A Lifelong Call to Biblical Generosity
The following is an interview between Orchard Alliance (Orchard) and Levi,* who received God’s call to biblical generosity at an early age—a call that continues to bear significant Kingdom fruit today and for generations to come.
*name changed
Orchard: Levi, tell us a little bit about when God called you to biblical generosity.
Levi: As a young lad growing up in a small Iowa farming community, I dreamed of someday getting rich. I didn’t want the money for myself. I wanted to give it away for God’s purposes. I knew at an early age that my spiritual gift was giving.
When I was in high school, God would wake me up in the middle of the night. I would kneel next to my bed and ask God to speak to me. The Holy Spirit gave me Bible verses that I didn’t always understand. One verse that really stuck out to me was Psalm 2:8: Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Years later, I began to understand that God had given me the people and the world as my gift. So, I started asking, “How can I get more money to bring more people into the Kingdom?” God said, “Just wait. Then wait some more and keep waiting.” That waiting was hard, but I knew He would be faithful to His word.
Orchard: It sounds like that gift really came to fruition many decades later. Can you tell us how God prepared and equipped you to fulfill that calling?
Levi: After high school, I began working in a factory. I was in that factory for 30 years, waiting on the Lord to lead, guide, and direct my life in the steps. I knew I’d never get rich working with my hands, and, at the time, I couldn’t understand how God would ever accomplish His plan for my life. This is when I learned to wait on Him. I read a poem entitled “Wait” by Russell Kelfer that taught me a lot about the character of God. It’s in the waiting that we learn who He truly is.
“It’s in the waiting that we learn who He truly is.”
I had a bad back, so during my lunch hour, I would lie on the concrete. The Lord would talk to me during those times. He told me, “One day, I’m going to bless you so you can bless others.” So, I lived a frugal life, investing what I could in my savings, which God continued to multiply. All the guys in the factory would buy a candy bar every day. When I saw them buying a candy bar, I would put my dollar away.
Then in 1988, when I was 51, God prompted me to move to Aptos, California. My brother was in real estate, and I began working for him for free. He taught me the business, and over a period of years, he helped me buy some commercial buildings, apartment buildings, and townhouses. I used the rental income from these properties to buy more real estate. And, just as He promised, God began opening doors to Kingdom causes for me to give to.
Orchard: With so much need in the world and so many opportunities to help, how do you decide where to engage your generosity?
Levi: When God puts something on my heart to give, it’s usually through the Holy Spirit, and He works within me till I am in full agreement. I start with anything that happens to come across my mind, thinking, Hey, this might be what God has for me. But I don’t jump in. I wait. I pray. I trust. I need to wait on the Holy Spirit to direct me until I’m sure it’s what He has for me.
Orchard: You have supported a lot of the global work of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. How did you first hear about the work of The Alliance?
Levi: One day, a friend of mine from Orchard Alliance came to visit me at my home in Northern California. Traveling with him was a ministry partner who was a representative of The Christian and Missionary Alliance. During our conversation, I learned that for the past 10 years, Alliance workers in the Philippines have assisted more than 2,000 imprisoned women at a correctional facility on the outskirts of Manila.
“The program offers these marginalized women practical and spiritual tools that help them break out of the negative habits and living conditions that led to their imprisonment.”
The program offers these marginalized women practical and spiritual tools that help them break out of the negative habits and living conditions that led to their imprisonment. But here’s the thing that caught my interest. When the female prisoners are eligible for parole, the Bureau of Corrections requires that they be released to a family or sponsoring agency.
Orchard: It seems like you have a special place in your heart for women and children—especially those who are oppressed, suffering, or underserved. What was it about what The Alliance was doing in the Philippines that got your attention and made you want to jump in and help?
Levi: In many cases, these released women have nowhere to turn. Their families and friends often abandon them. Seeing this need, the Alliance team in the Philippines had a dream to launch what they called Project Countryside. A working farm in a rural location that would serve as a traditional home for released women prisoners.
“This would be a place where the released women would learn job skills and life lessons in a loving and safe environment.”
This would be a place where the released women would learn job skills and life lessons in a loving and safe environment. Now, when I heard about that dream, I felt led in my heart to partner with this ministry because my wife and I have a real passion for helping marginalized women get a second chance in life. Fortunately, my wife and I had already set up a donor-advised fund with Orchard Alliance. They had the right charitable tools in place, and we were able to help the Alliance workers purchase 22 acres of farmable land to establish the Project Countryside.
Orchard: So the land was purchased. Then what?
Levi: Since there were no livable buildings on the property, my wife and I also provided five prefab bamboo homes for staff and women residents. We also worked with a local company to provide state-of-the-art solar power for the entire property. This system will save the ministry thousands of dollars in operating expenses each year—which will help us to assist more and more women. Now we’re providing the funding to construct buildings to house the women and students.
Orchard: Earlier, you mentioned partnering with Orchard Alliance to set up some charitable giving tools to help fund this project. How important was your partnership with Orchard in maximizing your giving to this project?
Levi: I feel compelled to say that to me, my donor-advised fund with the Orchard Alliance isn’t just a charitable giving tool. No, my DAF represents a group of dedicated back-office people who are cheering me on and enabling me to fulfill my God-given delight of resourcing God’s kingdom in the States and around the globe. I praise the Lord for what he is doing around the world through the ministries of Orchard Alliance and The Christian Missionary Alliance.
Orchard: You recently helped fund an initiative that helps educate Alliance pastors about stewardship and generosity. Why was that so important?
Levi: Joseph from Orchard Alliance approached me with an opportunity to partner with some leaders in The Alliance who had applied for a grant from the Lilly Foundation to help pastors with their personal financial health and to encourage stewardship and generosity in their churches. They needed matching funds to secure that grant. This is something I’ve always been passionate about, and I knew God was too. So, I didn’t hesitate on this one. I was prompted by the Holy Spirit, so I jumped right in.
Orchard: What would you say to church leaders and their congregations about rising to the call of biblical generosity?
Levi: I believe that the church needs to understand—first and foremost—that you can’t outgive God. I also believe He invites His people into what He’s doing and is waiting for us to accept His invitation.
“I believe that the church needs to understand—first and foremost—that you can’t outgive God. I also believe He invites His people into what He’s doing and is waiting for us to accept His invitation.”
But many people get too caught up in their own stuff and ignore His invitation—or just tune it out. That’s a tragedy. Imagine what would happen if every devoted follower of Jesus accepted His call to generosity. Imagine how many more people would come into the Kingdom.
We need to give God our very best. Our first fruits—not our leftovers. When I sold some property to build the women’s center in the Philippines, I said that there would be no broken-legged lambs given to God as the Israelites tried to offer to the priests. God commanded them to offer the very best of the field, the very best of their animals—without defect or blemish—as a sign of reverence and obedience. Those who brought blemished lambs forfeited God’s blessing and much more. But those who brought Him the best were blessed.
It’s been a great blessing and privilege for me to give generously through God’s enabling and empowering. But getting to know Him more deeply through the seasons of waiting has been the greatest blessing of all.
If you sense God inviting you to take another step in Kingdom generosity, consider sending forth laborers to the remaining unreached corners of the world through the 2025 Great Commission Day Offering.
