Tithing and Indexing

My dear Brothers and Sisters.

I can't begin to express my love and appreciation that I have for my father in heaven for the timing and his constant awareness of me and my family. From time to time, that dark cloud of trouble which hangs over the world allows for rays of sunshine to poke through and brighten our days. This light I am referring to is that of the "Windows of Heaven" which pours out blessings upon the faithful.

IT is both a blessing and a curse, for the Lord is bound when we do as he says but when we do not what he says, we have no promise as the story goes. (Compare D&C 82:10) I struggle through bouts of anxiety and depression and for brief moments, my body allows me to feel of his spirit and his love. I was able to feel that spirit burn within me on one occasion where I was able to perform some work with Indexing. It must have meant that those in question that day were pleased with my work to help their names be noticed by their current living relative who is researching their family tree.

So I get a call last night that my long time team member has now decided to get started in her Nikken business (which is a part of my team of newbies from the year 2013) and a mere 48 hours after I had constrained my wife to write the tithing check which was only held back in reserve for fear that certain bills would not have been paid otherwise. I testify to you that it is no coincidence that my current business success is inseparably connected with the powers of heaven. My only reason to continue in the path that I've been permitted to walk in has been a culmination of faith and faith promoting exercises throughout the year 2013. Indeed, 2013 WAS a year of growth for me! On to 2014 and beyond!

God lives. He is mindful of me and my little family. He has tested me in 2013 and has found that I can be charitable in the face of adversity. That I can give when I don't really have that to give. Abundance is on its way and shall come to me in his own due time! Everything till now has been a series of small stepping stones. One can't make me NOT believe in Tithing because I don't have ears to hear it. If one has a beef with the church or with tithing, then it's time to turn around and put your own faith to the test or to grow it. Faith without works is truly dead.

Updated: January 6th, 2013 I don't do this for the naysayers in particular (the I quit church and I've gained 1 more day a week and got a 10% pay raise, etc...) but I thought that this would benefit the faithful so this is why I'm sharing it with you. It is not to convince but to simply give my father in heaven THANKS that was so duly deserved for giving me these gifts.

The last day of the month, we went to the bank and paid it. We have NO REAL business paying that tithing except for we wanted to be full tithe payers in 2013. God knows we have bills to pay and they went unpaid. Our cable got shut off... but so what. My wife and I both acknowledged the variance and made sure it got placed into the mail on the 31st... checks in the mail. Now what?

Later on that night, I received a text for a sizable order to fill while on my Facebook saying someone wanted to buy something from me last minute. It was for my business. This helped me to personally qualify for an additional international bonus and this will augment my check by a factor of 4x greater thanks to the sale! And on the 2nd of January, I receive an unexpected call from my Dad who is my business partner, saying that we are going to be busy all month of January. Out of the blue, one of my former partners now wanted to get back into the game. They are coming to Portland for 3 weeks and we want to get started seeing some of his people to either form their business locally with us more fully to then return to Boise and start their own office. Coincidence? Not a chance. I hadn't called or talked to them for over 6 months. I sent 1 email their way and this was it. I stand to help create thousands of dollars in revenue with this husband and wife team before January's end and I give credit to the Lord 100% for making the miracle possible! Thanks Lord but I don't need to keep the extra 10% because it's not all about me or what I want. It's about helping to build the kingdom. God knows I've paid it and the windows of heaven are beginning to pour out more blessings upon me just as a bathtub spouts' leak starts out small but inevitably becomes a stream spewing out gallons of water per hour. This is one leak I never intend to fix.

I truly believe that God's statement to his children is just and accurate when he inspired this part of the D&C, when we received this word from the prophet Joseph Smith, "I (the Lord) am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise." - D&C 82:10 I'm a living example of success in business and in my personal life by obeying this law of the Lord and the windows of heaven have truly opened themselves to myself and my family such as in all things temporal and all things spiritual.