Mills Creative Minds – September 2008 Update.

mCm – I’m working on developing the brand of it all, both as one-sheet summaries & on the website. I need to straddle the fine line of “I’m a creative inventor” and “We’re a serious business.” God, give me wisdom, please.

The Vision – Last week as I was stressing out about composing a bonafide Business Plan for mCm, I decided to sleep it off. As I was drifting away, I was thinking about my financial goals for mCm. One of the primary motivations for creating mCm was to provide for missions. In fact, I had privately resolved to give away $200,000 of the first $300,000 I made. Arbitrary, I know, but that was my goal.

As I lay on the bed, however, I asked myself: why stop there? Why should I only aim to give 66% of the first $300,000? Why not do that ALL the time? And why not bump that to 70%? (Just to round up, make it an even number, to appease the OCD hand-washer inside me…)

And at that point… I cried. Not because I was freaked out about the idea of giving so much away, but because I was thrilled with the idea of giving so much away.

I am, by nature, a generous man. I love to share, to meet the needs of those around me. It’s the way I am, the way God wired me. And I am constantly frustrated when I run into a situation where I want to give, but I can’t because I don’t feel I have the money. (Translation: it would threaten my comfortable cushion.)

So by making the act of sacrificial giving a permanent cornerstone to Mills Creative Minds, I’ve effectively removed the “I can’t afford to give” mentality that holds me back. And THAT’S why I cried. Because honestly? I can’t WAIT to give the money away. Even before this new direction, I had compiled an extensive list of organizations, charities, causes, etc. that I want to bless. (And God keeps expanding my list with new areas of need…) I am so incredibly excited to give, it keeps me up at night. With a permanent, gleeful smile.

And the 30%? I can hear someone (most likely a relative) say something to the effect of:  “How can you live off of only 30%?” Well, now, that’s just doubting God’s providence. And abundance. Read Colossians 1:16. Read Psalms 24:1. It’s all His. EVERYTHING. 30%, 90%, 100% – what does it matter what I take home? He’s the one who will provide it all, regardless. I might be planting the mCm seeds, but only He can make them grow and prosper. It’s completely in His hands.

God was the one who began this process, He’s the one who continues to give me new direction, a renewed vision, and I fully believe that He’s going to help me see this through to completion.  I have a newfound purpose and JOY that I haven’t relished since college. My life has changed so dramatically in the past 4 months, it’s astonishing. But as much as I’m enjoying the present, I really REALLY look forward to next year. And the year after THAT. It’s gonna be fantastic.

Kevin

P.S. On a side note, I will say that my music addiction is almost completely destroyed. No longer do I spend countless hours adding to “the list” of songs to download “someday.” eMusic has since dropped me an e-mail, offering an additional 75 free bonus songs if I come back. It was tempting, but when it’s a choice between having the time to pursue Mills Creative Minds or adding to my Stack of Stuff, it’s no contest. God’s vision trumps my never-ending collection. Maybe I’ll rejoin after the new year, just to take a Big Swig and grab all the stuff on my list. But to be honest? That doesn’t really appeal to me anymore. That just means I’d have to reinvest more time LISTENING to the new stuff. And that just doesn’t interest me anymore.

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