USING YOUR GIFT

Raised amidst arguments and money problems, Rich Stearns decided that education was his ticket out. Scholar ships and hard work got him into Cornell University, then earned him an MBA from Wharton. Business came easy to Rich and he eventually became the CEO for Parker Brothers and Lenox China. He had it all: big house, nice family and secure job. So why did he still feel unfulfilled? He knew what his skill was: management. He knew where to use it: big organ izations. But why? He considered becoming a missionary but didn't see how God could use someone whose strengths were budgets and flow charts. In 1998 when World Vision invited him to be their CEO, he declined. It would be career suicide to move his family across the country, take a 75% pay cut and assume the reins of a ministry! But they persisted. When board member Bill Hybels told Rich, "This is a chance to marry your gifts with God's call...to enter the zone in which you were made to live," Rich prayed, weighed his options, and accepted.

Looking back Rich Stearns says, "This is the fulfillment of who I was created to be...I've found my stride...I wonder why I waited 23 years." And World Vision has no regrets either. During his first 6 years their annual budget doubled, making it the largest relief organization in the world. It's amazing what happens when you use your gifts "to tell...the wonderful acts of God." So, what are you doing with your gifts?