ and help them in the work God has given them to do.

This challenge has caused me to pray and carefully for God's direction. It also caused me to evaluate whether I am using the gifts. God has given me in the way He intends for me to use them.

It has been a blessing to see the different ways, God has directed us to invest His $100.

I took envelope number 30.

I took the envelope in faith. I wasn't sure what I would do with it and I just knew I needed to take one.

I began to pray about it and it was like I was hitting a brick wall. The more I prayed, the harder that wall became. I was beginning to end my prayers with “please God, don't let me be the one that buries this money.” I was so upset because it was beginning to look like I was that person. I prayed at least two weeks without an answer. Then the hurricane hit. I watched it on TV for a couple of days and felt no burning desire to help. Then one day two names kept running through my mind, over and over. So, I began to pray for these two names. I had seen Quinn before, but I never met him. I had never met Shannon either. The more I prayed, the more God laid their names on my heart. I was praying and I am sure that God told me to do it. I was so excited. I went to my sisters house the next day and was telling her about it. She was all excited. She went into her bedroom and didn't come out for a while. When she did come out, she felt the Lord had laid it on her heart to match the talent, I mean the money. It meant so much to me that these two families both would have $100 to help them out during this catastrophe that they are living through.

Also I want to thank the church for doing this. Everyone I told has been so excited and interested. I think this has been the most important thing I have done. Because the money wasn't mine and I was responsible for it. Was I going to use it in the way God wanted me to or was I going to bury it. It was painful at times, but in the end, it was pure joy.

I didn't sign the letters. It wasn't from me. It was from God. I was just the instrument that he used. I sent the letters certified and I used the churches address in case they came back. I sure hope they don't. If they do, I will resend them. Thanks again for this opportunity.

I received a newsletter from Caring for Women Pregnancy Resource Center in Oroville. (CFW)

This is one of the accounts in the letter I received.
Recently, our client advocate met with an abortion minded client in her teens. She was able to go over the options with her: abortion, adoption, and parenting the child. She educated her on the risks of abortion. The client left the appointment undecided, and later made an appointment with, Care Net of Paradise (CHP) on site clinic for an ultrasound. during that ultrasound appointment the client shared that abortion is against her “code,” but felt she and her boyfriend aren't ready to have a baby. She was worried about what this baby would mean for her future. The nurse was able to share her story of how she got pregnant in college, but was still able to complete her degree. The client agreed to have the nurse pray over her.

A week or so later, CNP reached out to her to provide test results as well as to check in on her state of mind regarding her pregnancy decision. This young pregnant teen declared that she had scheduled an appointment at Planned Parenthood for a few weeks later. All of the staff and volunteers who worked with this client were heartbroken. They let her know that they would still walk through this time with her and offered to provide After abortion care.

They continued to pray for her over the next few weeks and little did they know God was indeed working in her heart and mind. The Planned Parenthood appointment came and they didn't hear from the client. A few weeks later, she called CFW and said she was so grateful that the CFW was there for her, she decided to carry and parent her baby.

She repeated how grateful she was for our services. She said she felt so good that we educated her about her options and that we were more supportive than even her own family. She expressed that she was a little scared, but confident that she made the right decision. She has renewed Hope and knows that she can come to caring for women for her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs.

The letter expressed that through our support, they have saved two lives. The heart of a new mama who does not have to walk through the trauma of an abortion and the child developing inside her who will be born into a loving home. When these women come to the center looking for help, we have to trust that God will allow a seed to be planted that will provide this outcome. The story could have had a different ending, but because of people like you, we were able to provide the support she needed to keep this child.

Galatians 6:9 says
let us not become weary and doing good, but at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.

This organization had been on my mind since the start and the receipt of the newsletter confirmed my thoughts and prayers. The sentence “you save two lives” really stuck with me! I had never thought of this situation in this way—Wow. I then donated the $100 anonymously to CFW. The Lord is always working, no matter if you can see it happening before your eyes or not. This is a great reminder for — keep on doing good and look for opportunities to do the Lord’s work!

When Brad announced this talent thing, my first thought was, “I can't do this, I’m terrible with money. No one should give me $100.”

The Lord spoke to me immediately. “This is important,” He said. “You should do this.”  So I did. My first thought was, “I need a small job. One that requires less than $100 worth of materials. I could turn this $100 into $500 or more. God is going to be so proud of me.”

The next day I got a phone call. Someone wanted me to work on their kitchen. “This is perfect, I thought. I could turn this $100 into $800 or more.” We made an appointment for the following Friday. Thursday evening the job was canceled. They wanted to wait on the kitchen remodel.

“That's OK, I thought God has a plan.” I started praying… a lot… I started listening for God's voice. Everywhere I went I prayed and listened. I listen to people around me and felt for the moving of the Holy Spirit.
Once I saw a lady that looked like she needed help. I talked to her, but the Holy Spirit wasn't in it. So I didn't help her.
Once I chased a man that needed help and the Lord desperately. Again, the spirit wasn't in it. He wasn't open to talking about the Lord. I didn't want to spend the money unless it would win a soul to the kingdom of God.
It's 10 PM on October 19.This morning I prayed and gave the day to the Lord. I was prepared to write a letter telling about my experience and the positive effects that this has had on me. Then turn it in with the $100 I hadn't spent.

A Christian brother called me, and said he and some other men are planning an outreach. They would like me to be involved. This outreach will include lunch and a message. So I'm going to hold onto the hundred dollars if that's OK and give an accounting after. If not, I am completely OK with spending my own money on an outreach. For it is not mine. It is God.

That brings me to my last point. I have always had a dysfunctional relationship with money, this relationship was taught to me by dysfunctional people. This experience has been powerful for me. It has changed the way I view money. It is God’s. It is meant to further His kingdom

I could write so much more about the last month. But I will write an update later.

The $100 was used to help pay for the last church picnic – the balance due for the picnic is donated. This resulted in fellowship, food and fun for all who attended and I got to meet and know someone I hadn't yet.

I prayed about what to do with this $100. I thought of easy ways to use it, but nothing was right.

At school, there is a high-schooler that I have known for several years. He is in my art class. He and his siblings were adopted by his grandparents, last year his grandmother passed away. I overheard him talking to his friends about how his grandfather just buys prepackaged foods, and there's never anything to bring for lunch. He said he is always hungry at school.

God said, bring him lunch. So I have used my hundred dollars to buy food and bring him lunch. He has been so grateful and appreciative, I'm humbled and blessed that God has used me to bless this young man.

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I invested all $100 by donating it to the Kids Kingdom Orphanage, encouraging them to use the money where it's needed the most. After Evie's return from Mexico this summer, I wanted to help the orphanage with a donation, but I completely forgot about it. For three weeks I prayed. Silence. I had ideas, but I didn't feel they were the right ones. Last week, Evie received a letter from the orphanage, talking about the children and asking for help. So I did.

The thought of being given $100 to invest in the Kingdom of God was sobering.  I watched people decline the offer. My hands were shaking a bit and there was a feeling in my stomach that was hard to describe.

I am not what I would call creative. I had no immediate idea of how to handle this responsibility.  And so began my prayers. Lord how and what shall I do with this $100? I had 4 weeks.

God was quiet.  I continued in prayer. God remained quiet. Days passed. Perhaps, I thought, I might just need to step out in faith and make a decision. With that in mind I chose to give the $100 to an organization whose ministry was sharing Jesus with people of the Jewish faith. There it was done. I had made the decision.

 It wasn't to be.

Enter Hurricane Helene.

The devastation that followed was and still is something I have a hard time wrapping my mind around. What I saw and what I felt in my heart grieved me.  I took a U-turn. I gave the $100 to Samaritans Purse to provide relief to the victims of Helene. I knew there were brothers and sisters in Christ who would be able to minister to people who have lost everything.  To share the love of Jesus. To pray with and for them.

Stand on the planet with only the clothes on your back and imagine starting over.  

I didn't hesitate.  I was at peace.

I was asked one day "well how are things at Calvary Chapel Gridley?" It was an amazing opportunity to share!  I told of the teaching from Matthew and I told of the $100 challenge from Pastor Brad and I told of the reckoning and what the whole experience was like. That was super cool!

My wife and I took the $100 envelope at church, and after praying, decided to reach out to the homeless in Oroville, though we were unsure how to start. Eventually, we decided to prepare 13 to-go meals, along with extra snacks and hygiene products for future use.  We then visited areas in Oroville where we had seen homeless individuals. When we met each person, we aimed to share the gospel with them, offered to pray for them, and provided them with a Bible.  

We asked for things we could continue to pray for each of them. We were able to connect with several people who expressed concern about their past sins. We shared that we have all sinned, and that is exactly why we are in need of a Savior.

As a busy mom of three boys, I am often left exhausted and feeling defeated by the day. The constant moving parts, the constant cleaning, the continual “Mom,” the knowing that someone always needs me can sometimes feel like a burden. It especially feels like a burden when I am not prioritizing my walk with the Lord. I am carrying the burden on my own, and I find myself at the end of the day realizing that I did not stop and pray at all throughout the day. No wonder I feel so worn. I am not asking the Lord to help me carry the yoke. As a result, I often forget to think about what I am doing as a privilege, as a ministry, and as the will of God. The Lord chose to bless me with three precious souls to nurture, and I want to find the joy in all of it. Joy in the mess, joy in the chaos, joy in the hard parts, joy in my family.

Then I realized that I have had so many conversations like this with many of my mom, friends. We all love our kids, and our family, but it is so easy for us to lose sight of the sweet gift motherhood really is. The Lord led me to a Bible study course called Grace in Chaos. It is a five week study on motherhood, with the focus on learning to lean on the Lord for strength, compassion, reminding us that He is near, and to equip us with scripture to help us mother in a Christ-centered way. I use the $100 to purchase five copies of the study along with the “Prayers for Your Children” companion book. I have reached out to the mom friends God has placed a special spot in my heart for, 2 are baby Christians, 1 is unsaved, and myself and the other have been longtime Christians. We will be going through the study together as a group, and my prayers is that the Lord will deepen the walk of those who are saved, but also, reach the heart of my unsaved friend. My prayer is that the Lord will use this group of mom’s to bless one another, to lift each other up and encourage one another through prayer as we navigate motherhood, and to open up the door for other opportunities to bless other moms and our community.

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As I was praying about what to do with the $100 to invest for God's kingdom, I was given my answer very quickly. Two special ladies in my life, one lady I have known since her birth, and the other lady was put in my life by the Lord about two years ago. They both have been diagnosed with stage four cancer. They are not Christians, and do not own a Bible or daily devotional. They now own both the Word of God, the Bible, and the devotional, as well as a magnet that says, "God has you in the palm of his hand," from Isaiah 49:16. As I have tried to share the Lord and salvation with them, they each let me know in a nice and loving way that they were not interested in hearing.  They believed in the Lord, but did not care about knowing Him. I asked Lord about what to do, and He told me several times to witness with my life. Due to the challenges, I have been facing the last few years, I was asked by both of them how could I believe, stay close, and have strong faith in the Lord. They were willing to let me share my story as to why. As the Lord said to me, witness with your life. Since that day, the lady I have known is telling me that she is praying for me, is asking questions, and has started reading both books. The lady I have known for a couple of years has struggled more, but is starting to let me share, and said she will start reading. Continue to be in my daily prayers. I pray they will both become part of God's kingdom. Glory be to God.

After a few days of receiving her Bible and devotional, my friend of two years passed away. Her husband asked me if he could keep the books and start reading. Of course, I said yes. God is in control.

God has directed me to invest the $100 toward the Men's Breakfast Ministry. I have not participated in the past however I feel that I would enjoy & appreciate this ministry to get to know other men in the church better. God has also laid it on my heart to match the $100.

I have prayed about what I should do with the $100.
I have felt led to give to a missionary cause. In my research, I have checked out Salvation Army, International Fellowship of Christians and Jews, Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital, and Pastoral Training of Asia, USA. Salvation Army donations, $.82 goes directly to needs in the local communities. International Fellowship of Christians and Jews donations $.75 goes to ministry programs. I could not find out how much St. Jude Children’s Hospital donations went toward research & care. I did find out that their CEO’s salary is $1.3 million and they are hoarding billions of dollars in profits from its donations. This was genuinely concerning because in the past I have personally donated to Saint Jude. In researching Pastoral Training of Asia. I went to their website and also their Facebook page and considering these options, I feel the best choice is Pastoral Training of Asia USA. I was moved by his devotion and commitment to this ministry and feel giving to this foundation will further the spreading of God's word.

Calvary Chapel has many programs that reach out to our community. I believe God is using this body of believers to grow God's kingdom so I want to add to the talent that was given to me to further his kingdom and use it here. I will continue to share how he has blessed my life.

How I invested the $100 into his kingdom—
—I attended a and hosted a table at this event —Wrapped in His Majesty— a Woman's Friend Pregnancy Resource Center fundraising dinner.

The results—
—I prayed about this for two days after I got this envelope and then when I was asked to host a table, I knew right then, and there that this is where God directed my path and heart. (Spiritually) and (physically) —full of emotion and warmth in my heart.

I've enclosed a flyer with more info that you can research later.
Thank you for this challenge to spread the love and Lord of God to others!
Amen

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People have been telling me that they were concerned because God had not made it clear to them on how to invest their “talent” ($100) for the Lord—and time was growing short. I encouraged them by telling them, “Don't worry. God is faithful. Just pray and keep your eyes and ears open. He'll open the door.” Sounded great—but now it was Friday—2 days before the day of reckoning. Our results had to be in on Sunday—and I still had my “talent” sealed up in the envelope and I'm thinking, “Lord… I'm still waiting for the door to open.” But God is faithful. Friday afternoon I was talking to someone who is going through major health problems. One of these problems was a serious eye condition. He told me that blood is leaking into his eyes and he has to get shots (one into each eyeball) once a month to stem the flow of blood. Along with this, he is developing degenerative cataracts in his eyes which are affecting his vision.

To combat the loss of vision, he told me he needed glasses to correct his eyesight and that he has an appointment next month at DMV – and without the glasses, he will fail the exam and lose his license. These special prescription glasses cost $500. He didn't have the money to purchase the glasses and told me he was having a garage sale to try and earn enough money to buy them. He said he had been praying to God for help – specifically that God would bring in the money through his garage sale. It was at that moment that I felt God speak to my heart, “you want an open door. Here it is.”

I was able to pray with him, and then tell him about the “talent” that I had been given to use for the kingdom of God. His jaw dropped in unbelief when I handed him the $100 and told him that this was an answered prayer from God. He was brought to tears and told me that God had been speaking to him to “get back into church” and he tried to thank me. This opened a door for me to minister to his heart. I told him, first, thank God – not me. This is the work of the Holy Spirit. Second, God loves him, and he is telling him that he wants to have a closer relationship with him, and the only way that this will happen is if he spends time in prayer, spends time in the word and gets into fellowship – and that he needs to be diligent to do those things. He received this exhortation with gratitude.

As for me, I am always amazed at how faithful God is.
2 Timothy 2:13 (NKJV)
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

2 Corinthians 9:9 (NKJV)
As it is written: “He has dispersed abroad, He has given to the poor; His righteousness endures forever.”

1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV)
As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

My husband felt it would be awesome if we could make the $100 go farther – as in grow the dollar amount to be able to give even more. We chose to buy vases at Goodwill – most costing $3 to $6 and decorate them for fall, to sell for profit, then donate all money made, to Samaritans Purse, to help the hurricane victims in the Midwest and Florida. We also made bar soap to sell, using $100 to purchase ingredients and decor.

So far, we've only sold a fraction of our items and we've made $90. Lord willing, if everything sells, we will be able to donate over $200 to the charity. We have discussed with the girls, the devastation of property and lives, lost from the hurricanes back east. It affected two families properties that we know of, from their YouTube channels we like to watch. The girls enjoyed the process of crafting and creating together in hopes of making money to help with a need! It was a special time spent together. They also were very interested in making a profit from something they made.

I thought it was interesting when we first started brainstorming how we could use the $100 – the only ideas that popped into my mind were things I could do that cost very little or were free. Such as, making cookies to take to a few neighbors nearby that the Lord has put on my heart to say hello and invite them to church. Or calling up certain people from church or/and family members who I have on my heart to check on them and have conversations. There are so many ways to reach out in our community, our neighborhood, our families, that would make such a huge impact – and it would just cost a little time and thought.

Overall, I thought this was a wonderful exercise for our church body, and I was blessed to get many ideas to start working on as a family and just myself – to spread the light to others. I will continue to donate our profits online at Samaritans Purse.

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We spent the first few weeks, praying, and talking about what to do with this gift bestowed. We use the $100 to purchase socks, shampoo, conditioner, lip ointment, lotion, deodorant; nail brushes, toothbrushes, and toothpaste for the Oroville Rescue Mission. The supplies were dropped off at the Oroville Rescue Mission office. Along with the supplies we included tracks, books, and videos from Calvary Chapel Gridley to be used, and passed out with the supplies. We added in CCG business cards also.

It was a blessing to include our grandchildren in purchasing and distributing the supplies for those in need. It also showed us that all we have is the Lord’s! We feel so much more generous with what we have, by using what was given from the church.

God has always touched my heart that there is nothing more important than sharing His Word.

When I saw & heard Jim, talk about the ministry to Asia that is what really touched my heart. To bless that ministry for the Pastoral Training of Asia. So I matched the hundred dollars with my own money.

A.  $100 to Mount Ararat +$1000
B.  (Physical) Caused me to give to church: $1000
Caused me to give to Leo Chesney center $1000
which was doubled $1000
$4100 from $100

(Spiritual) Parasut was able to get team to locations B&C on Ararat!!! (Hasn’t happened since Nov 2014)

Received this letter in response:

Thank you for your contribution to the foundation for biblical archaeology.
In recent years, funds from organizations and institutions that have traditionally supported biblical archaeology projects have been reduced or even eliminated. Your contributions allow us to help ensure the success of established projects and aid in the publication of their discoveries, as well as to launch new and exciting expeditions as opportunities arise.

The future of biblical archaeology as a discipline is greatly enhanced by your generous support, which is much appreciated.

Thank you for this opportunity.

I felt like the Lord told me to use His money to reach out to the kids in this community and show them the truth that is in His word.

It feels like the kids need to know that the Bible isn't just a bunch of fairytales.

I purchased about 10 Bibles and the same amount of Ray Comforts book called Scientific Facts in the Bible. I got some gift bags and put a Bible, a book, a track from the front of the church and a Calvary Chapel card in each bag and pass them out at the high school.
 
I don't know what God is going to do with it, but I was called to plant seeds and hopefully we see some new faces in church or someone's heart is touched and their eyes are open to the truth.

I felt truly blessed just to be His servant.

I did a lot of praying about this challenge.
Everything I have is because of God. I've been blessed with the ability to be a good provider that allows me to help others in need. The parable of the talents Matthew 25:14 was to inspire.
Listening to the word every day. It was how God works in so many way that day 293
Mark 13:34 came at this time.
Keep Watch

At first, I thought I would use this money to invest in my friends, spiritual growth.
He is seeking, but is not born again and he is very secular. So I thought that going into an apologetics study with him would be helpful. When the $100 was passed out I thought “maybe an apologetics study Bible would be a good investment here on earth, for an eternal outcome in heaven for my friend.”
So, I browsed online for a nice Bible, and purchased one with my own money since it was online, thinking that I would reimburse myself later.
However, God in His providence, would change my heart after the hurricane hit the south. After prayer and much thought, I chose to give the $100 to Samaritans Purse for disaster relief. In the end, God reminded me that my personal funds are His also, not mine. He turned that $100 into $123.30, $23.30 for the apologetics study Bible for my friend :-)

I found a piece of equipment for sale on Facebook that I was interested in.
I set up a time to meet with the seller but he wasn’t at the meetup, just his adult son.
While I was waiting for the seller to show up I engaged the son in conversation.
When asked why his Dad was selling this equipment, the son told me that his Dad had recently lost his job and was having significant health problems.
The seller arrived shortly after my conversation with the son.
We tested the equipment and it didn’t work as I expected so I lost 😠 interest in buying it.
The seller talked about his health problems and it was quite evident that he had lost hope.
I asked him how $100 could make a difference to him. He said that their food supply was running very low and he had no money in savings or emergency back up. That was why they were selling things.
I told him about Calvary Chapel and the “experiment” that we were doing with the $100.
I told him that I had been praying to find the right recipient and that it was obvious to me that he was the answer to my prayer.
As I gave him the $100, he started tearing up. He said ok the equipment is now yours.
I told him no, that the equipment wouldn’t work out for me, but the cash was his.
He just looked at me as his jaw dropped.  
He told me that he had read parts of the Bible as a younger adult but it didn’t make sense to him. I told him about Calvary Chapel and how focused the ministry was in preaching directly from the Bible and explaining the meaning of the verses.
I invited him to visit church and that I would be praying for him and his family.
He gave me a hug and I drove home.
I continue to pray for his salvation.

My husband and I gave $10 to ten separate individuals with tracks and/or had conversations with them. We did this on our recent trip back east, and also back here in Chico/Orville.

The responses were all positive!

After much prayer, we are investing our talent in our friend.

She is a widow that loves the Lord and does many good things for the people in need, like meals and companionship for those who have no one. She feels this is her avenue to share what she knows, and in my heart I know good will come from what she does.

She knows you can't get to heaven without Jesus as your savior. She didn't want to take the money saying she wasn't worthy, but I convinced her she is, and to keep up the good work.

I was very torn on what calling the Lord would give me, to put the $100 towards his will.

I originally thought that God wanted me to put it towards the junior high kids. I prayed about devotionals, prayer boxes for them. I was hoping something would intuitively jump out in my mind. I ended up having one of my daughters friends mother reach out to me. About having the girls over for a sleepover. But she mentioned she didn't have hardly any food because she was broke. She had a family emergency the month prior. Where she had to fly to Alaska and check on her other daughter, in the hospital.

I prayed, and I prayed about what God wanted me to put His money towards. And after weeks, the Lord told me to give it to this amazing, hard working mom. I'm so grateful for Calvary for providing her with this help. And God. Thank you, God❤️ I love you, Lord!

My brother and I went to the hospital and the Post acute center, and handed out a balloon tied to a gift bag with a Bible, a card, something to do and a pencil.

Physically, I feel good because I made people who need some love feel better. But spiritually I don't feel different.

I returned the rest of the money.

Thank you for the opportunity and the inspiration to invest in God's kingdom.

I've asked God how to invest this talent and think that He has directed me to use the theatrical skills He has given me. I have cooperated with Catherine Ward and plan to write and perform a skit during the Valentines dinner at our church, she has told me that she reached out and received approval for this. My hope is to create a skit that will address some of the issues and challenges that married couples face in today's world. To suggest solutions to these challenges based on God's word. My plan does not follow your timeline for this process and I apologize for that. I will use the money to buy supplies and props for the skit and return any unused portion afterwards. Coincidentally, I am tithing today so you may use that to fulfill any accounting needs my delayed – process might create. Thank you for the inspiration.

What I am going to do

With the $100 I bought 33 new testament Bibles. I'm going to buy some Starbucks coffee so that I can set up a stand by Safeway. I want to give out free Bibles and free coffee to anyone who wants or needs it. Another thing that I would like to do is to use the Calvary Chapel cards to put in the Bibles, hopefully encouraging people to come to church. Now that soccer is almost over. I will do these things on a Saturday in November.

The results

I do not know the results of what I am doing with the $100 for God's kingdom, because I have not done it yet. But hopefully (praying that) people will come to God and come to church and read the Bible (maybe over some coffee :-). ) I hope and am praying that God uses this to bring more people into His kingdom.

I went to a store and bought sandwiches to handout to the homeless, and to talk to them about God. It made me realize how blessed I am, and how much one sandwich can bless someone. 

After praying for direction on how/where to invest the money, hurricane Helene struck! I was horrified and felt I knew almost instantly I wanted to help the victims. I saw Samaritans Purse was on the ground there so I donated the entire hundred dollars to help the victims. I knew Samaritan's Purse provides more than much needed physical needs. They share the gospel. That was so important to me.

Still praying for the victims of the hurricane.

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