Siesta Scholarship Fund

Hey, Siestas! I have something very exciting to share with you! Let me give you a little background so you’ll get the full picture. Like most of you, I was deeply burdened by the financial needs our sisters shared on the blog several weeks ago. My LPM staff of mighty prayer warriors and I divided up every one of those needs and prayed for them specifically. I also deliberated over and over before God about what else I could do. I can’t tell you how much I wanted to just start writing checks. Living Proof Ministries does not have the kind of non-profit that can give cash to individuals, so my frustration mounted. That’s when the Lord spoke such a clear word to me in my heart. It went something like this:

“Stick with what I’ve called you to do at the ministry. You can’t give away money but you can give away many other material things to people and churches that could really use them.” God then began to lay out a strategic plan to set up a scholarship fund through our blog community to donate materials (books, CD’s, DVD’s, and event tickets) to those whom God directs. LPM has always actively donated, but setting up a fund like this would greatly enhance what we’re able to give and also add a fabulous dimension to our community.

I immediately went to Linda, our LPM accountant, told her the vision as I understood it from God and asked her if it would work. She gave it a thumbs-up and began setting up the system and, as of right now, it is up and running. Here’s how it will work: We will now have a way for any of you Siestas who are not as financially strapped to give any amount of money the Lord directs to what will now be called “The Siesta Scholarship Fund.” Girlfriend, it can be $5 and we’d be thrilled! Your Siesta Mama is going to put up or shut up, so I want you to know that I brought my checkbook from home and, with great joy, am making the very first ever donation, $1,000, to our new scholarship fund. In fact, let me stop right now and write the check.

OK, it’s written. If you also want to write a check (for any amount, of course), you’ll make it out to Living Proof Ministries just like I did, but you absolutely must designate “Siesta Scholarship Fund” in the memo so they’ll know where to put it.

Mail it to:
Living Proof Ministries
12131 Malcomson Road
Houston, Texas 77070

You can also make a donation to the fund online by using this link below. When given the option in the online form, please designate it "In honor of The Siesta Scholarship Fund.”

Click here to donate online

I give you my word that these donations (whether by check or online by charge) will only be used for the expressed purpose of giving away materials. I also want you to know that we will always tell the recipients that they have received them as a gift from the LPM Siesta Blog Community.

With these donations, Living Proof will then begin appropriating materials for priority needs that hit the ministry. This is where I really need your understanding. This scholarship fund would not just be by Siestas for Siestas. It would be by Siestas for anyone at the discretion of our ministry based on the needs that we encounter. I fear that if we limited our donations only to Siestas, it could open the door to all manner of challenges (like how we’d choose between one and another) and, worse yet, it could skew our pure-hearted motives and purposes here on the blog. The purpose of our fellowship here needs to remain what it has been from the start: encouragement to walk faithfully and authentically with our Lord Jesus Christ. We have requests for materials and tickets constantly from people in need and, if you’d be willing to trust our discretion, I promise you we will seek the Lord’s direction. We will also make available a report of our ingoing and outgoing donations periodically so you can see for yourself how the money is being handled.

This is a great time for me to tell you that we work very hard at Living Proof Ministries to maintain the utmost financial accountability and, it you glance at our home page, you’ll see our “ECFA Member” seal (Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability). If you give that website a glance, you’ll know that we have to maintain the utmost standards (including an annual audit) to keep that coveted seal.

OK, here’s what I want to do today as a way to launch a spirit of giving in our blog community. In lieu of comments, if you know of a mission church or a small or struggling church that could really use a set of Bible study DVD’s, please post their name and mailing address as your response to this post. (Continental USA addresses please to keep shipping costs from becoming astronomical.) 48 hours after I run this post, we will do a drawing to give away 5 full DVD sets. These will be gifts from LPM and the cost will not be subtracted from our Siesta Scholarship Fund. We’ll then post the 5 winners and send the sets on their way in your honor. I will have a cute card prepared for all materials that go out in your honor and from the scholarships you make possible. I am so excited about this!

Now, listen here. We expect to have this blog and this scholarship fund for years to come SO if you can’t give a single dollar toward it right now, don’t you feel the least bit guilty. I don’t want a single person feeling under compulsion. God wants us to give cheerfully. Even with outright hilarity! So do not give a dime you are not free and thrilled to give. This is the time for those of us not suffering financially to take up the slack for those of us who are. We love all of you so much. Never feel condemned or pressured here.

I can’t wait to share an update with you! I’ll give it about a week and let you know what’s been given so far.

Lord, do Your thing! Edify Your Church and glorify Your great Name!