Joshua was attending Crossroads for a while when we were first married, and then we started attending together. But we learned quickly that we had different backgrounds related to tithing. Stephanie grew up going to a Catholic school on the West Side of Cincinnati, and while she saw her parents drop an envelope in the offering plate, they never really talked about what it was or what it meant. Joshua grew up in a home where he had three jars – tithe, save, and fun – and 10% of whatever money he earned went into the first two buckets, and then the rest was for him to enjoy. We began tithing together once we were married, and it set the tone for our giving going forward.
After building up our tithe discipline over the years, the I’m In Campaign was introduced at Crossroads. During the campaign we were supposed to choose an amount over and above our 10% tithe to contribute to the initiatives that were shared. When we talked about it, we each had a piece of paper and wrote down the amount we thought we should commit. When we turned them around, they were miles apart. Stephanie wanted to double what we were tithing while Joshua wanted to give $100,000 – more money than our gross income at the time!. Still, we felt that God wanted us to go with that higher number and that’s what we did. Over the next few years, we stayed committed to meeting that goal and chose to buy one another smaller gifts, delay travel plans, and really didn’t spend much money outside normal living expenses and then using what was left toward I’m In. God also took us on a journey and blessed our faithfulness during that time.
After we made our campaign commitment, Stephanie moved from part-time to a full-time position. Joshua also landed the best job he has ever had that came with the perk of a 25% salary increase. With Stepahnie’s new job, we were able to live on Joshua’s income alone. Then, we hit some difficult stuff. After miscarrying our first pregnancy, Stephanie found out she was pregnant with our daughter one month before Joshua was laid off. As a result, Joshua had time to follow his passion for acting and even did some production accounting (thanks to a connection from a friend in his men’s group) while doing some work for a CPA firm on the side. That also came with some terrible hours and the lowest income he has ever had. At the lowest point for us financially, our daughter was born. To avoid lapsing on our commitment, we chose to move in with Stephanie’s parents. While we were living there, God continued to redeem our infertility journey with a second baby! Soon after that, Joshua started a new job with a 30% salary increase over his previous highest-earning position. Eventually, we met our commitment and we were so proud of the way we remained faithful and sacrificed to follow what God was calling us to do.
After that, we were looking for the next things we could do to stay in step with Christ. For Joshua that looked like starting a CPA firm of his own separate from his day-to-day job. All of the income from that company is set aside for the Lord and how he calls us to use it including giving beyond our tithe at Crossroads, giving to other organizations, or helping people we encounter who are dealing with homelessness and other circumstances. Stephanie joined Women Activated and has met some of her best friends through that group who have been an answer to prayer – Christian families with kids near the age of our children who live close by, are on mission, and will encourage us in our faith as well. Joshua has served as a FreedUp facilitator and teacher, and he’s continuing to grow his friendships with other men who can walk alongside him in his faith journey.
We know that we’re being called to look even more like Christ all the time, and we’re leaning in to what that looks like. We’re investing further in those family relationships, ensuring the decisions we make align with the vision God has provided for our family, and taking steps into new skills and callings. We’re feeling challenged on how we choose to spend our time and talent and we’re expectant about how God will show up in those faithful steps as well. - Joshua and Stephanie H.