In the book of 1 Chronicles is a story about a King named Solomon. King Solomon burnt 1,000 offerings to God. It was such a big offering that it moved God. He was moved so much he himself came to visit Solomon. Imagine how awesome it would be to have God himself come visit us because we did something to touch his heart. How much more awesome would it be to hear him say to us, ask anything of me. When we give to the Kingdom of God, the windows of heaven will open. For Solomon, God himself came to him, he didn't send a messenger. God loves a cheerful giver and he gave Solomon the opportunity of a lifetime. Don't tithe to be blessed. Tithe because you're already blessed w w w . t i t h e s a n d o f f e r i n g . c o m Israel carried God's presence in the ark. We carry His presence in our hearts. My name is Rick Mercado, the developer of tithesandoffering.com where we supply "Lessons in Giving for Children and Youth Ministries." Grace is my wife, and Caleb, Elijah, and Joshua are my boys. I joined the children's ministry in early 2002. After only three weeks, my leader asked me to begin collecting the tithes and offerings at the Friday night meetings. I was shocked, because I didn't feel prepared for this important responsibility. I had watched him conduct the offering, asking the kids all sorts of questions leading to their planting of their seed. But let's be honest-I didn't understand what he was doing or why he was doing it. God had something for me-not only for my own personal life, but also for His kingdom. Thus was the beginning of my ministry of "Tithes and Offering."