Bankruptcy to a Blessed Life

“Being alone with four kids was pretty scary, you know? Whenever the divorce happened and you're laying in bed at night thinking, just what if something happens.”

As a single mom, Lori Carpenter worked a full-time job in electronic manufacturing and part-time in retail to support her four children.

"You know, it was hard," Lori recalls.

Eventually Lori had to declare bankruptcy.  She lost her home and her car, forcing her to move her four children into a tiny rented farmhouse.

“I had to repay my creditors  and it came directly out of my check, automatic withdrawal. I just felt really desperate working two jobs and just nothing seemed to work.”

During this time, Lori decided to go back to church. She also began to tithe.

"I knew that it was Biblical and I knew that it's something that would please Him. I wanted to give to God first what was His. It took trust because I'm still working two jobs."

Immediately after her first tithe Lori took a paycut.  

“Oh, I don't know about this. Second thoughts. But I just knew in my heart that God was calling me to be faithful in that, to trust Him more. I found the strength in Him to just say, ‘Okay, all right, I'm going to hunker down and do this.’"

Her decision to “hunker down” in faith paid off, and Lori began seeing major changes in her life.

“And from that day uh forward, looking back, God just started blessing me at everything.”

Soon after, Lori received a promotion from her full-time job. With that came a pay increase. A little later, she was promoted again.

“I got an opportunity to move into a little bit of a middle management position. I was offered monthly bonuses based on as long as we had good OTD (returns) and we had good quality, we got those bonuses. After 9 plus years of tithing faithfully to God, my yearly income has increased by 30 percent, which is pretty significant.”

Lori was doing so well at her manufacturing job that she was able to quit her part-time job. And now that she’s earning more. She’s also giving more.

One of her favorite ministries she supports is CBN.

“And you see them go into Third World countries and dig wells and set those moms up, single moms, single dads with jobs, with a livelihood. Because that's what Jesus wants us to do. Look after the orphans and the widows, and that's what we're called to do. That's why we're here.”

Today, Lori is married. She and her husband Steve bought a beautiful home. Looking back, Lori says tithing brought her financial blessings and peace as well.

“There's the Scripture in Malachi that tells us to test Him that He wouldn't open the flood gates of heaven and pour a blessing on you can't contain. To think of where we're at today and what God has blessed us with – from a beautiful home to our health and our relationship ... it means the world. God wants to bless us. It's the truth.”