The Big Question: “Do You Trust God, or Not?”

So much has changed in the past fifty years for Bill and Joann Brookhart. One thing that hasn’t is’ their commitment to tithing.

“God blessed us, you know? I mean it’s obvious,” says Bill

“The Lord has been faithful in so many wonderful ways,” remarks Joann.

Both have many stories of God’s faithfulness. In 1972, Joann was a single mom struggling to raise two boys on a shoestring budget with no money in the bank.

She says, “I was working at a grocery store as a clerk, and that really made it rough to be able to pay rent and feed my kids and pay for anything that was needed. The fear was almost crippling.”

During this time, she committed her life to Christ and to giving.

“I wanted to be obedient because obedience is better than sacrifice,” Joann says.  “I started tithing and it was scary. It was like drawing a line in the sand. Am I going to believe God or not? Do I trust him?”

Trusting and tithing wasn’t always easy, especially when things started breaking down.

Joann says, “I had a clock that I really liked. It broke down. I had a stove that broke down so I couldn't cook. My car began to make funny noises and I had to be to work every day. I needed that car. The full 10% was scary because I had to be sure that that came out first. You know, ‘Is what I've got left gonna make it?’, and it always did. It took me a while to really trust the Lord with it, to be able to write that check without fear.”

She continues, “So, I took my car to a shop and it was the hose that was loose. Cost me nothing! I had a friend bring me a stove to replace my broken one. Then, my clock started working again, and I still have it and it still works!”

Then Joann met Bill, who also loved the Lord. There was something else they needed to agree on before they tied the knot.

“I wanted it to be something he wanted and he did,” says Joann. “It was what sealed the deal for me because I’d heard a pastor preach one time that if God has a man’s wallet, he has his heart.”

After they married in 1975, they continued to tithe. By the end of six years, Bill’s salary had tripled. That same year the couple sold their house for double what they paid for it. That allowed them the financial freedom for Bill to build a new home mortgage free.

“It was nice to be debt free. We didn’t have to worry about house payment,” he says.

Bill’s earnings from his engineering consulting business steadily increased over the years. By the time he retired in 2006, his income had grown by 800% - nine times greater than when he began tithing. Today, after tithing and giving to various ministries, the Brookhart’s live comfortably and have no debt. They have tithed together faithfully for more than 50 years and never stopped.

“I wish I would've trusted him sooner,” laughs Joann. “But you can trust God. You really can trust him.”
 

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