Pastor’s Corner March 2013

The following was published in our monthly newsletter, the Redeemer Report.

God’s Providential Provisions

In early February Shari and I traveled to Chicago with Pastor Nathan and Janey to attend some of the Moody Bible Institute’s annual Founder’s Week preaching conference, with this being the twentieth anniversary of our graduation.

At one point we traveled through Crowell Hall and a memory of God’s wonderful providence came. The year was 1990. I was in my second semester at Moody. I was not a disciplined student in high school and Moody is a difficult school with high academic standards. Due to my lackluster high school performance, I was on some kind of academic probation from the start at Moody. I did well the first semester, but was pretty scared most of my first year. I didn’t want to fail.

Moody’s reasonable cost was still hard for me to come up with. For the entirety of my four years, I worked 20 hours per week or more during the school year, even while playing soccer. My days were jam-packed and super busy. That first year was the most stressful as I didn’t know if I was college material. I was sure of my calling to ministry, but admittedly wondered if I could stay the academic course.

I was on a pay as you go monthly payment plan. I got to the Spring semester barely making the payments.  I would bring my paychecks directly to the financial office in Crowell Hall and hand them over. Just after Spring break in 1990,   I was right around $58.50 short on my monthly payment. Moody was very patient, but they had to be strict about enforcing on time payments. A late payment meant automatic dis-enrolled from class until payment was made. Losing a week or two of class time would doom you for the semester. For me, it probably would have meant leaving Moody all together. There I was, $58.50 short. I took the elevator up to the fourth floor to plead my case with a kind woman, who had no choice but to tow the line. I left severely discouraged about my calling. “Why Lord, would you bring me here to drop out and fail?”. I got on the elevator and headed back down to the ground level.

Before I could get off the elevator, the bell rang to indicate it was opening and changing directions to go up, a person got on blocking my way. He had an envelope in his hand, the kind a teller gives you with cash. He was standing in the entrance of the elevator holding the door open. He looked at me and asked if I needed any money for my school bill? I responded, “Yes, I need some.” I didn’t tell him how much. He said, “Great, here, have this.” As I said thank you, he turned and left off the elevator the way he came on. As the door closed, I reached into the envelope and took out three crisp $20 bills! I quickly hit the up button and went to the same lady who just told me I’d have to dis-enroll the next day and said “Here you go….keep the change!”

Yes, it was only $60, and I’m not suggesting the guy was an angel (although, I never saw him before or after), but I am saying God encouraged my calling to ministry in a monumental way that has continued to give me confidence about God’s provisions for all I need.

In the Lamb,

Pastor Tony Felich