Red dress.

A little over 40 years ago, so the story goes, my mom tried on a new dress. She had gone to town with dad and they had stopped at a department store just to look.

Now before we go too far I should let you know that 'going to town' was a significant event. Our family farm was located nearly an hour from the nearest real town. Buying anything, especially a dress, was not a casual event.

So mom tried on the dress. A red dress. She came out of the changing room to show dad. She was pretty. Real pretty. Dad encouraged her to buy the dress. But instead she looked at the tag. She crumbled. It was far more than she was expecting, and far more that she thought they could spend.

She said no.

He said, "Listen, if we can't afford the dress, if money gets that tight... then we'll just have to increase what we give away."

What? Seriously? Yep. Give it away.

Dad did not believe that everything he gave to the church, God would return in exact dollar amounts.

But he did believe that if he gave generously to the Lord, then the Lord would provide for them.

Sometimes the Lord even provided a Red Dress.