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I Should have been celebrating. My printing business had just experienced a record year in sales. For the first time ever, we had broken the million dollar mark. This was a milestone!
But sitting alone at my desk after hours, I sighed. Sure, we'd done a million in sales, yet I'd barely been able to meet wages. And at year end, I'd cleared a whopping thousand dollars in profit!

My relationship with Jesus Christ had seen me through some tough times. He'd comforted me when my wife, Diane, died of cancer, leaving me with our five children to raise alone. He had brought Patti into my life a short time later; we were now enjoying our tenth year of marriage. Yes, He had blessed me in so many ways.

 
But about this business of mine... Head in my hands, I cried out to God.

"Lord, is this the way it's supposed to be? Struggle, struggle, struggle! There's something missing. Can't you show me what to do?"  In my spirit, God answered me. He said, "I showed you what to do in 1974." My mind flashed back fifteen years to a series of miracles that led me to donate a print shop to a Bible school in the Philippines. As a result, it produced material to train leaders and also provided a source of support for the Bible School.

"Now," I asked, "You want me to set up print shops? I can barely pay my employees. I don't see how..."  "Tithe out of your profits," the answer came. "Set aside ten percent of your profits to build and donate printing shops for ministries around the world."

"Lord, you give me profit, and I'll do what you're asking."

LIGHTS IN THE DARKNESS

In June of 1974, I'd been struggling with high blood pressure. One night at a church service, I asked God to heal me. The next day my blood pressure had dropped to a healthy 120 over 80. Grateful, I prayed, "Lord, you own my breath and my life. I'll do anything for you, anything you ask."

Suddenly I wondered if I had gone too far: What if God asked me to do something I didn't know how to do? Then I thought about the goodness of God: surely He'd ask me to do something for which he'd already given me some talent. My fears subsided.

A few weeks later, a friend arrived at my shop to pick up a job he had ordered. Accompanying him was a Philippino gentleman. The man wasn't in my shop for a minute before he approached me, a surprised look on his face.

"The Holy Spirit just told me this is why God brought me to America. Our Bible school needs a print shop to produce tracts to tell Philippinos about Jesus. Will you come teach our people to print?"  The Lord reminded me of my promise to Him, and I repeated it now: "I would do anything for Jesus, anything He asks."  That night I had a dream. In my dream, I saw the location of every piece of equipment the Bible school would need.

The next day I phoned the four places I'd seen in my dream. One printer was surprised: he had the press I mentioned. He double checked: yes, it was available. I called a school about a typesetter and wax coater. The priest said they'd once had those items, but had misplaced them long ago. I closed my eyes, remembering my dream and I said: "I'm pretty sure they are on a window sill in the library." He found them right away. In January of 1976, having shipped crates of printing equipment ahead, I boarded a plane for the Philippines. Over the next 30 days, I set up the shop and trained workers.

Yes, that had been an amazing experience. At the time, I doubted I would ever experience anything like it again. But fifteen years later, God was showing me that it hadn't been a fluke. If I still had any doubts, they were dispelled a few days later when Patti said, "Yesterday, in a dream I was looking down on the world, which was dark and gloomy.  Suddenly I saw one light, then another, and then another. Soon there were bright beacons all over the world. I said, 'Lord, what are those lights?' and He answered, 'Those are print shops that will be built from tithes from your business."'

As she spoke, I was overwhelmed by the presence of God. All doubt was gone. I knew what God wanted us to do. My sons agreed wholeheartedly.

A SECOND LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS

The next year, our profits jumped to $55,000! We took a tenth and set it aside. Now that we had nearly six thousand dollars of God's money in the bank, it was time to get to work! We targeted a missions organization in Estonia. As we shopped for the necessary equipment, word spread and companies began making donations. Eventually we ended up with a 20 foot shipping container brimming with equipment and supplies. We celebrated as the ship made its way toward Finland where it would cross a 25 mile bay and head into Estonia.

A few mornings later, newscasts flashed footage of Russian warships cruising the Bay of Finland, threatening to sink any vessel bound for Estonia. We hit our knees in prayer. A few weeks later our shipment arrived safely.

The following spring, my sons Glen and Gene traveled to Estonia where they set up the new shop and equipped the Estonians to operate the machinery.

Even before we had enough tithes to launch the Estonian project, my son Jack caught the vision. Targeting a church in Mexico City, he supplemented his own wages with donations then borrowed the balance in order to buy equipment, travel to Mexico and set up the shop himself. At home, my son Aaron volunteered to clean each piece of equipment bound overseas. A few years later, a shop in Honduras was spearheaded by my son, Bruce.

PARTNERING WITH GOD IN YOUR BUSINESS

Sometimes it's hard to believe that just nine years ago I cried out to God about my business. So much has happened since then! For one thing, we've provided equipment to ten different countries and counting! I've watched my sons travel the world for Jesus, giving of their time and money. Patti and I have taken teams of laypeople on missionary crusades through which more than 70,000 people have met Jesus, and more than 50 churches have been established!

I have watched my company grow from a struggling business to an organization impacting the world for Jesus. God's principle is when you tithe your profit, your profit comes under the sovereign care of God. The business that began in a basement has filled our 30,000 sq. ft. Orchard Park, N.Y facility, and has recently built a 34,000 sq. ft. web offset printing plant in Orlando, Florida. Best yet, this principle of tithing changed everything we did. It gave us new hope, a new reason to live, a divine destiny for our business.

When you really think about tithing, you realize that it's the best deal in town. In essence, God is saying: "If I give you ten dollars, will you give one dollar back to Me for My purposes?" As a businessman, I know a good deal when I see it!

There's no greater thrill than embracing God's purpose for your life! And the beautiful truth is that, when you do, God actually provides what you need to fulfill that purpose. I said it once, before I even realized what the words might mean. Now that I know, I can say them with even greater conviction: I would do anything for Jesus, anything He asks! 

Buz Swyers is President of Swyers Printing as well as a National Director with BMF USA.

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