By Jeff Keaton - Founder,
CEO & President of
Renewanation
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DIVINE
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"LAYING UP TREASURES
IN HEAVEN"
IT
WAS SOMETHING I had done many
times before. At the invitation of a
pastor, I was at a hotel conference center to
give a seminar to his leadership team. Little did
I know that on this routine path, God had led
me to a divine intersection.
As I was setting up for the training session,
in walked the owner of the hotel. He asked me
if I had everything I needed and then asked,
“So what do you do?” In less than two minutes,
I shared with him Renewanation’s vision,
mission, and next step.
He simply responded with, “I totally get
that.” I gave him some of our magazines, and
as he looked through them for a moment, he
asked if we could have a meeting that day.
After the seminar had concluded, he invited
me to join him and his manager in the board-
room. He asked me to give him a little broader
understanding of the work of Renewanation. I
spoke for about ten minutes. He then told me
he would soon be selling his hotel and was
looking for organizations to give a portion
of the proceeds to. His next request was very
direct: “In two minutes tell me why I should
give this money to Renewanation over [five
other organizations he named].”
I responded, “I would never ask you to give
money to Renewanation over those organiza-
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tions, but I will tell you that no one in this
country is doing anything greater than giving
a child a biblical worldview.” We shook hands
and then went on our way.
Two weeks later, I asked him if I could stop
by and give him more of the “why” behind the
work of Renewanation. He granted my request,
and I shared with him a 45-minute keynote
presentation on the importance of giving
children a biblical worldview.
When I completed my presentation, he told
me that he was a dying man and wanted to
get all of his affairs in order. He scribbled for
a minute on a piece of paper, then looked at
me and said, “I’m going to give Renewanation
between $100-150,000 when I sell the hotel.”
Obviously, I was inwardly rejoicing, and I
expressed my appreciation to him.
Some time after our meeting, his health
suddenly improved, so he placed the sale of
his hotel on hold but began sending $2,000 per
month to Renewanation. Over a period of two
years, he and I built a wonderful friendship.
He traveled with me to California and Tennes-
see, and we met on many occasions for a meal.
In February 2017, he sold his hotel, and we
received a check for $222,000. In total, this
wonderful Christian gentleman has now given
Renewanation $258,000. His gifts have enabled