Is God Testing You Through Finances?

Anyone who's tasted Kristi Murray's gourmet creations raves about their flavour. Gunnar and Jake's Pickles and Peppers have been featured on morning network television and packed in celebrities' gift bags at the Emmy and Academy Awards. Kristi launched Gunnar and Jake's in 2010 after her husband, Dennis, lost 50 per cent of his annual sales income when luxury car sales dropped during the great recession.  

Dennis recalls: "I remember coming home with my paycheck and being kind of embarrassed with it and kind of worried, not knowing how we are going to make ends meet."

Kristi remembers: "We were kind of living paycheck to paycheck, which was very, very hard, because we had never been in that position before."

Dennis adds: "We downsized because we just could no longer afford to live the way we were living. And it's not like we were living lav-lavishly. But we were living comfortably." 

Kristi recalls: "I knew I had to do something. I felt such a vision from God that I needed to help my husband, and I decided to create an amazing company named after my two sons called Gunnar & Jake's Gourmet Pickles and Peppers. And, at that time, I felt such a calling from God to say, 'Kristi, bring forth the tithe.' God was really testing me, especially when I kept reading the verse in Malachi (3:10). 'Test me, Kristi, and I will pour you out a blessing that you can't contain.'" 

Dennis says: "I was worried where that money was going to come from, and-and how we were going to do it, but she always managed to-to figure out a way to do it. So, I had all the confidence in the world in her."

Kristi manages their family's finances. She began tithing to her church and giving to CBN.

Kristi states: "One of the main reasons that I give to CBN is seeing the water systems being put into communities where children, families, have clean water. It really struck a nerve for me. And I was full of compassion and love. And I felt, I really have to help. There's more that God wants me to do."

As a double kidney transplant survivor, Kristi remembered what it was like to face extreme hardship.  

Kristi reports: "Doctors had predicted that I would never be able to have children. That I would be in kidney failure by the age of twenty."

After two miracle pregnancies, each of her siblings donated a kidney so she could live. Kidney disease meant a strict low salt and no sugar diet. Passionate about cooking and health, Kristi created recipes and products that later turned into hot sellers at farmer's markets around LA (Los Angeles).

Dennis says: "So, the great thing about Kristi's pickles and all her pickled products – low – no sugar, low sodium, no artificial ingredients, great taste. Nice, crisp flavour. Fresh-fresh ingredients. It's just a fantastic snack."

As the economy slowly recovered, Dennis's income rebounded. Online demand for Gunnar and Jakes products grew too. As a result, they increased their monthly giving to CBN.

Kristi says: "So, I started at The 700 Club -- starting basic. Twenty-dollars. And, then, I increased it to forty (dollars a month). And, then, I increased it to eighty (dollars a month). And then I increased it to a hundred (dollars a month)."

Kristi's leap of faith into business during the great recession now translates to sixty per cent of their family's income. They've since relocated for Dennis's new position as a sales manager for a luxury car dealership. They've also increased their CBN pledge to the 2500 Club.

Kristi believes: "I know, if you bring in the full tithe, you know, God is just going to pour out that blessing. And I know a lot of people right now are thinking, 'Oh, I don't have enough money. You know, I'm stressed.' Maybe they're out of work. But, just starting with something small you're giving – you're putting that faith in Jesus Christ and saying, 'Lord, I'm trusting You. And I know that you're going to move mountains for me.'"