Canadian Kyle MacDonald was jobless. But he dreamed of owning his own home. As far as he could tell, he had one thing in his favor. A red paper clip. That gave him an idea. And in one short year, he bartered his red paper clip into a house.
Bob WeathersIt worked this way. In July of 2005, MacDonald began trading, launching his journey with his one asset, a red paper clip. He posted his desire to trade his paper clip online and was able to barter for a fish-shaped ink pen. And the trades continued. The ink pen for a Coleman stove; the stove for a generator; the generator for an “instant party kit”; the kit for a snowmobile; the snowmobile for a trip to Yahk; the trip to Yahk for a cube van; the van for a recording contract; the recording contract for one-year of rent-free living in Phoenix; the rent-free year for a day with rocker Alice Cooper; and the day with Alice Cooper for a KISS snow globe.
And for the snow globe, MacDonald bartered with actor Corbin Bernsen for a speaking role in an upcoming movie. And finally, one year and 14 trades later, on July 12, 2006, the people of Kipling, Saskatchewan, traded MacDonald a home for the speaking role. (You can review his entire quest at oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com).
MacDonald told CBS News that “for people all over the world” with paper clips, his adventure “proves anything is possible.”
Imagine. If one guy can barter a paper clip into a house, what do you suppose God could do with, say, some bread and fish? Or a mustard seed?
Jesus said succinctly, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matt. 17:20).
Faith builds on faith. So if you need a movement of God, a mind-blowing miracle, maybe you should start with just trusting him for your bread. One blessing leads to another, and another. But it starts with trusting God today.
If Jesus had issued that lesson today, do you think he would have said, “If you have faith as small as a paper clip . . .”?