He was fumbling through his sock drawer; frantic. With his mom's frustration rising, tears began welling up in his eyes as he said, "Mom, I'm looking for money to buy bricks!"
Our church's capital campaign, the BOLD Initiative, is making an attempt to build platforms to connect people from all walks of life to life in Christ. There are specific goals being generated but the end game for such a risk is the church acting in faith believing that God will be glorified by our unwavering obedience.
Considering stories from the Bible like a boy's loaves and fish and a widow's mite our church is being challenged to consider a BOLD offering that would propel the name of Christ forward and deepen the faith of its members.
The mantra of our church's BOLD Initiative is "Our boldest moments are our best moments." So, whether we're giving our money or our time how do we guarantee that we are giving God our BEST moments?
Give generously. Gratitude breeds generosity. When we're convinced we have been given much we will be more prone to give. We must learn to be thankful for what we have but we must realize that our stock is simply on loan. Loosening our grip on our most valuable possessions will always be an indicator of a life marked by generosity.
Give sacrificially. "Give until it hurts." The problem is we're not very tolerant to pain. The slightest discomfort often causes us to tighten the bolts on our pocketbooks. Financial stability is a blanket of security; the opposite of risk and sacrifice. Sacrificial giving increases our faith, utilizing God's intervention in our circumstances to advance His kingdom purposes.
Give joyfully. Gifts given begrudgingly rob us of the joy meant to be garnered for our obedience. Giving in pretense or reluctance forfeits genuine gladness of heart. When we treasure the Giver more than the gift we realize our treasure is stored in heaven, not in earthly accounts. Giving with a smile on our face will ultimately put a smile on His!
Giving money, our hard-earned money, can make indelible marks on our lives and bank accounts. Pushing back on the pressure to give makes sense. After all, it's ours isn't it? Yet, God has called us to leverage our resources for a much higher purpose than our pleasure and entertainment. Giving a gift seems to be a small price to pay in light of the incomparable riches of knowing that our faith and obedience is becoming a cataclysmic force in the kingdom purposes of God.
Monday, September 21, 2015
Sunday, September 13, 2015
What a Day!
Last weekend was a blast! My family celebrated Labor Day and the always epic 1st day of kindergarten. Really, it was like a taste of heaven!
For as long as I can remember our family has always marked Labor Day as a time for the outdoors. With guns propped against hay bales in the middle of a field we find ourselves drenched with sweat, drinking Mountain Dew, eating Swiss Cake rolls, waiting for birds to fly overhead. With the sound of shotgun blasts we watch as birds fall from the sky like manna from heaven (insert laughter here for those who've been dove hunting before).
As the weekend began to wane into the not-so-distant past, Tuesday came like a jolt of Red Bull to the likes of my son's 1st day of kindergarten. What joy and sadness packaged in that ride across town! The moment we all simultaneously wait for and wish never happened. The story seems so familiar as the outstretched hand of his mother slowly separated from his and he began his journey down the hall as both fought back tears with new found bravery to face the unknown.
Here's the picture we're painting for the world to see; show the best and hide the rest! There are parts of our lives we want to put on display for the rest of the world to see. We Facebook it. We tweet it. We put it on Instagram. But there are parts of our lives we would rather keep hidden in dark spaces. We hide it. We ignore it. We even lie about it.
I'm learning that God wants to expose everything. Really, God? Is that necessary? Showing the best, I'm fine with that. But the ugly parts, let's just forget about that. Let's leave that in the cellar of times gone by.
He wants to expose the satisfaction we find in His creation. He wants to expose the joy we find in the relationships we are building with others. He wants to expose the fear we experience in unfamiliar territory. He wants to expose the insecurities we see peering through the mirror as we try to measure up to others.
He wants to expose our imperfections. Our insufficiencies. Our baggage. Our scars. Because He knows that then and only then can we begin to see Him as perfect. Sufficient. Burden bearer. Healer.
Here's my prayer today. Father, expose the dark spaces of my heart. Remind me that my measuring stick in life is not my neighbor; it's your Son. In the loving way that only you can, point out my shortfalls with your hand gently pressed against mine to remind me that you will not abandon me. Let me live in the satisfying love and forgiveness that only comes through the sacrifice of your Son. Teach me to be grateful for the life that can only be found in You!
For as long as I can remember our family has always marked Labor Day as a time for the outdoors. With guns propped against hay bales in the middle of a field we find ourselves drenched with sweat, drinking Mountain Dew, eating Swiss Cake rolls, waiting for birds to fly overhead. With the sound of shotgun blasts we watch as birds fall from the sky like manna from heaven (insert laughter here for those who've been dove hunting before).
As the weekend began to wane into the not-so-distant past, Tuesday came like a jolt of Red Bull to the likes of my son's 1st day of kindergarten. What joy and sadness packaged in that ride across town! The moment we all simultaneously wait for and wish never happened. The story seems so familiar as the outstretched hand of his mother slowly separated from his and he began his journey down the hall as both fought back tears with new found bravery to face the unknown.
Here's the picture we're painting for the world to see; show the best and hide the rest! There are parts of our lives we want to put on display for the rest of the world to see. We Facebook it. We tweet it. We put it on Instagram. But there are parts of our lives we would rather keep hidden in dark spaces. We hide it. We ignore it. We even lie about it.
I'm learning that God wants to expose everything. Really, God? Is that necessary? Showing the best, I'm fine with that. But the ugly parts, let's just forget about that. Let's leave that in the cellar of times gone by.
He wants to expose the satisfaction we find in His creation. He wants to expose the joy we find in the relationships we are building with others. He wants to expose the fear we experience in unfamiliar territory. He wants to expose the insecurities we see peering through the mirror as we try to measure up to others.
He wants to expose our imperfections. Our insufficiencies. Our baggage. Our scars. Because He knows that then and only then can we begin to see Him as perfect. Sufficient. Burden bearer. Healer.
Here's my prayer today. Father, expose the dark spaces of my heart. Remind me that my measuring stick in life is not my neighbor; it's your Son. In the loving way that only you can, point out my shortfalls with your hand gently pressed against mine to remind me that you will not abandon me. Let me live in the satisfying love and forgiveness that only comes through the sacrifice of your Son. Teach me to be grateful for the life that can only be found in You!
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