Whatever It Takes - Experiencing God

Cheryl & Rich Willett

Many years ago, my wife, Cheryl, and I participated in a small group study entitled Experiencing God written by Henry and Richard Blackaby. It was a
turning point in our Christian lives. We realized for the first time in our lives that God was at work around us, and we were to be obedient and join Him. We did two things immediately. First, we hosted an Experiencing God small group study in our house and second, we started looking for opportunities to join God in His work.

---

Several years later we joined another church where the lead pastor, Nolen Rollins, was influenced significantly by Henry Blackaby. Not long after joining the church we heard about a course offered by the pastor, GPS Life Journey, which, as we understood it, was an opportunity for Cheryl and me to learn about ourselves – our strengths, abilities, gifts, and passions – in a way we’ve never experienced before. We would use that information and our experiences in life to form a life mission that would guide us in determining how we would fit into the work God is doing around us.

Personal Missions

​Cheryl started doing bookkeeping in her grandparents’ business from the time she could hold a pencil in her hand. Today, she is a partner/owner in our accounting firm. As an accountant and QuickBooks ProAdvisor, she works with not-for-profit and for-profit organizations. What she’s discovered is that many organizations are not good stewards of their financial structure and they’re non-compliant with state and federal laws. We like to say their toes are at the edge of a cliff, but they refuse to acknowledge there is an edge. Cheryl’s mission is to be a resource in matters of finance and compliance so that organizations can avoid serious problems and make informed personal and business decisions.

My mission is to tutor students in Christian-based programs so they can achieve their full potential and engage in God’s purposes for their lives. I graduated from college with a degree in psychology and education and found myself teaching applied physics. I’ve been an automotive machinist, teacher, technical trainer, manager of a documentation department, systems engineer, sales manager, and the Chief Technology Officer in our accounting firm. I love using all I’ve learned in my professional and Christian life in tutoring and mentoring students. For Cheryl and me, our GPS Life Journey clarified how we fit into God’s plan. We now know exactly how and where to join God in His work.

Difficulties on Our Journey

Facing challenges in the accounting firm, Cheryl and I left the firm in 2018 to focus on the work God was directing us toward. 

Amid the crisis we were facing, Cheryl’s mother discovered she had aggressive cancer invading her body. We cared for Cheryl’s mom and dad through a very difficult time in their lives. Within six months Cheryl’s mom passed away and soon after Cheryl’s dad also died.

This put into perspective how short life is and had her asking the question once again – what am I here for? Cheryl took the opportunity to take GPS Life Journey again as a refresher to learn more about how God was working in her life. Today she continues to forge ahead in the work God has called her to.

To make life more interesting, I was experiencing a significant loss of muscle strength due to the damage done to my motor neurons by the polio virus I experienced as an 18-month-old. 

Also, our income was affected enough during the downturn in real estate sales, that we were struggling to keep our home. It wasn’t the right time to sell. It seemed that from every side we were under attack.

It was at that time that Cheryl was returning from visiting a client. As she pulled into our garage, she was thinking about trying to stay in our home when she heard God say, “You don’t know the blessings I have for you.” She knew that God was telling her that selling the house was in His plan.

Today I continue in the work God has invited me to plus I’ve heard from God that he has additional work for me to do. I heard Him clearly say, “I gave you a story to write, write it.” For many years I have felt compelled to write a story about my life to leave to our grandchildren. For a decade, I wrote the story with no plans other than printing the story for them.

After hearing God’s command, I knew He wanted me to tell not just my experiences from childhood but the entire story. I have just completed the third book in a five-book series detailing my experiences.

Cheryl and I feel exceptionally blessed by God to have discovered the life-changing truths in Experiencing God and GPS Life Journey. Our lives are full of significance, even with experiencing the difficulties we have encountered.

Cheryl Willett is an accountant/consultant with Willett Business Management, Inc. Rich Willett is an author, Whatever It takes, LLC.
(Story written by Rich Willett)