Maybe you’ll recognize
yourself in this joke, which
unfortunately describes a lot
of people: A woman took
her husband to the doctor
for a checkup, then came
back later to pick him up. The
receptionist said, “Ma’am,
your husband is in critical
condition.”
“What?” The woman asked.
“When I dropped him off, he
was fine.”
“He’s in very critical
condition,” the receptionist
said again. “He’s critical of
the doctors, critical of the
nurses, critical of me, critical
of the equipment, critical of
the waiting room . . .”
someday.”
I was a little kid at the time
and thought, You’re crazy,
Dad. No one’s going to
give a million dollars. I didn’t
realize there were people
in the congregation at that
time who wanted to give that
much and were financially
able to do it. I’m here to tell
you that on eighteen different
occasions someone gave a
million dollars to the church
for God’s work. Dad was right.
Now Dad stands before
people and says, “I believe
someone here is going to give
a billion dollars to God’s work
someday.” I was actually
embarrassed for him the
first time he said it because
Does that describe you? Are
it seemed so preposterous.
you going around busting
people’s dreams? Maybe you But I had to look back on his
don’t think so, but spend some track record! Now I think God
will grant him that dream.
time listening to your own
There are certainly business
words. You may be surprised.
people in our church who
One more example and then want to build Dream Centers
I’ll stop picking on myself.
all across the earth. I hear
My dad used to say to the
them talk about trying to be
congregation, “I believe God successful so they can fulfill
is going to bless some of your the dream of giving a billion
businesses. Your motives are
dollars for the work of God.
pure. You want to bless your
They are actually trying to do
family and the work of God’s it! Maybe we all need to get
kingdom. I believe someone
bolder about asking.
here is going to give a
Each of us can point to
million dollars to this church
Solutions 37