When foreigners came to visit WaterStone givers, Bill and Sarah, they let the guests experience their routine: building their lake house, renovating their suburban home, and getting their cars serviced. Before the guests left, Sarah asked if they were sad to leave. One sincerely replied, “I would never want to be an American. You devote all of your time caring for your many things and accumulating more.â€ 

God used that comment to challenge Bill and Sarah’s stewardship of affluence. They felt prompted to “test Godâ€ by listing their lake house. It sold within a month, affirming to them they were to downsize. 

God challenged Bill and Sarah’s stewardship of influence by prompting them to move into an inner-city community home for over two years to mentor Christian college students. The experience was like living in an Acts 2 community where God taught Bill and Sarah to relinquish control. 

God began to reshape their thinking. Instead of “How much do we give God?â€, the question became “How much of God’s resources do we keep for ourselves?â€ As they prepared to vacate the community home, they felt prompted to sell their home in the suburbs, buy a home in the inner city and invest the proceeds in a Christian youth camp. 

Bill says, “When we give away $1,000 to a Kingdom cause, to the world our net worth appears to decrease. But our net worth is really God’s. So when we invest that $1,000 in a Kingdom cause, our balance sheet in fact reflects $30,000, $60,000 or $100,000 as in Jesus’ parable of the talents. One day we will do “high fivesâ€ with those who came to know Jesus as a result of that youth camp.â€


Jeff Gott, Legacy Partner