The Joy of Giving: The Paul & Jane Meyer Story

INTRODUCTION This book is about an extraordinary couple, Paul and Jane Meyer. As a Christian minister, I have performed many marriage ceremonies over the past 59 years. My pastoral goal in pre-marital counseling, writing marriage ceremonies and participating in the total wedding celebration, always has been based on Biblical principles for husband and wife. My challenge to husband and wife centered on Ephesians 5 "giving and forgiving" in their sacred relationship is based on God’s plan for a successful and productive family. I have often contemplated where all of these brides and grooms are today as I have not been able to keep up with many of them but Paul and Jane are the exception. I had the privilege to perform their wedding ceremony and I have been fortunate to evaluate their marriage from the vantage point of friendship over the years. Their strong and successful marriage relationship has been based on personal and corporate "giving and forgiving." It has always been a "team response" by Paul and Jane that reveals the joy of giving. In this book I want to introduce you in a detailed way to the fact that you can experience the joy of giving with this remarkable couple. I recognize that one book does not do justice and cannot encompass all that Paul and Jane do with their time, talent and treasure. In the area of stewardship: · One Texas governor said that Paul and Jane have been instrumental, both directly and indirectly, in influencing more funding to assist the economically disadvantaged to attend college (over 6,000 kids thus far) than any other couple in America. · They give to many women’s causes such as domestic violence, Christian Women’s Job Corps, single women in trouble and more. · They support and provide funds for buildings and other things to do with the extremely poor and disadvantaged. · They funded the training of over 1,200 leaders in Third World countries who, in turn, have trained an average of over 100 each to present the gospel national to national in 184 countries in the world. · They have started several foundations and have encouraged others to start scores of other foundations. · They have funded development directors’ kick-off salaries in numerous major ministries across America. · Hundreds of pastors in churches of many denominations have used Paul’s Christian writings in their sermon preparations. · Paul and Jane’s mission statement is a take-off of John Wesley: To do all the good we can In all the ways we can For all the people we can In all the places that we can For as long as we can. · Their first prayer each morning begins with: "This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it," followed by, "Please, Lord, give us someone to minister to and help today." As a young pastor, I first met Paul Meyer over 50 years ago. He helped me start a church under a tree and that church is now Wayside Baptist in Miami, Florida. Paul headed up the fundraising efforts and did an incredible job. I have used all of his leadership courses that he has authored since 1960 in my ministry for myself and my staff at four different churches that I have pastored, plus as Assistant to the President of Baylor University. I had the great honor for a few years of assisting Paul and Jane with their ministry through the Paul and Jane Meyer Family Foundation. I have taken what I have learned from our relationship into my various positions that I have had over the past 15 years with the Haggai Institute. Needless to say, I have gained tremendously by being associated with Paul and Jane. That is why I have been trying to get them to let me write this book for the last 25 years. They have said "no" again and again but I was finally able to convince them to permit me because their inspiring story and example and insights could influence others to reconsider their thinking, belief, faith and action concerning stewardship. Paul and Jane have permitted me to include personal stewardship examples that have never been published before. When I worked with the Family Foundation, I was personally blessed to read the letters of grateful recipients whose lives were changed by Paul and Jane’s generosity. You too will find inspiration in the letters I have included in this book that reveal the joy of giving. Paul and Jane are the only married couple I have met in my lifetime of ministry who set a goal to die broke — to give it all away because they know at the git-go that it’s all God’s by right of creation. I’ve heard them say many times: "You thought it was fun making it. Well, you don’t know what fun it is until you start giving it away." "We feel guilty because we feel so hilariously happy today and explosive with joy!" "We may have less because we gave it away, but we gained much more in return, so much so that we don’t think it was a fair trade." These words come from the hearts of stewards. They can be trusted. William M. "Bill" Hinson