Stop Living in the Red!

After graduating college, Carmen Woodkirk landed a job as a crime scene investigator. In 2014, she married David. To start their new life together, David quit his job in New York. His search for a new job in his new home went on for months.

Before long, between student loans, credit cards, and car payments, the couple had $50,000 in debt.

“We were paying the minimum balances on a lot of things,” stated Carmen. “The months that we were short with money, we would resort to credit cards.”

“We were trying to survive,” said David. “I would say anywhere from two to six hundred dollars short every month.”

Carmen added, “I remember all we had in our refrigerator was ketchup and eggs.”

David took odd jobs, and Carmen picked up adjunct teaching gigs at two different universities. Still, the extra income wasn’t enough to solve their financial struggle.

“I started feeling pretty depressed, anxious, stressed,” recalled David. 

The couple knew something had to change. Growing up, David had been taught about the importance of tithing. He suggested they start putting it into practice.

“I was really working off of my own strength, my own knowledge rather than allowing God to take precedent over every area of my life,” said Carmen.

”We made the decision to tithe before we paid any bills, before we got any food for the fridge - anything else,” explained David.

Shortly after they started giving, the couple saw results.

I felt that a heavy weight had been lifted upon me,” explained Carmen. “I felt more hopeful.”

David landed a stable job, while Carmen got a fifteen percent raise at work. For the first time, they were no longer losing money at the end of every month.

“Money started coming in, both from her job and mine. We started chipping away at our debt and paying a little extra every month,” said David.

Soon, Carmen got her dream job as a DNA analyst and David was hired as a construction safety officer. They used these new opportunities to pay down their debts.

“We were able pay off about $35,000 in one year,” explained Carmen. “There’s more money that we can play with within our budget, and we’ve been able to give more.”

David added, “Starting to tithe and being obedient in that, changed our lives.”

The Woodkirks have been debt free since 2018. Today, their combined income has nearly tripled since they started tithing.

“It was reassurance and just knowing that God was always going to take care of us,” said David. “God is gonna reward your obedience and faithfulness.”

“God says test me in this one area and I’ve seen God fulfill His promises,” stated Carmen. “Watch Him and what He’s gonna do in your life and with your tithe and the impact that He’s gonna make. I think it’s gonna blow your mind.”