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Stick to the Plan, No Matter What

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Growing up on a farm in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Clint Frank was taught about hard work and managing money.

“Right out behind the house here we had three acres of cucumbers," Clint shares. "So one of my jobs was to weed the cucumbers and pick the cucumbers, and that's when I was eight years of age.  And at the end of the summer my dad said to me, ‘You made $90 this summer. I'm going to give you a $10 bonus.’ And he had a bank book in his hand, and he said, ‘We're going to put this money in savings.’ So when he did that, it just kind of triggered a whole mindset then for-for the rest of my life."

Along with saving, Clint started tithing.

“When I was 14 years of age, I had gotten a job at a shooting range, and on a Tuesday night I made ten dollars. And the first thing I did was I pulled one dollar out and I would bring it to the church on Sunday morning and that was the whole start of the tithing in my life.”
        
As the years went by, Clint started a career in interior finish carpentry and married his sweetheart, Jodi.  The couple gave faithfully, and they say the Lord blessed their business.

“I started off with four guys in the company, and then I really saw the opportunity of being able to give in tithe and being able to give in offerings and giving to organizations like The 700 Club, and then seeing God begin to release ideas, Clint says.  "God drops ideas into our spirit so that we can put them into action in our career and what we're doing. So I began to get ideas for the business and grow that.  So ten years later we ended up with about 34 people in the company and grew the business ten times, because of using these principles."

One of those ideas was to start a second company, a $25,000 investment that in just five years was bringing in a million dollars in sales annually.  But ten years later, the economy crashed and the Franks’ businesses were hit hard.

“Starting in 2009 and 2010, I had to lay off 60% of the guys in my company, which is a very painful process,” Clint recalls.

Jodi adds, “At that point we had to start budgeting. We had like three separate envelopes for different things that we would put the monthly amount in each envelope, when I went to the grocery store, I knew I had that much for that week, and really tried to stick to that.”

“Our tithe ended up shrinking so much, I was almost embarrassed to write it out," explains Clint. "I knew what I needed to do and that my wife and I both needed to do that, even though the numbers were smaller. I had to really lean in and trust God, realizing that God is my source.”

As the Franks’ continued to tithe, they saw that God was faithful to provide.

“Jesus said if you're faithful in a very little thing, you will be made ruler over much," Clint says. "I think the little test is money. When we are faithful with handling money, then it says we'll be given greater gifts.”

As CBN partners since 2006, the Franks’ felt that giving to CBN, on top of their tithe, even throughout the recession was important.

“God is in the multiplying business," Jodi says. "He doesn't do adding and subtracting, he does multiplying.  So when Pat (Robertson) tells the story of going to Virginia Beach with $70 in his pocket and a God idea, you can see the multiplying effect of that around the world now.   

I mean, the thing that I appreciated about CBN is, an example, Operation Blessing, and knowing that billions of dollars have gone into humanitarian aid, helping people, tsunamis, whatever it is.”

Clint and Jodi say tithing helped them through the tough times – and has now helped their business get back on track.

“Things are going great with the business," points out Clint. "Things are growing again.  We're in a good position.”  

Jodi adds, “You can never out give God.   It's hard to explain. You just have to do it, and you have to experience it.  He's never forsaken me. He's always been there. Always.”

“I think it's important to start small, even if they start with only $10 a month," concludes Clint.  "I believe people need to just work with the seed they have no matter how small it is.”

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About The Author

Amy Reid
Amy
Reid

Amy Reid has been a Features Producer with the Christian Broadcasting Network since 2003 and has a Master’s in Journalism from Regent University. When she’s not working on a story she’s passionate about, she loves to cook, garden, read and travel.