In today’s episode, Catherine Boyle reflects on what God has been revealing to her about multiplication and a bountiful 100-fold increase in disability and mental health ministries.
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If you liked this episode, you may also like:
032: Celebrating 20 Years: an Interview with Dr. Steve Grcevich, Beth Golik, and Catherine Boyle
031: Christmas, Prophecy and Disability Ministry with Catherine Boyle
020: Anorexia, Autism, and 2 Ways Ministry Leaders Can Help with Catherine Boyle
Transcript:
What do a cup of coffee, a cup of water, and a chick-fil-a cow have to do with disability ministry? I believe they are all indicators that in 2023, God is noticeably on the move in the work we do. Find out in today’s podcast.
When Isaac planted in that land, he reaped in the same year a hundred times what he had sown, because the Lord blessed him. Genesis 26:12 NET
Since my last podcast episode, I’ve been thinking a lot about multiplication. Scripture makes clear that God values multiplication and fruitfulness, starting with His command to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.
One of the basic rules of Bible study is that when God repeats Himself, you need to pay attention. The vast number of times that we read about literally and figuratively sowing seeds and reaping makes this concept one that Christ's followers should clearly understand as a principle to put into practice as part of Christian living.
God is very personal in how He interacts with His followers, and just like the number of times multiplication is mentioned in the Bible, God often confirms what He wants me to focus on or do by repeating a situation. Maybe it’s because I’m a slow learner, or maybe He just likes to put an exclamation point on some of the things He’s doing, by making them completely obvious, even to me! Pretty significant things have happened in my life whenever He’s allowed such repetition.
I started this year following a one-year Bible reading plan shared by my church. This isn’t the first time I’ve started one of these; hopefully, I will get through the entire Bible before the end of this year. Every time I pick up my Bible, I learn something new or see something I never noticed before.
While reading Genesis 26, I noticed verse 12 and was immediately intrigued. In the New Testament, Jesus told several stories that involved sowing and reaping, with a 100-fold harvest being an extreme example of blessings. I’m a small-time gardener, but I come from a long line of farmers, so I understand how challenging it is to get one seed to grow a plant to maturity, producing vegetables. I had four fantastic green bean plants last year that produced many delicious beans. But in spite of our faithful care, we harvested less than 10 pounds of beans. Not exactly what I think of as a 100-fold return.
So many things can get in the way of my plants producing vegetables, from soil quality to insects to the timing of planting. In the case of fruit trees, you often have to wait many years before the very first fruits are produced. It’s common for only really well-cultivated fruit trees and seeds to produce the tasty fruit we expect.
Several days after reading Genesis 26:12, I was going through my morning routine and fired up my Keurig coffee maker. A few minutes later, I realized my coffee cup was extra full. Truthfully, I could have overfilled it, but it seemed odd as I have never done that previously and did not knowingly make too much.
The next day, as I do every day, I filled my water glass and returned with it to my desk. A few minutes later, I turned around to get a drink and saw it was almost completely filled to the top of the cup with water. I’m not sure how I carried it from the sink to my desk without spilling it. I rechecked my path; not a drop was on the floor.
Later that same day, I was talking with a friend who knows that my cat has a ‘comfort toy,’ a Chick-Fil-A plush cow. The cow is pretty dirty and frankly, falling apart; I’ve repaired it several times. We can’t get another one like this, as Chick-Fil-A no longer orders this kind of cow. I’ve mentally prepared myself for the feline angst that will take place when the cow eventually disintegrates into a tattered lump of stuffing.
This friend said that she found the exact same kind of plush Chick-Fil-A cow, completely unused, when cleaning out a closet. She’s going to give it to my cat as a replacement, or at least an emergency backup cow. What an unexpected delightful surprise!
As I thought about these three odd things that happened back to back, I realized that perhaps God was using them to make a larger point: when God is in the equation, He can and often will fill our lives with abundance.
Whether it’s through our own work or combined with the contributions of other co-laborers, that increase often goes beyond what we can logically do on our own.
Scripture says that when we do the work He has for us to do, He’ll be responsible for the increase. And like any good parent, He really loves to provide for His children with surprises that are special to them, like a replacement cow for my cat!
How does this relate to Key Ministry? Each week, the Key Ministry Prayer team faithfully prays as a group over Zoom for the work of this ministry. For several years, we have been praying for the multiplication of disability and mental health ministries. In spite of the work that we do, and so many of you have done, for much of this time, we have seen only small fruit.
I believe God is beginning to answer this prayer and reveal the increase that only He can provide, in some very tangible ways, starting within Key Ministry itself. And I believe that the Genesis passage that resonated so deeply with me, and my three stories of unexpected increase are His way of telegraphing that something much more significant is underway.
Here’s a little glimpse into some recent increases within Key Ministry. We have:
Increased our staff from three to four.
Increased our behind-the-scenes operating efficiency by the use of new online tools.
Launched several new Key Ministry initiatives and collaborations, with several more on the horizon.
Not only that, but we’ve also had the privilege of seeing that God has actively been plowing up the spiritual ground, preparing and raising up a new generation of disability ministry leaders. He let us see the next generation is receiving a powerful call to this work, including a specific call from a disabled pastor.
I fervently hope and pray that 2023 is a year of momentum and a 100-fold increase for Key Ministry. I also hope that is true for you.
I want to leave you with some principles of how He’s been working in Key Ministry; these are consistent with what I’ve seen Him do in many lives and ministries. I share these principles as an encouragement to keep doing what You know He’s called you to do.
He responds to our prayers prayed in faith right away, but sometimes there are hindrances to work out spiritually or logistically. The spiritual hindrances can be with me, or others who need to come alongside. Logistics can be a matter of timing or sequence of things that need to take place before the momentum takes hold.
You may not see what He’s doing, but it’s often hidden in plain sight. We’ve been praying for a long time for the increases that we’re now seeing in diverse places. All this time, He has gone before, preparing the soil, environment, and workers. This is one of those things that you may only be able to see after pieces in your ministry fall into place.
His answers to our prayers are not only for right now, but they have important impacts on the future. We may not see those impacts for a long time—but people who pay attention can often look back and see what was foundational—and how decisions and actions from long ago impacted future developments. Or they can look back and see what appeared to be setbacks actually became the path forward, and how their goals would not have succeeded as originally envisioned. So many times, our ‘setbacks’ are actually God’s shortest path to ministry success, as well as to the transformation of individual Christ-followers to be more like Him.
It is truly an exciting time to be part of disability and mental health ministry, because God is noticeably on the move.
When thinking about disabilities and ministry, where you have recently seen God on the move? Is He inviting you to be part of this kingdom work?
