Making It Personal

It's important to find ways to remain strong in the Unfinished commitments we've made. As Chris and Holly Dennis have discovered, making your commitment personal can offer the motivation to stay consistent.

Chris and Holly Dennis started attending Pathway in 2008 and had consistently given "above the tithe." Over time though, they realized that their giving had become routine and was not sacrificial.

In 2016, their youngest of three sons graduated from the University of Kansas; Chris and Holly found themselves without the financial obligation of a child in college. Around that same time, Chris also became involved with the Pathway steering committee for the upcoming Unfinished initiative. Chris and Holly felt God tugging on their hearts and knew they wanted to commit all of their resources to bless people individually.

"We wanted to honor God more than just writing a check every other week," Chris recalled. "We wanted to touch people's lives when they least expected it."

Chris and Holly began to look for ways to share their money and possessions. As a successful business owner, Chris travels a lot and earns frequent flier miles. Chris began to pay closer attention when his employees talked about their lives and he found numerous opportunities to give away his frequent flier miles so people could make trips that were impossible without assistance. Chris and his family are also avid WSU fans and have enjoyed season tickets for many years. Without their boys at home any more, Chris and Holly realized they had extra tickets to every home game. So, they brought neighbors, co-workers, and anyone else God put on their minds to every game during the season. 

Chris and Holly have not yet had to face significant challenges with honoring their Unfinished commitment. However, they both fight a constant battle to believe that God will truly take care of them when their generosity begins to make them feel stretched beyond their limits. They know if we make our commitments a personal priority, we can all trust that God will honor our hearts and bless us in ways we could never ask or imagine.