Michael and Denie Riggs and their Perfect Praise Team invite you to join them as they continue sharing The Journey as they prepare to launch a New Center called the 222 Ranch.
This blog reveals a huge step forward for us.
God knew we needed a miracle!
Picking up The Journey… (If you missed earlier blogs, follow links at the bottom of this email.)(If you missed earlier blogs, they are posted here on this blog site.)
The Continuing Journey … (Part 6 of a Series)
Another Miracle Day
a blog by Denie Riggs
For over 25 years, our corporation, Perfect Praise Inc, has been totally funded by teaching piano, guitar, and Early Childhood Music classes.
God has richly blessed our ministry that has spanned over 25 years as a corporation, and for decades before we incorporated with private instruction, classes and worship ministry. Amazingly, literally thousands of lives have been touched by our ministries. How humbling and amazing!
God has richly blessed our ministry that has spanned over 25 years as a corporation, and for decades before we incorporated with private instruction, classes and worship ministry. Amazingly, literally thousands of lives have been touched by our ministries. How humbling and amazing!
All our financial needs are met monthly, yet there has never been an excess for savings to own property and build out our visions. We have never even solicited funds to do special projects around the world.
But based on what I’ve shared the last several blogs, we knew we HAD to move forward with the 222 Ranch Ministry Center, and we knew we needed funding to do that. We needed residual income to help fund the Ministry Center above our normal operating expenses.
We thought we found a way to raise the money, Online Piano Lessons. So over the last decade, we have poured countless hours and dollars to build out many Online Learning Courses. We knew that if they really caught on, they could fund our 222 Ranch Center.
While the potential is there, to this point, that has not happened. Sales have trickled in across America, changing lots of lives of children, both typical and those with special needs, but the online presence has not generated enough funds for the 222 Ranch vision.
God provides the Visions … God provides the money, right?
We had faith … and we are waiting.
Little did we know that a Perfect Storm was brewing… God was about to dramatically show us another piece of the puzzle.
The start of summer of 2021, we had 11 employees. In August, we lost four; two left for college, and another teaching couple moved out of state. I was feeling burdened down by the weight of the ministry in every way: physically, emotionally, and financially.
One morning, Michael and I had a heart-to-heart discussion. We knew that we are both working as hard as we could, and yet the 222 Ranch Center’s piggy bank was nearly empty. How will we ever get enough money to move forward? We need money to buy land, money to build buildings.
How???
And more importantly, when?
One of my favorite sayings is “Tick tock goes the clock.” At that time, I was facing a big birthday. (I mean BIG! Oh me!) How many years could I continue carrying this teaching pace with no sight of the enormous funds required for the 222 Ranch vision?
As that September birthday was pending, one of our two vehicles was overheating. Of course, we could have financed another vehicle, but we were trying to save every nickel for the 222 Ranch property’s down payment.
So Michael took our oldest car to three different mechanics who “fixed” it, all charging their repair fees, of course. But it continued to overheat on the one-hour commute from our home to our Huntsville school. In one month, we had paid out $3500 in car repair and still could not drive it to school and back.
We had to do something … and quick!
One morning, while teaching a virtual piano lesson to a friend-student, I complained to her that was tired, as the night before, after completing a full day’s teaching, I had to drive the two-hour round-trip to Huntsville to pick up Michael as the car had overheated … again.
I told her that we were saving every penny towards the Ministry Center’s property, but that we were apparently going to have to trade this vehicle in and finance a different one.
I told her that we were saving every penny towards the Ministry Center’s property, but that we were apparently going to have to trade this vehicle in and finance a different one.
I bellyached to my friend about how it was dark, and RAINING. I was feeling abandoned by staff, and now this car.
I was depressed.
I didn’t see how I was going to handle the workload with a smaller teaching staff, the dent to our personal budget caused by this car … I could go on… and probably did! LOL!
I was depressed.
I didn’t see how I was going to handle the workload with a smaller teaching staff, the dent to our personal budget caused by this car … I could go on… and probably did! LOL!
Little did I know that her husband was in the room and overheard our conversation.
But God was setting us up for another Miracle Day.
About two weeks later, Michael came in from his morning devotional time and told me that the Lord had given him some wisdom about funding the 222 Ranch. Michael said that he felt that it was going to be funded by the others giving into the ministry.
We were going to have to become open to ask others to contribute to our vision.
Since we had always been tight-lipped about our finances, apparently God knew it was going to take a huge miracle to get us to open up, and even more importantly to give us peace that it was okay to ask others to help fund the vision.
That same afternoon we got a phone call that confirmed everything.
My friend’s husband called Michael.
He wanted to GIVE his vehicle to our ministry. He said he had prayed about it and pondered it for 2 weeks. Incredibly, he had come to a decision THAT DAY to call Michael.
My friend’s husband called Michael.
He wanted to GIVE his vehicle to our ministry. He said he had prayed about it and pondered it for 2 weeks. Incredibly, he had come to a decision THAT DAY to call Michael.
I was horrified, embarrassed, and saddened that my bellyaching had moved this gentleman to take this action. I immediately said an emphatic “NO!”
But wait … it was the same day as Michael felt he had heard from the Lord about others helping to fund the 222 Ranch. Was it another Miracle Day or just a coincidence?
We prayed about it and felt that God was indeed doing a Miracle in us with the gift of this vehicle.
Humbly, we were going to put structures in place for others to contribute for our 222 Ranch and Zoe Life visions.
We had to accept the vehicle.
That Miracle Day opened us up to the need for Perfect Praise Partners.
We believe that we hold in our hands a model, the 222 Ranch, that could change thousands of lives, provide hope, restore animated life to those afflicted, and bring the family of God into receiving the blessings of it.
We cannot do this huge task ahead of us alone; but we can all come together to make it happen.
We have come up with a way to help fund the 222 Ranch when you give and receive at the same time.