Increasing Your Take Home Pay
“It’s funny because when I was in college, I worked for a farmer and I remember sitting in my tractor going, ‘I cannot wait until I graduate from college so I never have to drive a tractor again,’” Nicole said.
Shortly after graduation, Nicole married Shawn Cade of Scio, Oregon. As it turned out, he had a farming business — and a collection of tractors!
“I love John Deere equipment,” Shawn said. “Yeah, tractors are just big toys.”
Shawn was always adding new equipment to his collection, whether he needed it or not. So, while he was out buying farm equipment, Nicole went shopping.
“Well, he just spent that on a tractor and this on parts, so it’s probably ok for me to go to town with my friends and go shopping and go out to eat because I know how much he spent,” Nicole said.
The Cades dreamed of raising their four daughters on their own farm. Instead, they worked on other people’s land. Even though they made $450,000 a year, after paying taxes, loans and bills, the Cades lived off $6,000 a year. By 2005, they were $600,000 in business and personal debt.
“I didn’t think that I’d be able to continue on in farming. What do you do when you’ve got that much debt?” Shawn said.
“I just started asking the Lord, you know, is this ever going to change?” Nicole said.
The Cades tithed, but only from their take-home profit of $6,000 — not their $450,000 gross income. In the midst of their financial crisis, they chose to do differently.
“The thought occurred to me, that if this business belongs to the Lord, then we really should be tithing off the gross of our business. But I knew that was absolutely impossible,” Nicole said.
Just a few days later Shawn had the same idea.
“I went to Nicole and said, ‘Well, I think we’re supposed to start tithing on the gross of our business income,’” Shawn said.
“We felt like we had no other choice,” Nicole said.
So for the first time, the Cades began tithing off of their gross income. Then they paid their bills. They also committed to give consistently to CBN.
“When you are giving offerings it’s above obedience,” Nicole said. “I love the Lord so much and I want to give more to Him than just my basic obedience.”
The first few months were tight, but the Cades got control of their spending. Then Shawn says that God told him to sell his tractors.
“It was pretty amazing how fast all the equipment sold once we made the decision to do it,” Shawn said. “The first piece I was upside down on, I sold for like $3,000 more than I owed on it.”
“And our net income went from $6,000 to $197,000; but our gross stayed the same. By the end of the year, we had tithed 7 1/2 times more than we did the year before,” Nicole said.
The Cades paid off all of their business debt. They’ll be able to clear their personal debt by the end of this year. And remember that dream of owning their own farm? They got it! A new home on 127,000 acres where they can raise their children the way they always wanted to. Now, the Cades own 500,000 acres of land and call their business “Shekina Ridge Farms.”
“Shekina means God’s manifested glory,” Nicole said. “That’s the story of our lives since we started tithing. We can see God working in our family and in our business and everywhere. The more we give, the more God blesses us. God wants to bless us; He’s just waiting for us to take that first step.”
Shawn and Nicole discovered a powerful truth from God’s Word.
says, Honor the LORD with your possessions, and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. (NKJV)God wants to bless you too, just as He has blessed the Cades. One way you can give to God’s work is through CBN. Not only will you reach thousands each day with a message of truth and hope through The 700 Club, you will also help feed and clothe children around the world, bring medical aid to those suffering and so much more. Please join with us today.
