Erica

• Is now a senior in high school.  Seems like yesterday she was cutting her own hair and playing in the mud.
• She is taller than I am.
• Going on dates
• Has a Job
• Responsible

Jackson

• Getting taller
• Voice is getting deeper
• His boyish looks are changing into being manly
• Drives my truck around the church

Noah

• Putting logical thoughts together
• Using more and more words
• His ability to reason, (when he wants to)
• Independence (I can do it)
• No lock, latch, nor gate that can hold him.  He could escape Alcatraz!!
• Shy
• Loves Octonaughts
• Can make Jackson so mad
• Always wants to “drive” my truck

Sophie

• Using more and more words
• She carries on conversations
• Tells you what she wants
• Get’s upset when you don’t do it.
• Always calls out DaaGee when I open the door
• Loves to take a bath
• Will show you the finger she has DaaGee wrapped around

Graden

• Independent
• Talking more but not as much as Sophie
• Loves his Mimi
• Shorter than Sophie
• Looks so much like his daddy at that age.
• Beginning to sing along with radio.  Favorite song, “Mean” by Taylor Swift
• Refuses to go to bed until he is ready to drop

I worked in the corporate world (or as some church people call it, “The Real World”) from 1993-2002.  I worked for several companies including

State Farm Insurance (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Automatic Data Processing and State Farm.  These were both very “good” and high paying jobs. They also had one thing in common…I was expected to produce and be effective.  If I was not effective and did not produce, it was not long until I knew I would be out of a job.

I was a Fire Claim Representative for State Farm.  I was trained for months before going into the field.  I was sent to Bloomington for 3 weeks one January to learn the policy.  [Believe it or not, if someone failed the policy exam, they were escorted back to the hotel, watched while they packed, put on a plane and sent home (without a job).] When someone’s house burned or was damaged and they filed a claim with insurance, I went out and assessed the damage, took measurements, wrote an estimate and then issued a draft.  I usually worked about 30 claims per month.  Each of those approximate 30 claims had the possibility of being re-inspected by someone. (The Farm actually has a “re-inspector” position and all they do is go out and make sure you did the claim according to standards.)  The re-inspector retook all the measurements and gave us a 1/2″ allowance to be off.

Each quarter, every Claims Adjuster had a performance review in which our re-inspections were reviewed with management.  These quarterly performance reviews determined if and how much of a raise we received.  If the adjuster had consistently bad reviews, it would result in termination.  In other words, my job security was performance based and not guaranteed!

I was dumbfounded when I entered into the ministry and discovered that not only did pastor’s NOT have performance reviews to see what kind of job they were doing but also had GUARANTEED APPOINTMENTS.  We have one of the most important duties and we are not held accountable???  I really could not believe it.  However, in the pulpits, most ministers will preach on accountability yet we don’t seem to want anyone to hold us accountable.

I have and have always had (gonna make some of my teacher friends mad) a problem with tenure.  The biggest problem with tenure is mediocrity.  You have a job regardless if you do it well or not.  (I know some are going to say that it prevents teachers/preachers from being fired over what they say or teach, but let’s be real!  We have way more problem with ineffective teachers and preachers!!)  Can the system of Performance Based Employment be tainted? YES.

To be effective and fair, the United Methodist Church is going to have to institute the following or something close:

• Clearly defined performance goals so the Bishop, DS, BOOM and Clergy are on the same page.  These goals need to be individualized for each clergy because every church is different.
• Regular performance reviews.  These means the Bishop/DS/BOOM or other is going to have to be in the business of every local church and pastor on a higher level and more routine level
• Develop policies for helping pastors who are not performing to expectations and a process leading to termination if expectations are not met.
• A check and balance system so that one person cannot just arbitrarily fire a pastor.

I know this can be strange and somewhat scary. I like knowing that I’m going to have an appointment no matter what! But tenure/guaranteed appointments are not the answer.  This leads to ineffectiveness, mediocrity, laziness and the stats of the UM church don’t show we as pastors are doing our jobs in reaching great masses of people for the Kingdom.  Right now as it has been, a pastor can go play golf 5 times a week, preach on Sunday and be guaranteed a pulpit.  That’s the larger injustice.

Related articles

• No Guaranteed Appointment – No Big Deal (By Jim Doepken) (fromthegeneral.wordpress.com)
• Pastor Salary (celebritynetworth.com)

Deutsch: St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital English: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I started my clinical at St. Jude hospital today. My first patient that I got to visit with was a 9 year old boy with bone cancer. He has been a patient at St. Jude’s for about 3 years and hopefully is finishing up with his chemo. He had the brightest smile and the best outlook for being through what he has been through in his young life.

We played checkers and I talked with him as he made a bird house. He told me that he was supposed to be in the 5th grade but was only in 2nd because he had been too sick to do his school work. He also told me that he didn’t like studying. I agreed with him on that one.

Talking with W. was inspirational…not for him but for me. It was amazing how insignificant my life difficulties became when I was talking to him and his mom. To be around a young man that has faced so much and still had the attitude that he has is incredible in my eyes. W. is my new hero! He doesn’t wear a cape or tights but a port that the doctors use to pump chemo into his body. Yet he approaches life with a smile. Rock On!!

Related articles

• S.Z. Berg: Why Cindy Crawford Is Partnering With St. Jude (Plus, You Could Win a New Home) (huffingtonpost.com)
• St. Jude’s patient and family has ultimate Space Camp experience (video) (al.com)

As a pastor, it is really easy to get caught up in, bogged down, confused, overwhelmed and discouraged. There is always a meeting going on; someone is always unhappy with something that you said, did or didn’t do; someone who is sick; something that demands your time and always a sermon to prepare. As a member of a congregation, many of these same demands apply and certainly some additional ones.

I believe in these times, and in all times, it is important to remain focused on the foundation. Upon what Christ told us to do. I’ve read the Scriptures, been to seminary and cannot find it anywhere that Christ says we must attend all the committee meetings of the church. (Please don’t yell or throw stuff at me). However, I just can’t seem to find it. I can find in red words where Christ says, “God authorized and commanded me to commission you: Go out and train everyone you meet, far and near, in this way of life, marking them by baptism in the threefold name: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Then instruct them in the practice of all I have commanded you.” The Great Commission.

So, if we are to break it down to the simplest terms, we are to make disciples! Have you ever asked yourself what a disciple looks like; what does one do; what makes up a disciple? These are important questions because if we cannot answer these questions, we don’t know if we are doing what we are commanded to do by Christ himself. And so, here are 4 qualities of someone who is a disciple:

1. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO IS COMMITTED TO FOLLOWING JESUS
- One who has made Jesus Lord of their life.
- One who has surrendered their life to Christ.
(Luke 9:23, John 8:31)

2. A DISCIPLE IS ON WHO IS BECOMING LIKE CHRIST IN ATTITUDE AND ACTION.
- One who is being made or remade into the image of Christ.
(John 13:35, 15:8; Romans 8:29; Galatians 5:22)

3. A DISCIPLE IS ONE WHO HAS COMMITTED THEIR LIFE TO THE MISSION OF CHRIST.
- Ambassadors of Christ
(John 15:8; Matthew 4:19, 2 Corinthians 5:19-20)

4. ONE WHO IS IN INTENTIONAL RELATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS WITH OTHER SPIRITUALLY MATURING BELIEVERS.
- Being in relationship with other believers
- Learning from other believers
- Supporting other believers/seekers
- Holding and being held accountable for spiritual growth.
(2 Timothy 2:2; Hebrews 3:12; Deuteronomy 6:4)

Being a disciple is much more than giving your one hour a week on Sunday morning, sitting on a hard pew, listening to a sermon. It’s a way of life that is lived 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. It’s hard! It’s time consuming! It takes you out of your comfort zone! It’s the only thing in life where you will find the JOY the Lord has for you. It’s worth it.

Related articles

• Are we making disciples? (lifereference.wordpress.com)
• To Be a Disciple (cofchristdailybread.wordpress.com)
• Well, What Would YOU Teach a Disciple? (jlthomson.wordpress.com)

1. It helps the “Binder Keeper” stay organized. 
2. People tend to leave you alone and ask less questions when you have a 3 ring binder. They know you are organized and following a scheduled that is typed out on the front page of the binder and it is best not to interrupt what it is you might be doing. They also know that if they are not busy, you probably can find them something to do in the 3 ring binder.
3. When someone ask you for something (if you are a professional “3 ring binder keeper”) you will have whatever they are asking for strategically placed in the 3 ring binder for easy access (Professional Binder Keepers have different sections separated by color coded tabs).
4. The Binder Keeper never has to look for important documents/schedules/rules/plans when properly keeping a binder…The Binder Keeper always knows they are in the 3 ring binder and ALWAYS ALWAYS knows the location of the binder.
5. In a moment of panic (such as when a baby is on the way or a camper is lost at camp) the 3 ring binder is much like a security blanket. A safe place to go and find order in a chaotic world.

I hope this helps those of you who may not have seen the power and organizational skills brought on by being a 3 Ring Binder Keeper. 

For those interested, I will be hosting a workshop on what goes into a properly organized 3 Ring Binder. Dates and times will be announced soon and a follow-up course as to what to keep in a “Baby Being Born Binder” (Which I am calling “The 4 Bee’s”) is also coming soon. STAY TUNED!!

1.  We’ve Always Done It This Way.  This is a widespread problem throughout the church.  We do it this way and we’re comfortable with it.  Most of the time, the program we’re talking about started out being effective but over the years, it’s become outdated.  However, there is a history of doing it.  It also takes little planning and little enthusiasm to crank it out.

2.  I’m In Charge.  This is not a reason that most people will come out and say but it is an underlying issue.  They see the program as being theirs and believe that if new pe0ple come, so will change.  Change in leadership, decision making and organization.

3.  We just like getting together.  There are so many groups within the church who have lost their focus in that we exist to make disciples and have found ourselves gathering to enjoy each other.  Don’t get me wrong, fellowship is vital in the life of a disciple.  However, so many groups are just getting together for the fun of it and not bringing up Jesus except for the blessing.  The church is not a social club, a sorority nor a country club.  It’s the Body of Christ and we have a mission.  To Make Disciples.

4.  Tradition.  Wow, this is a sticky word in the church.  It can be viewed as a “bad” word but it too is vital in Christianity.  Tradition links us to our past and to all the saints who have gone before.  What happens all too often is the tradition is not making disciples and has become a weight around the neck.

http://vimeo.com/churchformen/amazinggrace

Amazing Grace: A church for men from David Murrow on Vimeo.

You’ve heard the one about the old man who was dying? He smelled cherry pie baking, so he roused himself from bed and staggered into the kitchen. He was reaching for the pie when his wife swatted his wrist away. “No!” she barked. “That’s for your funeral.”

Here are 10 things we can do to reduce the amount of stress in marriage: 

1. Always put your spouse first:  This is a HUGE principle, key to reducing relationship stress. Ideally, a husband and wife will put the other first, but you only have control over your behavior.
2. Have fun together:  Movies, walks, picnics, games, trips…not just fun but hilarity. Laughing together is great relationship medicine.
3. Build “together time” into your schedule:  “Time with your spouse” shouldn’t be relegated to the status of leftovers!  Your relationship with your spouse trumps all other priorities and schedules.  If that means scrawling “Relax together” on the calendar in indelible marker, then so be it!
4. Don’t sweat the small stuff:  When you feel the first inklings of stress, ask yourself “Is this a moral issue?” If not (nine times out of ten it isn’t), then let it go. Make your mutual priorities a recurring topic of conversation. Remind yourselves what really counts. Simplify your lifestyle. Celebrate what you have in each other.
5. Give back, and do it together:  Work at the soup kitchen; volunteer with a faith-based community; hook up with a group that helps the less fortunate or restores the environment. Throw yourselves into charitable causes together, and watch things fall into perspective.
6. Communicate clearly and respectfully:  Like sit-com fodder, misunderstandings are the source of a lot of tension.  Always keep your spouse in the loop, and always communicate with love and good manners.
7. Tell the truth:  Remember the old adage, “When you tell the truth, you don’t have to remember what you said the last time.”  People who don’t keep secrets experience less stress in relationships.
8. Hold hands, hug, and make out!  Physical contact is a proven stress reliever.  Squeeze into the same chair to watch TV – just hang all over one-another. Reach out and take your spouse’s hand while walking, driving, or at an event. Be deliberate about demonstrating affection via physical contact.
9. Play to your strengths – and hers:  Effective teachers know that playing to a student’s strengths works better than focusing on any weaknesses.  Pay attention to your spouse’s strengths; build up, affirm, and encourage. Criticism always leads to more stress.
10. Live within your means:  Money problems are the leading cause of stress in American marriages.  Take preventative measures to work this one out. Remember #4, “Don’t sweat the small stuff.”  Most of the stuff we get into debt over is simply not worth the stress.

5 Must-Know Facts About First-Time Guests

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Church leaders need to be aware of five significant facts about first-time guests looking for a church home.

Healthy and growing churches pay close attention to the people they count as members, as well as those people who are not yet a part of the flock. These churches know that new people are the lifeblood of a growing church. Like a spigot, they want to keep the valve open for the flow of new people, and most importantly, they want to ensure that nothing impairs or cuts off the flow of new people to the church.

With that in mind, pastors need to be aware of five significant facts about first-time guests looking for a church home.

1. Visitors make up their minds regarding a new church in the first ten minutes of their visit.

Often, before a first-time guest has sung an inspiring song or watched a compelling drama or viewed a well-produced video vignette or heard a well-crafted sermon, they have made up their mind whether or not to return. In fact, if you ask most church leaders, far more time and energy are spent on the plan and execution of the worship service, with only minimal time spent on preparing for the greeting and welcoming of the first-time guest, which is equally if not more important. Most pastors would rather not hear this: The church’s ability to connect with first-time guests is not dependent on you but on those first lines of people who represent your church.

• Are parking attendants in place?
• Is there appropriate signage?
• Are your ushers and greeters performing the “right” job?
• Is the environment you take for granted user-friendly and accepting to guests?

2. Most church members aren’t friendly.

Churches claim to be friendly. In fact, many churches put that expression in their logo or tag line. But my experience in visiting churches as a first-time guest proves otherwise. The truth is that most church members are friendly to the people they already know, but not to guests.

• Observe to see if your members greet guests with the same intensity and concern before and after the worship service as they do during a formal time of greeting in the worship service. A lack of friendliness before and after the service sends a mixed, if not hypocritical, message to new people.
• The six most important minutes of a church service, in a visitor’s eyes, are the three minutes before the service and the three minutes after the service, when church members introduce themselves, seeking genuinely to get to know the visitors (not just obtain personal information like the market research data collectors at the mall), offer to answer any questions, introduce them to others who may have a connection (perhaps they live in the same neighborhood, are from the same hometown or state, or their children attend the same school), or any number of ways to demonstrate to the visitors that they as a church member care.
• A church would be wise to discover their most gregarious and welcoming members and deploy them as unofficial greeters before and after each service, in addition to designated parking-lot greeters, door greeters, ushers, and informational booth personnel.
• Don’t make promises the church can’t keep. My wife attended a church recently that calls itself “The Friendly _______ Baptist Church,” but no one spoke to her before the service, and when she sought information from the guest information booth, she was treated by the attendant as a bother. Mixed messages and unfulfilled promises do great harm in a church’s effectiveness in welcoming new people.

3. Church guests are highly consumer-oriented.

“If Target doesn’t have what I need, I just head to K-Mart.” “If the Delta airfare is too high, American might have a sale.” Capitalism has taught us that if we don’t find what we want, someone else down the street or at another Web site will have it. If your church building is too hard for newcomers to navigate, if they have to park in the “back 40,” if your people are unaccepting and unfriendly, another church down the street may have what they’re looking for. Or worse yet, they may decide getting into a church is not worth the effort and give up their search altogether.

• Pastors and church leaders need to look at their churches through the eyes of a first-time guest. Rick Warren says that the longer a pastor has been a pastor, the less he thinks like a non-pastor. That same thought would apply to thinking like a guest.
• The use of objective, yet trained, anonymous guests to give an honest appraisal is very important. Many retail outlets utilize the service of one or more “mystery guests” to provide helpful analysis of welcoming and responding to the consumer. Churches would be well served to utilize a similar service.

4. The church is in the hospitality business.

Though our ultimate purpose is spiritual, one of our first steps in the Kingdom business is attention to hospitality. Imagine the service that would be given to you in a first-class hotel or a five-star restaurant. Should the church offer anything less to those who have made the great effort to be our guests?

• Hospitality is almost a forgotten virtue in our society. When was the last time someone invited you to their home for a meal? But it needs to be reawakened.
• Church members can extend hospitality to guests by offering to sit with them during the church service, giving them a tour of the church facilities, inviting them to lunch after service, or connecting with them later in the week.

5.  You only have one chance to make a good first impression.

More than a truism, first impressions are lasting ones. Little hope of correcting a bad first impression is possible. Your first-time guests have some simple desires and basic needs. They decide very quickly if you can meet those criteria. The decision to return for a second visit is often made before guests reach your front door.

• Are you creating the entire experience, beginning with your parking lot?
• Are you consciously working to remove barriers that make it difficult for guests to find their way around and to feel at home with your people?
• Do newcomers have all the information they need without having to ask any embarrassing questions?
• Are your greeters and ushers on the job, attending to details and anticipating needs before they are expressed?
• Does anything about your guests’ first experience make them say, “Wow!” and want to return?

You may be the most skilled preacher, and your church may have excellent small groups or the best children’s ministry in the city. Your first-time guests will never know unless they make a second or third visit. Will they come back? It all depends on the impression you’re making. Make it the right one the first time.

Barna’s conclusions to his research state, “After 15 years of digging into the world around me, I have reached several conclusions regarding the future of the Christian church in America.  The central conclusion is that the American church is dying due to lack of strong leadership.  In this time of unprecedented opportunity and plentiful resources, the church is actually losing influence.  The primary reason for this is the lack of leadership…Nothing is more important that leadership.”

Lovett Weems (distinguished professor of church leadership and director of the Lewis Center for Church Leadership at Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC.) in a recent speech to the Bishops of the United Methodist Church warned that a “Death Tusnami” was coming to the UMC.  In the next 40 years, more people will die since the discovery of antibiotics.  The danger in this for the church is that since the merger of the UMC  everything dealing with money has risen (Net Assets, Giving per Worshiper, Total Giving/Spending) while everything dealing with people has decreased (Churches, Attendance, Membership, Professions of Faith, Children and Youth).  When people decrease and money increases what you have is a dependence upon fewer people to provide more money. This works okay until the generation providing most of the money begins to die and this is where we now find ourselves as a denomination and many, many of our local churches.

This week we’re beginning a sermon series on Learning to Lead.  Why in the world preach a sermon series on leadership?  Because leadership is essential and if the church is not well led, then the Bride of Christ suffers.  The first lesson in leadership begins with investing in others.  Christ calls us to go into the world and make disciples. We CANNOT make disciples unless we are willing to invest in them.  AND if we don’t invest in others so that they will be able to invest in others, the entire process stops.

There’s a major hole in the churches success in training those of us who are in the 35-50 year old range.  Who’s going to lead the church?  Who’s going to invest in the next generations?

1. Goals must be realistic/attainable
   1. It’s not realistic nor attainable to set a goal of completing the church build-out in 2012 or to set a goal of 250 people in worship by December 31, 2012. 
   2. If it is very unrealistic to achieve a certain goal, the goal becomes demoralizing.
2. Goals must make sense to the larger vision/direction of the church
   1. If you set off on a trip to Washington DC but you’re traveling toward Los Angeles…
   2. Goals must be a building block of the larger vision of the church
3. Goals must be measurable.
   1. If the goal is not measurable, how will you know when you’ve achieved it?
   2. There must be a concrete way of measuring the progress and success of the effort to achieve the goal. 

CONNECT

-       More focused and deliberate Advertising/Church Promotion

• Signs
• Banners
• Billboard
• Commercial
• Newspaper
• Handouts
• Visitation Packets

-       4 New “Them” events which focus on bringing people into Union

• “Them Events” are events that are created and promoted specifically for people who are not a part of the Union Family. 
• These are outreach events with the goal of bringing people onto our campus.
• Examples of current “Them Events” at Union are:
• • Car Show
  • Singings
  • Fall Festival
  • Easter Egg Hunt
  • Garage Sale
  • Pumpkin Patch

-       Make “Them” events more connection point targeted. 

• Ask “How can this event be used to get someone to come to church here?”
• Ask “What will attendees take away to remind them of Union?”
• Ask “How will we invite them back and what will we invite them back to?”
• 4 actions that mustbe done at each event…
  • Put something in the hand of each attendee that tells about Union.
  • Verbally invite them back to another event at Union.
  • Utilize some way to get contact information from each attendee.
    • Drawing, Visitor Card, etc
    • Follow up with those we have contact information.

-       1 Church Outing especially for members but also used to reach out.

• We must not forget to continue connecting with one another.  Our relationship with each other is vital to our spiritual growth.  Remember the old saying, “A family who laughs together, stays together”; it’s true and it works.

• Braves Game
• Barons Game
• Hockey Game
• Trip to the zoo
• Go see a Broadway musical as a church group.
• Anything that we can do together.

-       3 Focused Men’s Activities used to connect men (especially men age 30-50) to Union. 

• Men are vital to the future growth of Union and churches in general.  However, a large portion of church activities are focused toward ladies.  We must begin to look at what men are interested in and create ministries that reach out to them. 
• Union currently has one focused men’s activity per month (with some exceptions), The Mens Breakfast.  Please hear me, this is a great event and it serves a wonderful purpose, however, it cannot continue to be the only outreach to men.  We must offer more connection points for men that are convenient to their schedule, hits on their interest, and gets them participating with other men.  What does this look like?  Here are some ideas:

• Fishing Trip
• Golf Outing
• White Water Rafting
• Camping
• Guy Movie Night
• Watching Ball Games together

• A man is more likely to attend worship after he has done something “fun and interesting” and knows some of the other men in the church.  For example, a man will be more comfortable standing around before a worship service talking with other men whom he has played golf with than standing by himself feeling uncomfortable. 

As I look back over that experience, I have to laugh.  I triply lost out through my “100%” approach to giving.  First, I was never at ease about the gifts God had given me.  Thanks to my upbringing I knew that everything I had was a gift from God, and I knew He asked for the first 10% of it back to acknowledge Him as the giver of all good gifts.  Living in denial of that truth just caused anxiety and “dis-ease” for me in my spirit.  Why would I choose to feel that way over a few bucks…a night out or one more trip to a restaurant?  I guess our sin nature really loves money more than it loves God.  It’s hard to face, but facts are facts.

Second, I missed out on the reordering of my priorities that tithing allows.  Tithing forces us to look carefully at our stated core values and to compare them with how we spend our money, i.e., how we live our lives.  Where they don’t match up, we know we have an integrity problem.  We’re not who we say we are.  We’re not living under the Lordship of Jesus.  We’ve taken His name (Christian) like a bride takes the name of her new husband, but in truth we never give up our true love, our mistress—money.

Finally, I was missing out on the joy of being caught up in the purposes of God, of being a surrendered instrument in His hands.  What a joy it is to be fully surrendered to God and living in full trust that He will provide.  Moving into a faith-based (or trust-based) relationship with Jesus and away from a knowledge-based relationship is akin to going Christian 2.0.  It is a big step.

If you are ready to understand what people are talking about when they mention the joy of their faith or the joy of a deep & personal relationship with Jesus, consider choosing to claim Him as Lord by putting Him in absolute control of your finances.  Choose to live in full and surrendered trust that He will provide for you.   There is a whole universe of spirituality that can never be experienced while you maintain a white-knuckled grip on your life and your security.  In truth, that grip is an illusion anyway, and it only keeps you from ever knowing the peace and joy that come with resting in the arms of Jesus.

Pastor Wade Griffith

Wade Griffith is the Pastor at Liberty Crossings UMC, www.libertycrossingsumc.org.  He is married to Julia, and they have a two and half year old son, Wade III, and a one year old son named Haines.  Wade is from Decatur, AL, and has served churches in Decatur, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Homewood and Vestavia Hills.

Hope this is able to help in some way.  Again,  I am so sorry for my procrastination.  Please feel free to edit…  correct…  plagarize… whatever…

Take Risks!

Mark

“The Good Steward”

Summary:  Wesley uses this sermon to explain that we as God’s Stewards are not the owners of what God entrust to us, but temporary custodians.  This applies to our souls, bodies, possessions, time, abilities and opportunities.  Wesley states in this sermon that there will be a day of great judgment when a final accountability will be given for our stewardship.

Introduction:

1. The Bible describes the created as debtors and servants to the creator.
2. The best description is that of a steward or manager.

1. The Nature of Stewardship
2. The Duration of Our Stewardship
3. The Final Accounting of Our Stewardship
   1. The Value of Time
   2. How precious is every moment in time.
   3. In using time, no word or deed is truly unimportant.
   4. There are no works that produce excess merit.  We cannot do too much.
   5. It is not easy to give back to God all that he has given us, it will require all our wisdom, perseverance, patience, and faithfulness.

1. Debtors are obligated to return what they have received, but can use it however they wish until the return.  This is not the case with stewards.
1. We are obligated to use our blessings as God wishes not ourselves.
2. Nothing is our own in this world.
2. God has entrusted us with all that we have received including our minds and souls
3. In doing God’s will we obtain our own happiness; therefore we should use our blessings for his glory.
4. God entrust us with our bodies
5. God has given us the superior capacity for speech and it is to be used to glorify
6. God has given us our hands and feet and bodies.
7. God has given us worldly goods of food, clothing, shelter and money.
8. God has given us the gift of energy, health, favorable appearance, education, knowledge and influence.
1. The gift of time and the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit

1. We are only stewards for a short time while on earth.
2. After we die, we won’t need the things God has entrusted to us.
3. The same applies to the body.
4. Death ends the need for speech, strength, health and beauty.
5. What about the other talents such as the “still, small voice”?
6. Our physical faculties will not probably exist after death, but continue in a greater degree.
7. We don’t know how much wisdom will remain after death.
8. Our souls will remain and retain all their faculties.
9. Our comprehension will be freed from its present defects.
10.  Some might say that disembodied spirits have no senses but they are dreaming.
11. The soul will retain its comprehension and the full vigor of its will and affections. 
12. However we are no longer stewards of these faculties.

1. After death, we are no longer stewards and must give an accounting.
1. We don’t know if it is immediate at the time of death.
2. We are to give the account of our stewardship when “the great white throne and the one who sat on it come down from heave, and the earth and the heaven flee from God’s presence, and no place is found for them.”
3. God will ask, “How did you use your life?”
4. God will ask, “How did you use your body?”
5. God will ask, “How did you use your worldly goods?”
6. God will ask, “Have you been a wise and faithful stewards of all the gifts?”
1. If so, God will declare, “Well done, good and trustworthy servant; enter into my Kingdom.”

Related articles

• The Christ-like Use Of Money (John Wesley) (dbarts.wordpress.com)

Often we limit stewardship to the amount of money we give.  Traditionally and from Old Testament mandates, one tenth is the standard given for a tithe.  As New Testament Christians, we are under a new order, a new way of being faithful.  No longer is the Old Testament our only standard for living.  Now we live by the standards that Jesus Christ has set.

One example of Jesus teaching his disciples and us about giving is found in Mark 12: 38-44. He warned the disciples to “Watch out for the religion scholars.  They love to walk around in academic gowns, preening in the radiance of public flattery, basking in prominent positions, sitting at the head table at every church function.  And all the time they are exploiting the weak and helpless.  The longer their prayers, the worse they get.  But they’ll pay for it in the end.”  Sitting across from the offering box, he was observing how the crowd tossed money in for the collection.  Many of the rich were making large contributions.  One poor widow gave more to the collection than all the others put together.  All the others gave what they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.”  The Message. Eugene H. Peterson

You will not find any standard percent of giving discussed by Jesus in the New Testament, rather he does talk a lot about how we give and why.  The story of the widow’s mite shows us two things:  how not to give as demonstrated by the religion scholars, and how to give as demonstrated by the widow.  No doubt the religion scholars gave their tenth and did it out of an arrogant, self-serving, hypocritical heart.  The widow, on the other hand, gave a measly two cents.  Jesus compares her giving to theirs and calls her giving extravagant, sacrificial, and all of what she had.  She gave 100%!!

The widow reflects another standard of giving that is at the core of our being as people of faith and that is the standard set by Jesus himself.  Jesus gave his all—100% even unto death.  He gave his life willingly, out of love, and of course he gave sacrificially.

Nowhere do I find in the New Testament that Jesus will be satisfied with a tenth of who we are or what we have.  He wants all of us—100%.  When we are really understanding stewardship as Jesus taught us, we are “all in”.

Our percentages of giving in dollars may vary, but our commitment to discipleship should not.  We are all uniquely gifted by God to serve and follow him.  In order to be good stewards of what we have been given, we must seek ways to be faithful in all aspects of living a life that produces fruit for the Kingdom.  We ask ourselves,  “Am I 100% committed to the “body of Christ” with my prayer life; my faithfulness in attending church; my gifts, both monetary and spiritual; my service and ministry to others; and, my witness, sharing with others what Christ has done for me”?

Chances are we will not be perfect in our 100% commitment, but we can certainly strive to live a life of faith dependent upon the Holy Spirit to guide and teach us.  Ask yourself, “Am I ‘all in’ “?

Rev. Nancy Cole is an ordained Elder serving in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church as the Coordinator of Natural Church Development and Coordinator of Disaster Recovery.  Nancy entered seminary after a thirty-year career in education where she was a teacher for 18 years, and a psychometrist and guidance counselor for the last 12 years.  She is married to Steve Cole and has one daughter, Tammy,  two sons, Jason and Bo, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.  Before being appointed to Connectional Ministries in the Conference, Nancy served churches in Harpersville, Mignon, Tuscaloosa, and Gordo. She and her husband, Steve, reside in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

When we are the recipient of generosity—when someone does something for us— we are more likely to be generous ourselves.  This is a fairly natural and expected response for most of us.  And this is something like what the author of 1 John is saying about how people are expected to act once they have received the gift of God’s love through Jesus

When I say it is expected, I don’t mean that it is expected as in, “I expect you to do this or else…” But expect as in anticipation.  It is more like when you add vinegar to baking soda and you expect it to bubble up.  The natural and expected response to being filled up with God’s love is that one will also flow out with the same.  When we have received love, we are expected to share it with others.

There is also an element of expectation, as in obligation, involved in this as well because in order to live as a person of God, we are expected and commanded to love God and neighbor (Matthew 22:37-39).  But because it is the gift of God’s grace that fills us with love and makes it possible for us to act out of love, then what God commands us, God also gives us the power to do.

One of my favorite quotes about giving is attributed to Amy Carmichael, who was a Christian missionary to India from the early 1900’s.  She left her family, friends, and life in Northern Ireland to serve the people of India for 55 years.  She said to have shared this message, “one can give without loving, but one cannot love without giving”.  That is pretty much what the Gospel of John is saying here: We cannot believe in Jesus without loving, and we cannot love without giving.

In order to grow toward self-sacrificing generosity that embodies the love of God, most of us won’t just jump right in head first.  We need some beginner steps, like…

• reading what the Bible says about giving
• praying and seeking God’s guidance
• giving a little something to see what it is like
• talking about it with each other—to see how others do it, to receive encouragement, and to be challenged to continue growing

And then finally, we will get to a place when we can live it.  We will not just say that we believe, we will also do what we believe.  Our actions and our lives as individuals and as a church will speak much louder than our words of faith.  We will become generous followers of Jesus.

Julie Holly is the Senior Pastor at Discovery United Methodist Church in Birmingham. You can follow her blog by clicking here! or with this address: http://pastorchickword.blogspot.com

This verse is part of King David’s ongoing acknowledgement of God’s great works in the world. It is a beautiful passage of praise and thanksgiving that comes from David’s joy in laying the financial foundation that will be used by his son Solomon to build the Temple in Jerusalem. David lifts up this blessing to God, telling the almighty that “all that is in the heavens and on the earth is yours.” We say that a lot, don’t we? We repeat that mantra, that all good things, all blessings, everything comes from God. In fact, I just said it a minute ago before the offertory. The question for us this morning is, do we believe that? Do we believe that everything we have, all our possessions, all our stuff, all our money, really belongs to God? And if you do indeed truly believe that, the next question is, does your life reflect that belief?

Whether you realize it or not, you probably DO believe that God can make a difference in your finances. I would argue that MOST people really do believe that God can affect that financial future, the problem is that most people don’t live into that belief until their finances are in shambles. It’s only when the bottom drops out and our finances are in ruins that we find out we really DO believe this. I cannot tell you how many times I have heard and experienced this prayer in my brief time as minister:
“Dear God, my house is in foreclosure, I’m filing for bankruptcy, I spent my 401K, I am in midst of the worst financial hardship I’ve ever experienced. God, I need your help. I want to give you my life, everything I have, my whole life.”

To which God responds, “But you don’t have ANYTHING. Where were you 6 months ago when you had something to give?”

God doesn’t really respond that way, thankfully. But the question becomes, if you believe that God can have a hand in your finances at rock bottom, wouldn’t it make sense to invite him into your finances now, when things are good (or okay, or at least not ridiculously, terrible)? What is the point of waiting? Because God doesn’t force his way into your bank account or your wallet. You can make sure that God is never involved in your financial future, but I will bet that at some point in time you’re going to ask him in. How about now?
God wants to be invited.

But there is a risk when we invite God into our finances. I use that word invitation with great purpose. When we acknowledge that all things come from God and ultimately belong to God, when we INVITE him into our finances, there is some change that is required. It’s like any other invitation. What do we do as a church when a guest comes in? We do our very best to make them feel comfortable and welcome. I like to think we put the guest before the member here at Morningstar. And I imagine the same is true at your house when you welcome a guest for dinner or stay with you. We re-orient the way that we think and we put the guest first.
In our house, I’ll straighten up before a guest arrives. Then Denise will come behind me and re-straighten all the stuff I thought I had straightened. We plan meals and buy better food than we normally eat. We ask if they need anything? Can I get you something to drink? Are you comfortable? And we’re trying to teach our daughter Maggie how to treat guests. She’s still learning. When someone comes over, they get to choose the game we play or the movie we watch. The guest gets to choose!

And it’s the same when we invite God into our financial lives. It’s God’s choice what we’re going to do first. And here is what God chooses. Turn in your Bibles to Matthew 6:31-33 (page 6 in the New Testament).
Jesus says, “Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God* and his* righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

What is the first thing Christ tells us to do? STRIVE FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD. The Kingdom comes first. Be generous, help the poor, feed the hungry, take care of the widow, the orphan, the alien, care for the least of these, share the Good news. The whole shebang. That is what God wants when we invite him into our finances. And that might sound selfish, but Jesus adds this promise to the end: When you make the Kingdom of God your priority, He will take care of all your other needs. Clothing, food, drink . . .God will take care of those things. It’s a pretty amazing promise. Andy Stanley says it this way, “Here is God, the creator of the universe, who is willing to lower himself and enter into a symbiotic relationship with you and me. When we invest our lives bringing about the Kingdom of God, God promises to take a vested interest in our well-being.”
Now, here’s dangerous part of making this invitation. There is a reason why God has a vested interest in your well being and will continue to provide you with food, and water and a place to live, so long as the Kingdom is your first priority. When you invite God in, when you place your trust in Him and give generously, you are inviting repeat business. If a restaurant or a business gives good service, what do you do? You go back again and again. God remembers the loyal, the capable, and obedient. When you act out of a spirit of generosity, God will be back with another opportunity to give. But so long as you make the Kingdom your priority.
When you invite God into your finances, when you make His Kingdom your priority, more and more you will find that the obstacle of your fear is no obstacle at all. Because you have something you can trust in more than money, something stronger than your fear.

* Some parts of this devotional were greatly influenced by the preaching and books of Andy Stanley, so much so, that there may be some un-credited portions! Apologies to Pastor Stanley if I butchered or unintentionally took credit for any ideas that were his.

This article was written by Rev. John Mullaney.   John is the Morningstar United  Methodist Church’s pastor, and was appointed to the church in the summer of  2008. John’s passions include preaching, pastoral care, and  creating meaningful times of worship. John and his wife, Denise, who is also a United Methodist minister, have  two daughters, Maggie & Lucie. They live in Chelsea

1 Timothy 6:9

Summary:  As the population of the Methodist grew, the found themselves with more members who were wealthy.  Wesley used this sermon to speak on the dangers of wealth and how it could be inlet to sin.  He describes how people should gain as much as they can, save as much as they can and give as much as they can.  Wesley’s belief was to only accumulate what you need and give the rest away.

Introduction:

1. Many don’t know about the warning in 1 Timothy 6:9
2. It is not speaking of gaining riches unjustly, but just of being rich.
3. There are not a whole lot of people preaching this.
4. May God give me right and forcible words?
1. To explain the Apostles words
2. To apply them

1. To explain the Apostles words.
   1. Provide what is necessary for our family.
   2.  Save up enough to carry on business.
   3.  Enough to leave our children to supply them with necessary
   4.  Pay off our debts.
   5. Applying what has been said

1. What is it to be rich
1. Having food and coverings plus more
2. Riches are above the plain necessaries or conveniences of life.
2. This also implies those that desire to be rich.
3. Includes all those that set a purpose of endeavor to get more.
4. It includes those who lay up treasures on earth.
1. We are allowed to:
2. Provide what is necessary for our family
3. Save up enough to carry on business
4. Enough to leave our children to supply them with necessary.
5. Pay off our debts.

5. This includes all who posses more than they use.  God only lends this to us.  God entrust us to be stewards.
6. It is for those who find delight in money and seek their happiness in money.
7. There is a covetousness of money in which people have a desire to have more.
8. We have a hard time with this and only through God can we understand this and do it.
9. Those who are rich fall into temptation.
10. They fall into a snare of the devil that he set.
11. The fall into hurtful desires
12. They desire happiness out of God.  They love the creature more than God.
13. The desire of the flesh has developed a “taste” for the world that is not harmful to the body but to the soul.
14. The desire of the eyes is the desiring and seeking happiness in gratifying the imagination.
15. Seeking happiness in learning and not in God.
16. Seeking to be honored, yearning for the applause.
17. The desire of having it easy and avoiding trouble, danger, difficulty and a desire of sleeping through life.
18. Riches lead to foolish and hurtful desires and when one has the means to satisfy, these desires will increase.
19. As they grow, the desires will cause many sorrows of remorse and end up drowning the body in pain, disease, ‘destruction’, and the soul in everlasting perdition.

1. How do we put this into practice?
2. Stop!  Evil is before you and you are running toward the sharp edge of a sword.
3. Are you endeavoring to be rich?
4. Are you laying up for yourselves treasures on this earth?
5. You can gain all you can and save all you can without storing up on earth.
6. Gain all you can, save all you can without wasting; yet by giving all I can I am protected against laying up treasures on earth.
7. It’s not the quantity of what we possess, it is how we employ according to the will of our Lord.
8. Don’t throw the excess away; give it to all men and to the poor.
9. Your wealth will be a witness against you and destroy you as if it were fire.  Start today!
10. Money is not going to make you happy, look at those who are already rich.
11. If you are desiring to be rich, WHY?  It leads to a pit and temptation.
12. Have these desires not hurt you enough?
13. Have they not cooled your love of God?
14. If you get richer, it will destroy your humility. People will think you are better than you are and you will believe them.
15. The richer you are the means are available to seek revenge and thus goes the meekness.
16. Your patience is also lost.
17. You will no longer rejoice to ‘endure hardship’ nor rush to into the Kingdom of Heaven.
18. You will lose the zeal for works of mercy and piety.
19. You lose your compassion for the ignorant.
20. You have heard the warning.

Wait a minute! How can two small cooper coins be counted as more than the other offerings? Wouldn’t a check for $500 be counted as more than two copper coins in your offering plate?

Jesus says everyone gave out of their abundance that day except the poor Widow. Everyone gave from a heart that said, “out of all that is  mine I will give this to You God.”  Everyone except the poor Widow. She gave from a heart that said,”all that I have belongs to You God. Take what is Yours and I trust You will take care of me.”

Stewardship is the act of managing faithfully things that belong to someone else. Followers of Jesus believe that everything belongs to God.  When it comes to money, it too belongs to God. We have simply been chosen as stewards to manage varied amounts.

Each week,  many of you wonderful followers of Jesus at Union, the Church at Chelsea Park, demonstrate faithful stewardship. Your faithfulness makes ministry happen in your community and around the world through our system of apportioned connectional giving! I continue to be amazed by your stewardship efforts and the way God takes care of you.

“Lord Jesus, thank you for taking care of us. Thank you for trusting us to manage things that belong to You. Give us the faith to always put in Your two cents worth. Amen.”

This article was written by Ron Schultz.  Ron is the District Superintendent of the South Central District in the North Alabama Conference of the United Methodist Church.  Ron graduated from Emory University, Candler School of Theology in 1983 and received his Juris Doctorate from Birmingham School of Law in 1994.  Ron is married to Robin Schultz and has 4 children.