Many years ago, when I first started in the ministry, my primary responsibilities were in youth ministry.  Despite serving in a church with more than 800 members, the youth budget for the year was a meager $400.  Wanting to rejuvenate the youth ministry, which was rather small for a church so large, I decided to have a "big event."  The problem was most of the youth budget had already been spent before I arrived at the church in July of 1984.  I had started developing a friendship with an elder in the church, whose name was Mert, and I thought maybe he could give me some wisdom for how I would come up with $400 for the big event, when I didn't really have any money in the budget.

I approached Mert by saying, "I have a problem."  He asked me what it was and I told him about my financial dilemma, needing $400 and having no money in the budget.  He looked me square in the eyes, paused and made a statement I have never forgotten:

"I have two dead kidneys.  If I don't get a new one, I'm going to die.  That's a problem.  Any 'problem' that can be solved with money isn't a problem."  He then proceeded to write the church a check for $400 to cover the cost of the event, to prove his point. 

That conversation took place nearly twenty-seven years ago.  Down through the years when the churches I've served, or even our family has hit a financial "dead-end," I've remembered Mert's words.  Right now, we've been fasting and praying for five days, calling on God to send a fresh outpouring of the Holy Spirit among us to bring those around us the healing and salvation of Jesus; to see our friends, family, co-workers, classmates and others God puts in our path come to Jesus in unprecedented numbers during this Easter season, and for God to overcome the financial "dead-end" we're in right now with regard to building Phase 1 of His Mission Outpost at 127 Knoch Road.  As I woke up this morning, I remembered Mert and his wise comment of so long ago:  Any 'problem' that can be solved with money, isn't a problem."  He trusted God implicitly to meet every need in his life.  He received a kidney a lived a number of years beyond his very, real problem.  One of Mert's favorite expressions was "No problem."  I wish you could hear how he said it.  It was said with such conviction, and he sort of drew out the word prooooblem.  He offered the expression many times, when others thanked him for something he had done for them, or when a challenge was presented to him and he saw before the solution was apparent that there really was no prooooblem.

The sense I awoke with this morning in my spirit was--no prooooblem.  God's in charge of all we've been praying for this week.  God's in charge of EVERYTHING.  We need about a half million dollars for the mission outpost to become a reality and for us that seems like a problem.  But since God owns everything, we can be assured that in the end He WILL provide.  After all, to Him this is no prooooblem!  Let's continue to do our part--to fast and pray, to call on the Lord to show us what our part is financially, and to call on Him to provide what is lacking.  He has a great history of doing just that for those who trust Him!