The Day Before We Became Rich: 2nd Edition

By Debbi Dougherty

The Day before We Became Rich answers the questions that shaped the spiritual struggle facing Deborah Dougherty and Kevin, her husband. For several years, they had asked God the questions on the lips of many other Christians: “When will our prosperity break come? God, when will we be rich?” You hold in your hand the answers God gave,

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lettra Press LLC
• Release date: May 15, 2019
• ISBN: 9781645520580

Debbi Dougherty

Deborah Dougherty studied physical sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles, and worked as a paraeducator in the local school before retiring after three decades. Her love for the Word led her to become a certified lay preacher and to serve churches across Vermont. She and her husband, Kevin have a blended family with 6 children and 17 grandchildren and became ordained ministers. They host a home fellowship for prayer and worship and coordinate Beautiful Gate House of Prayer.

Book preview

THE Day BEFORE WE BECAME Rich

Debbi Dougherty

THE DAY BEFORE WE BECAME RICH

This book is written to provide information and motivation to readers. Its purpose is not to render any type of psychological, legal, or professional advice of any kind. The content is the sole opinion and expression of the author, and not necessarily that of the publisher.

Copyright © 2019 by Debbi Dougherty

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, transmitted, or distributed in any form by any means, including, but not limited to, recording, photocopying, or taking screenshots of parts of the book, without prior written permission from the author or the publisher. Brief quotations for noncommercial purposes, such as book reviews, permitted by Fair Use of the U.S. Copyright Law, are allowed without written permissions, as long as such quotations do not cause damage to the book’s commercial value. For permissions, write to the publisher, whose address is stated below.

All Scripture quotations taken from the Amplified® Bible (AMPC), Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. www.Lockman.org unless otherwise noted.

Scripture quotations marked TPT are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Scripture quotations marked NKJV taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Printed in the United States of America.

ISBN 978-1-64552-057-3 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64552-058-0 (Digital)

Lettra Press books may be ordered through booksellers or by contacting:

Lettra Press LLC

18229 E 52nd Ave.

Denver City, CO 80249

1 303 586 1431 | [e-mail]

www.lettrapress.com

Dedicated to my parents, John and Barbara Boone, who all of their lives were examples of faith and good stewardship. Their lives were truly rich in all ways.

[They are living memorials] to show that the Lord is upright and faithful to His promises.

—Psalm 92:15

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

1 The Wisdom Tree

2 Seedlings

3 In the Second Beginning

4 A Proper House

5 Noise

6 The Real Treasure

7 Vessel Lessons

8 On Purpose

9 Whose Day Is It Anyway?

10 Loved to Pieces

11 Future Tense

12 Fervent Expectation Day

13 Pressed Down, Shaken Together, Running Over

14 A Living Question Mark

15 The Bird’s Life

16 Stages

17 Route 68

18 Secret Millionaire

19 A Couple of Fortresses

20 Green the Whole Year Round

21 The One Thing

22 Perfect Purse

23 Fast-Forward Button

24 What a Character!

25 Flooded

26 Friends in High Places

27 Unwrapping the Much

28 Just Green Paper

29 Are You Going to Tithe It?

30 I Need a Fat Soul?

31 Curiously Wrought

32 Hey, Little Sheep

33 Lots and Lots of Lists

34 Don’t Stretch Me So!

35 Pause for an Identification Moment

36 Anything I Want?

37 Rough Country Road

38 With a Capital P

39 A Higher Thought

40 Creeps That Steal

41 Um, Do I Have To?

42 My First Million

43 Watch, Watches, and Watching Time

44 Are We There Yet?

45 Weeds

46 Remedy

47 Inwrought with Gold

48 Let Him Be Your Gold and Your Silver

49 Note to Self

50 Intense

51 Upside Down

52 Under and Over

53 Cadence

54 Work of Grace

55 Charge ’Em

56 Sofa University

57 What Are You Full Of?

58 The Move!

59 Overloaded Camels

60 Perspective

61 Heart Treasures

62 Perseverance, Garbage Bags, and All

63 Oh, Table!

64 Growing Pains

65 The Chiffonier Saga

66 Immeasurable

67 Chalkboard Lessons

68 Seismic Shift

69 Let Him Choose

70 Oh, My Heart

71 The Loss in Inheritance

72 Heiress

73 In the Bequeathing

74 Occupied by God

75 Price Tag

76 Terrifically Faithful Guardianship

77 Notified!

78 Honestly …

79 Not Enough

80 Not Meant to Last Forever

81 Through the Turnstile

82 What Has You?

83 Invisible Assignment

84 To House or Not to House?

85 The Blog House

86 God Is My Yellow House (The blog posting)

87 Bursting!

88 Tiny House Vermont

89 Faith It

90 Transitions

91 Ruffle the Balloons!

92 Caught with Old Thinking

93 Not as Easy as I Thought

94 Stuff or Staff?

95 Crabapple Escapades

96 Front Porch Reflections

97 Simplify

98 Deep Well

99 On the Corner of Walmart, as in Heaven

100 Coffee Cup Inspiration

101 Enough to Make Me Sing

102 Rest Stop Wisdom

103 A Bit Dazzling

104 Look Up

105 Jericho Stones

106 Thinking Rich

107 The Humbling Discovery

108 Created for This

109 What Are You After, Lord?

110 Breakthrough Is a Person

111 Revisiting the Wonder

112 Who Would Have Thought?

113 The Really Hard Part

114 Author to Author

115 Seeds

116 Our Prayer for You

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Foreword

I have known Debbi Dougherty for many years as one of my dearest and most trusted friends, but, more importantly, I am giving this endorsement as I believe she is one whom God is entrusting to share things from the heart with all of us who love Him, and are seeking to know more of Him in our daily lives, both in our triumphs and in our heartbreaks.

Yes, she is a gifted and engaging writer and blogger, but more importantly, she has an authentic voice, as she shares from the things that she sees and the things that she lives through. As she shares, we see more of the heart of God as He reveals Himself afresh in her daily life, and she invites us in so that we can share this journey with her. She often takes a particular situation or set of circumstances, which she surveys in a kind of panoramic picture or vista, only to end the narrative with a glimpse of something that God is showing her, which could so easily get lost in the details, just as in our lives we often can’t see the woods for the trees. The focusing in on the one thing is the point of it all, and I believe there is a true anointing in her words to see afresh and anew with the eyes of wonder, and the heart of the child, without which we are told we cannot truly see the kingdom of God come in our midst.

—Jocelyn G., Vermont

Acknowledgments

Since any kind of complex or (almost complex) technology is totally off my grid, I depend upon my very techie husband to edit my writings and blog posts and save them from extinction. Without his encouragement, patience, and input at each stage of this book, I would still be writing it! Thank you, Kevin!

I also happily acknowledge my sister, Diane, who faithfully read through my manuscript, giving me good advice, encouraging comments, and lots of smiley faces.

I am also thankful for the many faithful blog readers who continue to encourage me by reading and enjoying my sometimes quirky musings.

Most of all, thank you, Jesus! You gave me the idea, highlighted Your truths, and granted me wisdom and understanding in chronicling this ongoing journey. Without Your help, this would never have happened.

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The Wisdom Tree

When this book was almost done being typed, I began to consider some details to add before publishing. Since I had small minichapters, as well as the regular ones, I really wanted to have a way to designate them with a graphic drawing as a symbol above each. I craved some inspiration; I prayed over and over about it, but nothing came to me. The chapter and small segments needed to have symbols that pointed to what I was really saying. This was a struggle. I sighed and rolled my eyes and prayed, and gave up and went on to other things.

One day, while driving through town, I was thinking about the designations for the small chapters again, and I heard seedlings in my spirit. What? I had no clear connection to that word, but there was something appealing about it. I could imagine the graphics for it—like a little baby tree. How do I connect seedlings with a book about our personal financial journey? There was no immediate answer to that query, so I got busy again and went on to other things.

Days later, as I was climbing upstairs one morning, a phrase stopped me midstep, Wisdom is a tree of life. I love Proverbs and knew where that came from, and, suddenly, I connected the wisdom tree with seedlings. God’s wisdom is living—it grows in us from a seedling to a beautiful mature tree in those who seek it. Wow.

This book was about God’s wisdom in using the resources He was releasing to us. So, I would have a tree symbol above the chapters and a small seedling sketch above the minichapters. Praise God! What an idea! He truly cares about all the details.

[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who lay hold on her; and happy (blessed, fortunate, to be envied) is everyone who holds her fast (Proverbs 3:18).

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Seedlings

He who leans on, trusts in and is confident in his riches shall fall, but the uncompromisingly righteous shall flourish

like a green bough.

—Proverbs 11:28

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In the Second Beginning

Starting anew, a man and a woman, each coming from first marriages that their prospective mates had broken, met each other by a remarkable God orchestration. It all began in their local church!

The man, Kevin, the father of two grown children, had moved from New York State to Vermont, where he met the woman (yours truly), who had four young adult children, all living on their own. In not much time, these two fell in love. Taking deep breaths of hope and faith, they married and began a new life together. They had few possessions, but they shared faith in the Lord Jesus to lead them into the future.

God blessed these two newlyweds with wedding surprises, and an exciting new