The Story of God's Provision - Part 2

 An amazing adventure of how God provides for a family of 9 making $24k year. From clothes to cars to homes, this story is sure to inspire and encourage you on your journey. 

Transcript

Dan Schilling: 0:07

Hey, welcome to the FeedSheep podcast where we help you hear God's voice follow his lead and thrive as a disciple. I'm Dan Schilling. I'll be one of your guides. Now let's get into today's topic. All right. Hey, welcome to FeedSheep podcast. We're back for part two. Michael, good to be back together again here we're gonna keep on are going on our journey here of the Schilling family, I don't know if this was a good idea or not. Because sometimes I feel weird talking about all the details of our life. But I guess this is what we got to do sometimes, hey, this

Michael Blue: 0:38

is where we're going. Yeah, so you can't we kind of ended last time, you had walked us through about up till about age 30. We're, you know, your 2000 or so I don't want to give away your age. And I might have just done so but that's alright. We kind of we kind of saw God's faithfulness in your first, you know, places to live jobs to have people to engage with, you know, confirming with you and with your wife, Sherry. Along the way, as you kind of begin this family begin listening to God. And so we we ended with you giving a little bit of a teaser of, of God's saying, I'm going to ask you to trust me for $50 a month. But I'm going to keep adding zeros to this as you grow in faith. So I think that's about where we are in your journey. You're working at a school that you're about to I think make a change in what you're doing. Yes, Administrator do something else. And I think that's what these next pictures are. So I'll turn it over to you. At that recap point.

Dan Schilling: 1:40

Well, and Michael, this is again, as we grow on our journey, hear God's voice while I was at the school. One day on my drive home, I can tell you where I could drive to that point today, if you were here, and we're I'm in Florida now. But if I was in Ohio, and could drive that I can tell you, right, we're on the road where I was when I fell, I heard God speak to me, you're not going to be here much longer. Now, I think more this is one of the dangers of hearing God's voice is that we sometimes hear it and then we try to interpret what that means exactly. You know, I can take it and say, Oh, I'm gonna die tonight, I'm not going to be here on the earth much longer. The rapture is going to happen, we're all going to be gone. I mean, so we have to be very careful when we're hearing God's voice. I think that's why we need to do this journey and community that we have people around us that that are also growing in their journey to hear, follow and thrive and can we can bounce things off of I mean, it's part of sharing. As we were talking here just a little bit ago, before we started today, I'm bouncing things off, are you asking? Does it sound like I'm hearing from God is my off track and having people around you that are on this journey is part of our our goal for the whole aspect of the ministry and putting these points or groups together where people boy made a term means those who follow Jesus as their guide and keeper. And so as sheep who follow the Good Shepherd, that trust him that he's leading us towards green pastures, even if it doesn't seem like it, even if it doesn't feel good, even if it's not comfortable, but that we trust him. And that on that journey together. We can encourage each other, as the scripture says was still cold today. So that's the hearts become hardened. And he'd restricted me. We'd stopped following we started trusting ourselves and trusting the wealth we have or trusting the things around us, instead of following him.

Michael Blue: 3:33

So we know he didn't call you home and the rapture didn't happen. Yeah, so what does God mean when he said, Yeah, you're not gonna be here much longer.

Dan Schilling: 3:43

So our season the school was wrapping up, we've we felt called to family. And so we saw families at the school Christian school that were getting divorced. And one of the key aspects as we were looking at marriage and family ministry, the number number one reason for divorce was money issues. And so we moved back to the back bottom left picture here is the picture of the home we lived in. This was my grandparents home growing up the home is over 100 years old now. I've been in our family for 80 years. I'll tell more about that in just a minute. But this is where God called us and for the next you know, we thought we were going to develop this ministry and and then the church asked us to come on staff and long story short guide closed the doors there and we had exhausted our savings that we thought we're going to use the launch this ministry while the church was making their decision and so for the next year and a half, that picture above again there at the farm. I spent the next year and a half power washing manure at my dad, his the farm that you as partners with my brother at the time, and it was a low point, because, you know, moving back to my hometown, and people say, Hey, what are you doing now? It's like, you know, powerwash maneuver for my dad, you know, I'm working at the farm like, wow, really? I never pictured you like, yeah. And so if I had to describe that time, I would call lessons in humility. The school prospered while we were there doubled in size and grew. And I, you know, sometimes Michael, in those seasons of life, you can think you're better or think you're something. And so I believe why God wanted me to go through the season of power washing manure was because I felt like he said to me, I need to wash the you out of you, that if I really want to use you to really have you be a part of doing the things for me and my kingdom, it can't be about you. Because pride, essentially, I have to oppose you. And so, I'm not saying that eliminate all pride from my life, you can ask anybody around me and my family. That's not I didn't happen, but it has planted the seeds of the need to continue to walk and grow and humility. And without it, it would crush me. So I imagine

Michael Blue: 6:11

on your resume, it was a little bit more polish than a newer washer. Yeah. Well, it's hard.

Dan Schilling: 6:24

Yeah, it's hard to feel like you're awesome when you're covered from head to toe and hog manure. So yeah, and hog manure is, if anybody of you don't know, once you get it on your body and your skin, it doesn't wash off, like the smell, and the amount actually sinks into your skin to your hair. And so it was a rough season. But it was in that season, that again, I come back and say okay, I'll go anywhere, I'll do anything. And that's where that those pictures right above that are. When I came on staff, then with Crown financial ministries, I came to my wife as a before we actually came on staff, I said, Hey, I see this job description we are going to get we're going to use crowns materials, as part of the ministry, we're developing family to family. And so I went to go get some little learning ATM bank for our son, Caleb, who was turning five, because I knew it's good to start teaching the kids when they're five. And your dad wrote a book on, you know, training kids when they were young with their finances. So I've been around that world and knew we needed to do that. Right. And so I found that they're looking for field staff. And when we looked at the job description, my wife said, What do you think this means here, it says, you know, responsible to secure the funding for the area ministry, I said, I'm pretty sure that private means raise your own support. And so we went to the one of the pictures here is we went to this funding training, and they told us, you know, don't, here's all the things you don't want to do. You know, don't try to be like George Mueller. Don't try to, you know, you got to ask you got to run appointments, you got to do these things. So I came back, Michael, from going to that training. And I'm, you know, running the run into play, during the funding appointments, the meetings, but I was had a problem inside and what the Scripture says about being a double minded man, you're unstable in all your ways. And the double minus I had is when I was in a meeting with you, I would be thinking, hey, I want to help Mike, I want to help him grow closer to Christ. I want to help him understand God's word as it deals with money. But I also am thinking in the back of my mind, when should I ask him for money? First call, second meeting third goal, you know, whatever it is, and I'm like, God, what do I do and this is where I believe he spoke to my heart. The Matthew six, you know, pastors when talks about money there and that if you seek first the king, Seek first the kingdom, then if you take care of my business, I'll take care of yours. And that was a turning point for us to say, Okay, guys, we're just gonna, we're gonna trust you.

Michael Blue: 9:01

Yeah, and that's you mentioned, George Mueller. And they told you not to be George Mueller. And it sounds like you may be feeling God calling me to be like George Mueller. And for those of you who are unfamiliar with George Miller, he was a man who started orphanages in in England. It really response to just a needy, he had moved to England as a pastor and saw these people who needed help, and so he began to help them but one of the tenants of his orphanage was he was never to come to any person other than God, and asking for help to fund the ministry. And so he did ministry like that for 50 years. And so I got provided in such a way that you know, 10,000 plus orphans went through their orphanages relying solely on God and prayer to provide any provided above and beyond what they needed. So that's that's what you mean by George Miller said, You're you're going From hey, let's Let's go ask people for money to Let's Ask God to provide. Is that right?

Dan Schilling: 10:07

That's what he said it because the problem my hope, again was the double mindedness was the issue. The issue was I wasn't able to say focus on the kingdom because I had two kingdoms, you know, my kingdom? How am I going to provide for myself so that I can do this thing for God. And I've always said, there's only one thing to focus on. You take care of my business, and I'll take care of yours. If you trust me. You go, and don't worry about asking. You don't have to ask. I'll provide. And so I went to my wife who'd been through this training as well. I didn't want to tell her because I'm like, no, no, I, we do want the training. She's already heard this, don't do that. And I'm wrestling with the Lord and like, she's not going to go for it. And it's not about her. It was about me, really, I didn't want to say, Honey, you I think we should do this. But the day I told her, we're standing out by our garden, and I said, I started to weep. And she's like, what's wrong? I said, I just feel like God's telling me not to ask, just to trust him. And she said to me, she said, then, you know, which was not necessary out of character for her. But it was a interesting way. She said, Let's go for it. Like, really? If this is God, we're gonna see him do amazing things. If not, you give up on the whole goofy deal and go get a real job. This is this is a win win. I'm like, I get you're right, I guess it is. And so Michael, here we are 19 years later. And we've watched God do that for us. And, you know, it's not that I many times didn't waver from it. I thought it was just a short term test. I thought it was just something we're gonna do for, you know, maybe a couple of months, and then get back into the plan. Right. But

Michael Blue: 11:47

so you're we aren't, you've now been powerwashing maneuver for 25 years to fund your ministry.

Dan Schilling: 11:56

Yeah, so we would stay quit.

Michael Blue: 11:58

You quit Washington manure? Yep.

Dan Schilling: 12:01

Yeah. That was my last job before we started in ministry. It have not been anywhere else since. So

Michael Blue: 12:09

they're too similar jobs.

Dan Schilling: 12:11

Yeah. Dirty Jobs. That show right.

Michael Blue: 12:15

powerwash manure that's that's kind of the description. So for 19 years, you've you've had a job effectively, that didn't have a stable salary. Correct. You're you're provided asking God to provide. Alright, yeah. So tell us how that started. Or what else?

Dan Schilling: 12:34

This is really where the $50 a month comes in. And that season, I felt God said it, you know, we were just just we didn't know how it's gonna work. Because when I left the farm, I was working part time. And it was like, this all kind of converge at the same time. You know, I'd already said I was done, and then we're not going to ask for support. And so now I was like, Oh, my gosh, what are we gonna do? And within a couple of weeks of when I was talking with Sherry, I had a guy who called me said, Hey, I was praying this morning, and Holy Spirit just put you on my heart. And I said, okay, and he said, he said that God just told me, I'm supposed to support you. And he said, I don't like to do that monthly stuff. So I'm just gonna send you a check for $10,000. And I'm, like, dumbfounded. And I walk in the house and I'm in, I'm in tears. Again, I haven't been typically a weepy person. So Sherry had heard the phone ring. I come in, she's like, Oh, no, who's dead? Nobody's dead. I told her about the store. And it was just a point of celebration. Again, we were hearing God's voice. We're following him trusting him. No, it wasn't scary. Absolutely. But he was showing us at that time, like, I needed just 50 bucks a month sometimes just to figure out how we're gonna make all the bills work. And it doesn't sound like much, but at the time, you know, we didn't have a lot of expenses, but it was just like, he said, You're gonna learn to trust me for the 50, but I'm gonna keep adding zeros. And I felt like he showed me Michael, in that time. He said, I'll tell you when your last day is doing the ministry. I'm thinking, Okay, well, what's the date, I'll write it down. And I felt like what he showed me is, the last day of ministry for you will be when you're checking accounts of zero. When your emergency funds is zero, and your ministry fund is zero, that's your last day and then you can go look for something else. But in the meantime, keep your hands to the plow. Don't look back and we can look at that scripture and see, you know, that that we become unfit if we're we don't we keep looking back trying to figure out how to take care of these things around us and for us, and I'm not I'm not portraying this on anybody else. For their journey of just this is what God was speaking to us. This is what I'm calling you to. And it's been hard I'm not gonna lie. I mean, I have said over the years, I've quit several 1000 times. And I would tell God, you know, all Are these times these years of like, I'm gonna quit, I'm just gonna go get a real job. Right? And I feel like he would check me on that and say, what is his real job you keep referring to? Like being apart from being the center of my will for your life? What does this real job look like? And really what, what I was trying to say, Lord is where I'm in control. Where I'm calling the shots are where I got my hands on the wheel, I don't have to trust you and follow you. I can use the gifts and talents you gave me, but I can use them to provide a living that provides what I think I need. Because I don't trust you to provide what I need.

Michael Blue: 15:38

Even that, I mean, and you know this, but you know, even that's a false security of certainty. I mean, there's jobs aren't certain incomes, not certain, you know, there's layoffs, there's dips in markets, there's all these things. And so we always I think it's easy to look at something we're not doing and say, Well, that would be more stable, that would be more secure thinking. Something different, I want to draw a story out that I know in your life that's that's really encouraged me in my own life, when we first met, you told the stories, you're telling kind of some of your journey. So if you're not at this point, I apologize. But no, go for it. There's a there's a story. around Christmas time, I think when you really were struggling with this idea of trusting God to provide. So I don't know if you're willing to share that story.

Dan Schilling: 16:24

But you tell what you remember about and all that it Oh.

Michael Blue: 16:30

Well, all right, fine. It's probably better coming from the part I remember is you you got to point around Christmas time where your ministry account. Money was was was pretty dry. There wasn't much there. And I don't know, maybe you had five kids at this time four or five kids. And you realize you're gonna have to go to your wife and say, We don't have enough to buy Christmas presents for our kids. Right? Yeah. And so you and so you, I think you went to her and she didn't she received about as well as you could expect it to be received. Yeah. Are you kidding me like this, this is this is more than what we signed up for. So when I remember you telling stories, so you decided, that's it. I know how to do this. I know how to fix this problem. I'm gonna go write support letters. So you went to your office and started writing support letters. Yeah. As you finish the story. And so as you're doing so, you felt like God was pressing on your heart, an important lesson. And so what was it there that

Dan Schilling: 17:32

he was telling you? Well, if you can't see me right now, if you're listening, I'm trying to not totally break down. That's right. You're making me tell the story. Yeah, exactly. Well, it was it was tough on ankle ly. I mean, it was we didn't have to tell my wife, you know, she's willing to be on this journey. But to say to her, we're not gonna buy our kids Christmas presents. Michael was like that. Look at her. I was like, Why did I marry this schmuck? You know? And it was probably it was tough. And I pretty much, you know, saying, Lord, I'm not, I can't deal with that. I can't, you know, have her. She's done a lot. I don't want to and it really was selfish, self centered, too. So I don't wanna make it sound like we're just about her, you know, her being upset. But I'm like, I'm gonna do it. I deserve the right I've earned the right to go ask people for money. Right? So I write the letters, I'm getting ready to send them out. It's like December the 17th. We didn't have money. You know, it's like, I gotta get this happening. And it's time I was leading compass, North American team, and I feel kind of conflicted because I'm telling them to go do their end of the year fundraising, but I don't do you know, I'm not doing it. And so I'm like, I'm doing I got the letters ready to send them out. And that morning as I was spending time the Lord I felt like he said to me as a loving father in a strong yet caring but disciplined way say to me, son, I love you. But if you send out those letters, you're gonna have to try to figure it out from now on out. Are you gonna trust me? Is a my way or your way? And it was like, ah, gosh, you know, through letters in a trash. So, okay, if we're gonna go down, I'll go down obeying. And Michael, what ended up happening was that ended up being the largest month of giving we've ever had in the ministry up to that point in time. No letters, no phone calls. No, nothing other than God's sovereign handle provision.

Michael Blue: 19:31

Couple of minutes and prayer, perhaps.

Dan Schilling: 19:35

My knees were worn out, but it really again was a key turning point for us. You know, yeah. And again, I its vulnerability. I it was, it was harder than you can imagine. You know, just to be like, oh, you know, God provides we can buy Christmas presents. We were able to do those things. But it was not just about Christmas presents is about what he was doing in us and so what he was showing us throughout to see isn't as easy. I didn't call you, Dan to teach people these principles, I called you to live them, and then testify out of your obedience to them. I said, Minister, this job would be much easier if I could just say, Hey, Michael, when you get no situation, you need to trust God. He's gonna provide, no, I don't have to go through that. But you should have to go through it. And I think that's part of what we're talking about as our journey to hear, follow and thrive as disciples. And that part of why I gotta believe it's called you and I to this process is a willingness to be on that journey ourself, not perfect.

Michael Blue: 20:34

Absolutely not want it but one of the most convicting quotes I think, I've heard before is a pastor in Waco, Texas. He made this comment in telling his story, he said, we all want to experience a miracle, like anything about if I could see this miracle. And maybe it's we all want to witness a miracle. But I think we all want to experience miracle. Yes, but none of us want to be in a position to need one. Yes, right. So the idea of needing a miracle. So if I witnessed America and watching him, do it to someone else, that's pretty neat. But if I actually experience a miracle in my life, it means I'm in a position of needing supernatural help, in order to get me out of a situation that I miss. Yes. And, and but it is, but what I think we know is that in those situations, when you see God come through, when you see it, it does strengthen your faith. It doesn't make it easy, necessarily. The next time it might make it a little bit easier, but it certainly strengthens your faith and trusting God for those things. And you grow through this. But like I said, You didn't want to be in that situation.

Dan Schilling: 21:45

Oh, no, right. I mean, like I said, that's why I say quit several 1000 times like I want to do, let me just have a normal life. Let me just go this. And I gotta believe Michael, honestly, I really do. It'd be great. When we're in heaven. We can ask some of the characters who we admire in the Scriptures, the Abraham's Paul's there with a man was it hard like, oh, man, it was all about, oh, you know, like, they were basil like, Man, I don't want to do this anymore. I want out. And

Michael Blue: 22:15

yeah, I just preached on Abraham this last Sunday. And one thing that struck me is when he was 99 years old, he'd received the promises of God, like five times at this point. Yes. Right. And he's like, next year, you're gonna get Isaiah. And during that year between when he was born in that promise, he went and gave his wife away again to another man. Yeah. And so yeah, I got to think that he's like, Yeah, I don't know. Great, graciously. I was called a man of faith and righteousness. But it certainly was God's hand along the way.

Dan Schilling: 22:50

Well, I think what it's so good to say that you're here. And we've, it's, it's not perfect. We're not we're not, you know, we're not, we're human. And so the midst of our flesh, and our humaneness is still a part of all of our stories. And so, wherever you're at today, if you're listening, I just want to urge you today that doesn't matter where you're at on the journey, it doesn't matter what you'd had behind you, doesn't matter. Maybe you said, Well, I didn't have parents that knew Jesus, I didn't have a you know, I didn't get rededicated my life. When I was 20. I got I got a mountain load of garbage. I got all kinds of stuff. And God surely can't do these things to me. And I just want to tell you, that's a lie, that God wants to begin a good work in you He who began a good work and he was faithful to complete it. And God is in a journey. And each of us He is faithful to complete this process of what we talked about sanctification, right? He's, he's helping us grow in our journey to hear follow and thrive. Yeah. Well, I want to, I want to pick up the pace here a little bit just to kind of get these next couple in. So the the couple pictures here Next, you'll see a couple of vans, even in that family picture, there's a green van. So we we had five children at the time. We get pregnant with number six, which means now we need an eight passenger vehicle and that little Honda minivan delay was seven. My wife wasn't a fan of double buckling. So we were trusting God to show us what to do. At this at the same time we were God was helping us pay off all of our debt. That was part of our our journey. Earlier on the $500 actually was to put 500 Extra down on our debt, and we watched God from 2006 to 2011 pay off $45,000 of debt we were making $2,000 a month at the time, had five children. And so again, we were watching God's provision. He was supplying other ways. I tell folks over the years there was no marijuana growing on the farm. There was no other funny business or cash crop or my wife was at work. I mean, it was all God was showing us different way. Here's how he can provide and he was. So the$5,000 decision was this van, we felt like God began to ask us. And I was telling people the statement when I would teach about God's ownership, I said, it's easy to say that God owns it all until he asked you for the keys. And so I felt like I said, Okay, you tell people that now, I want you to give away that green van. I'm like, wait, we need that we're about to get out of debt. And if I sell that van, we're gonna be completely out of debt. Got it provided this other van, you see this gray minivan, that was an eight passenger minivan God provides for us for like, $2,000. So like, this is great, we're gonna end up paying off the debt early. And so for nine months, Michael, even though I knew God was leading us to, to give the van away, I was trying to sell it. Because I didn't want to. So I admit, again, I'm a chronic, you know, problematic child when it comes to God, like, but he was patient with me kind in the midst of my disobedience. But long story short, God had us give that to a young lady. And he used that in a story then to help me start to understand what real giving is like, and sort of the FedEx store uses that. When she came and said to me, he's like, why would you do this for me? No one's ever been so nice. At first, I want to stop you. So this actually is not a gift from me. It's a gift from your heavenly Father. Because I didn't want to give it to you. The reality is, I wanted to keep it for myself. And that's the truth. But this was a gift from your heavenly Father. So if the FedEx guy comes and drops off a package at your house, you don't invite him over for dinner. You know, he's just doing his job. And so I told her, I said, I'm just the FedEx guy, I'm just the delivery person, God wanted you to have this van. Because he wants you to know that he loves you carefree. He's gonna take care of you. She was going through a divorce her husband and left she's a single mom. And got used that as a tool, which is interesting. Michael, we just heard from her in this last year, she sent us a message found us on Facebook and said, Hey, I just wanted to let you know that back I had never forgot about what you did. And now I'm in a position now or I was able to give a van away to somebody else when they were in need. And so it's like, praise God. I said, you know, it wasn't us again, it was what God asks us to do. This isn't a story about our kindness or generosity. It's about God's goodness, his kindness, his generosity, that he wants to flow through us. And so it's been just a part of that process of, of seeking and trusting and

Michael Blue: 27:30

that's good. Yeah, I'm struck too is I think about the story of trusting is you're not the you shouldn't be a receiver Dan. Right, tell me more man, I think we put in we put people in categories of well, I'm, I give or I receive, and like, you know, I'm a sender, I'm a goer, we have these categories that we think are, you know, almost siloed. But I think Scripture teaches us that we best work in community, when when we are all in the cycle of giving and receiving. Right? I'm a giver, and I receive I have to trust I have to depend on the community. And I have to give and I get to give. Right? And I do think that one thing that I think we'll see in people's stories is even people who don't have a high paying job. God gives opportunities to participate in giving that was a story of the Macedonian church. So Lily, which is the church, right? Yep. Widow gives the mind. So part of it. Yeah. And so got invited, still invited you even though you were relying on other people to provide opportunities to give and that that's not just a van. I know. And I don't know if we're gonna get to that part of the story or not. But you've done more in that way that would would surprise people and giving?

Dan Schilling: 28:42

Yeah, well, and it was just a part of the process. Right? He was, again, I can't just teach it. I can't teach people about God's ownership. I can't teach them about trusting. I can't teach them about a willingness to give, even when it doesn't make sense, right? Because it didn't make sense. The numbers didn't make sense, you know, so. So what that did, though, was a foundation for us for that next season. We came on another picture there. We were on staff with Compass with Howard Dayton, who was the founder of Crown financial ministries, co founder with linear Bruket. And they Howard transitioned from crown and we felt God was calling us to be on the team with him as they were launching compass. And so we're pictured down there with our original guys that were a part of that journey. And so this was a great season of life again, Michael to serve with Howard and learn from him. A man of humility, great character. And just grateful for that season of ministry. The next picture there beside that you see, is my couple of my boys sitting on some concrete blocks and a foundation there. We began to feel like God was staring in our hearts. We had a guy come to us and ask us, Hey, have you ever thought about building addition to your house? We had been thinking about it. But we had committed we were never going to borrow money again. We said again, if it's God's vision, he'll supply the provision. And so we just kind of put a stake in the ground after that debt was paid off, and 2011 that we were never going to borrow. And he kept asking me for like, for a couple of years that, well, if you decide you're going to do an addition, he said, I'd like to, I'd like to help. And I said, Okay, great. He said, Yeah. He said, what do you what do you think? And I said, well, we'd like to put something. So what do you what? If you do it, I'll pay I'll pay. I'll give $5,000 toward it. I'll pay towards a great, thank you. So it's like a year later comes back says, Well, I've never had somebody where I gave an offer like that they didn't take me up on or do something. I said, Well, we're not going to borrow and he said, Well, he said, You can borrow? It's okay. And so I know that I'm not saying it's against the law, God's not gonna punish you, if you borrow I just it was this was our personal conviction. And so he said, Well, what have you found anything else? And yeah, the concrete works about 10,000 hours? Well, I'll tell you what, I'll pay for the concrete. All right. So again, we don't do anything. You know, it's another year later, he says, What what's going on? Why wouldn't you? You know, I've offered to do that. So we don't have the money to get it under roof. Because I just can't see how you're ever going to have it if you don't, if you don't borrow the money, as well. We're not going to we're going to trust that we've seen him provide. And so he said, where are you at now. And I said, Well, after we had a hailstorm and had damage, I said after this whole thing and settled up, we'll probably have close to 20,000. So he called me back the next day and said, Hey, we, my wife, and I were praying, and we're gonna, we're gonna match your 20 and provide labor. And so I'm not a great mathematician, but I could figure out enough that we can probably get enough to get it under roof. And so this really became our the $50,000 decision, it ended up it ended up a 1200 square foot addition. So if you factor that in just at the typical $100 per square foot, we were providing labor, he was providing some, but there's still a lot of expense. And Michael about halfway, as we got just started, I said, Hey, we need to stop. Because I'm about out of money. And, and he told me said then he said, God told me that I'm supposed to help you get this addition. He said, So you focus on doing what God's called you to do. And I'll focus on what God's called me to do. He said, we're going to, we're going to take care of this. And so he helped me finish this edition, which is that next picture there, when you see us, just down to the second to a left picture, they're sitting in front of the kitchen and living room. And it was an amazing journey. I mean, it was hard to trust him, because there were, you know, things that God provided that we would have never imagined that he would provide, as he did. And so I think part of the story.

Michael Blue: 32:55

Yeah. Yeah, that's, that's good. So I think there's one one more, there's more than one more. But we probably don't have time for all of them. Unless we're gonna

Dan Schilling: 33:06

wrap up with just two more as we wrap up the you know, we were at a point where we have our sixth child, and we feel like God begins to ask us Are we willing to trust him in this area is looking again at Matthew six. And when he talks about, you know, soap for yourselves treasures in heaven, I felt like he's asked me to stuff I wanted to entrust you with something that's eternal, would you be willing to receive now, as you could look down there, and one that pictures where there's six of us, and there's one point we had six that were 12 and under. And so it was a hectic time of life, you know, the thought of having another child was not a high on our list, to say the least. But we felt like God was asking us just to wait, don't do anything permanent to. And just to trust him. It was it was actually I'll be transparent. This was hard for my wife and I, because she was like, why won't you do something? You know, like, I'm like, I just feel like God is telling me not to. It's like, yeah, right, you know, like, and so there were times it was tough. But it came a point in time, we're gonna begin to really ask me that, would you be willing to trust me? And so we have seven years, five years between number six and number seven, Jessie and Noah. But it was a it's a interesting, Michael, when it's a concept. When a baby is a concept when there's not a name and a person things. It's easy to think no, but when there's a person a name, and now he's no. And so I just want to say this, that sometimes there's parts of our journey that we have, we're kind of locked in like, I don't want that gift. I don't want that blessing. You know, God, because we don't know what that might look like. doesn't have a name or a face to it. Right? Right. So you have that.

Michael Blue: 34:56

What's that? Once you do, you can't imagine life without him.

Dan Schilling: 34:59

Never Never, and so no has been, he's probably the biggest daddy's boy of all of them. And so he's been a great gift to me. But I know to us as a family, as well. And so the next kind of turn in the journey is we began to feel like God was asking us to, we had started to come to Florida to serve with our team here. Half the year, felt like God was asking us to, to sell our home, again, 100 year old home 80 years in the family. And again, there's so many things in life we started grabbing hold of and holding on tightly to, and yet God stopped wanting us to hold so tightly to things here. And so this is really where the$500,000 the next zero comes in. And it was long story short, we felt like God asked us to, we had taken a couple through a Bible study with us years ago, with crown and then discipling, caring for them. And we were to ask them if they wanted to buy the home. They said they were interested but wonder how much and we were praying and praying about like what we should sell to them for got the house appraised and appraised at 265. And, and when we were talking to him on the phone, the one of the guys said to me said well how the markets up right now, it'll probably sell for you could sell for over 300. But I knew we couldn't sell it to him for 300. Because that would put them in a position of being upside down. So we're conflicted trying to decide what, at the same time, there was a couple who lived a couple houses down from the rental where we lived in Florida. And they wanted us to purchase their home. And but we didn't have the cash, you know, in the sale of our house wasn't gonna be enough. We had some folks here in Florida who said, Hey, we want to help you make up the difference. So that you can come here in the hole and not have to borrow money. And so I was like, Well, God's providing and and then we're asking this couple about their interest in this and yes, what do you want to sell it for? And I felt as we were praying one day, I felt the Lord put this question on my heart to ask him if you had to pay cash for the home, how much could you pay? And so when we talked to him, he said, Well, he said, If you want to know how much we've got saved, we've saved 100,000. We don't have any debt, paid for our cars, everything else, we've got 100,000. And in my mind, I'm thinking, Oh, well, you're about a third of the way there brother. And he said, So what do you think I said, Well, we're gonna we'll pray about it and just figure out what that is. And so that week, as we were praying, we felt God asked us, would you be willing to sell them the house for the 100 that they have saved? Now, am I gonna bite you? Or are they gonna be I was listening. But there's times when there's these moments in life, sometimes when I hear the word say these things that kind of take a couple steps back. Like, whew. And this was probably the biggest one. And we are in a position where, you know, we haven't we didn't have retirement, we didn't have college savings. I had a guy asked me said, Do you have a retirement, right? You don't make college savings, you don't have anything, you have one asset, it's worth 300, and you're gonna sell it for 100. He said, That'd be absolutely stupid. Unless the spirit God's calling you to do it. If it is, it's gonna be a heck of a story. And I said, Sure, hope so. And so long story short, we did. As an act of obedience is an act of desire to because again, it's easy. And I felt like that's it's easy to say we trust him until we put in a place where we have to trust him. It's easy to say that God owns at all till he asked us for the keys. And he was asking us for the keys he gave us it was a gift. He gave it to us. And are we willing to pass that on? And so long story short, we thought that the house in Florida was not going to happen if we did that. But God then provided through some very kind folks. Little north of$400,000 than to provide and were able to get the house. So the bottom right hand. Picture there is the home now that God's provided for us. These this couple that it asked us about purchasing their home that's provided that for us as the next part of our, our journey.

Michael Blue: 39:06

And how much is your mortgage?

Dan Schilling: 39:09

Nothing zero.

Michael Blue: 39:13

Yeah, it's, it's, it's good. I mean, I think that it's probably not going to make its way into many financial planning textbooks as a way to purchase a home or but it's a you know, it's not a traditional story, either of selling a home or buying a home. And you know, what I think what I like about the story is how he's grown your trust in different ways. You know, it started with the old car and then it was a addition and then it's this and just knowing that God pushes the boundaries of our faith back a step as we learn to trust him. And I know that your story in the end point here isn't do this and gotta give you a house. Matter of fact, he promises a lot more than that actually promises you hundreds of homes. Yes. Right. And brothers and sisters, and what I believe, and I think Scripture backs me up is what that promise is, is that God has already has those provided for us through the community that we have of brothers and sisters in Christ both here in in eternity. And so how's that that's on titled in your name, or titled in my name, or titled in someone else's name? Is your house if you're ever in need? And I think that that's the kind of open handedness that God calls us into. And that is the 100 foot blessing. Yes. Yes. pours out and has poured out on you.

Dan Schilling: 40:51

Yeah, well, I know what is say this to Michael is, you know, in the midst of that journey, we we had resolved that we were willing to rent and at the time, I was carrying around Monopoly money in my pocket, prompted by Lord. And I would say to folks, like if I would come to you today and say, Hey, Michael, I was playing Monopoly with my sons a couple of weeks ago, and I pulled this monopoly money with the Boardwalk and Park Place and a couple plastic, you know, the hotels and whatever I'm holding, say, Man, look, I won. I mean, look what I did. I mean, I crushed these boys. When I played with them a couple weeks ago, you'd say, Hey, man, you got problems. Like put the game's over man put it back in the box. And but what God was showing me was, it's all temporal. The reason why you tell me that that's temporal, man, why would you be doing that? But everything we have here is also temporal. Right? And sometimes we get so caught up in the game, in the thinking that we're here. We're sojourners, we're foreigners. We're This is not our home. And so why Randy Alcorn, you and I both? We didn't talk about him like, like, why would we store if we knew this? If we know what we say, we believe we know, why would we be so consumed by storing up preserving, having, you know, investing all the things that we do here when we know this isn't our long term home? So again, God was asking us, are you willing to do it. And so that other picture right above that shows us our last picture we took there at that home? And as a reminder, there was God's provision for us in that season. But it was time to go to the next season, we're going to trust him in whether he provides a house to live in or not, you know, we can rent because it's all short term journey that we're

Michael Blue: 42:34

on here. Yeah, that's good. Yeah, the

Dan Schilling: 42:37

last thing I want to point out a picture and this is kind of as we transition. The picture right there underneath the feed sheep logo is us with our our best friends, the tailors and their family. And not again, I want to reiterate having a family and others that you're doing life with Jerry and I still have a talk once a week, walk and pray and and do some walking push ups together once a week, and that he lives still on I'm also we're on my phone now. But having somebody that you're doing life with, I think is a key part of the journey, to have someone to sharpen to encourage to beyond this obedience journey. And so I just want to encourage folks, we've been over the years going through some what we're going to be developing into the point a group together. And so just I think it's so key to have folks alongside us in the journey. You as well. Good.

Michael Blue: 43:37

Absolutely. Makes it fun. And pushes us. Yeah, to trust God. Yeah. Yeah, let me pray for us. Yeah. God, thanks so much for Dan and his willingness to share your story. And thanks for the work that you have done and are doing and how you are continuing even to offer him new opportunities to trust today. And so I pray that you would encourage each of us to trust you and knowing that you do certainly have all the houses that we need all the cars that we need all our brothers and sisters if we would but step out and trust you. So give us that faith. We love you in Jesus name. Amen.

Dan Schilling: 44:17

Amen. Amen. Well, thanks, Michael, you know that we're going to share a tease out something else in the future about the I think God has added another zero and what we're called to do this next season. And I believe that's a season again, to continue this journey of trust. And so I'm still on the journey. I know you're on journey. So thank you folks, for listening. We want to invite you to join us on the journey again, we don't have it all figured out. We're growing and learning to hear his voice to to follow him and believing that God's gonna continue to have us thrive doesn't always look like thriving. Um, but I do believe we abide and follow him screwing up the life was wrapping so thanks for tuning in. God bless you seek and next time