Stewardship

by

Helping the Poor, Part 2

Last week we learned that, while a lot of people fall below the poverty line, that situation is often temporary. Also, while the poor don’t earn much by US standards, it’s still over $10,000 a year—plus government and other benefits. What does that buy you? Today I want to address what life under the poverty line is like.

Granted, it’s not fun being poor. Having fewer resources means you have fewer options—and the answer too often is “no.” Opportunities may be limited. Sometimes, things cost more for those who can least afford it—prices at stores in poor neighborhoods tend to be higher than in middle class areas, and you can’t afford to take advantage of items on sale or discounted in bulk. Add to that frustration—being poor typically correlates with reduced influence, both socially and politically. I’ve always imagined desperate families in cars, skinny, hungry children in ragged clothing, and crime-ridden neighborhoods.

Continue reading →

by

Helping the Poor, Part 1

“Sure, there are poor people overseas, but we have poor people right here in America. It’s more important that we help them first.”

“I want to live in the United States, where even the poor people are fat!” –Indian laborer

“The poor you will always have with you.” –Jesus

It’s common knowledge that we have poor people here in America. There are families without homes, elderly retirees having to choose between buy food or filling a prescription, and children going to bed hungry.

But just how many families are homeless? How common is it for senior citizens to be unable to afford their medications? What percentage of children lack enough food to eat? How big a problem do we have, and how does it compare with the rest of the world?

Continue reading →

by

Making Space

We collapsed into our seats at church Sunday morning, worn out after an intensive two days of emptying our storage pods into our new house—moving furniture, hauling boxes, and trying to make snap decisions on where everything should go. Two days of violent thunderstorms, driving rain, and up to six inches of hail made the process a bit more “interesting.” Now, with the hired movers gone, we’re left with rooms full of boxes. I admit to feeling more than a bit overwhelmed. How in the world will we fit into our downsized digs?

2015-05-010

It seems as if everything that can hold things—bookcases, cabinets, and the like—are buried behind the boxes of books and linens that belong in them. But the room is so full, there’s no place to put the boxes so that we can extract the furniture, and no way to position it correctly so we can start unpacking into it. At the moment, downsizing doesn’t seem like much fun!

Continue reading →

by

Give to Nepal Relief and…

2015_Nepal_depremi_(7)-001Death and destruction never take a holiday. Intense persecution in the Middle East. Famine and war. Tsunamis, tornados and hurricanes. And now a disastrous earthquake in Nepal—there are always horrific circumstances that break our hearts and motivate us to help. So we should. God blesses us so that we can bless others.

Within hours of the first news reports out of Kathmandu, my inbox was flooded with pleas for donations. Relief ministries, friends, and friends of friends all told stories of suffering and begged for aid.

Continue reading →

by

Do You Have Financial Faith?

daring to live on the edgeHave you made your New Year’s resolutions? Are you vowing that this year you’re going to diet, exercise, and be more responsible with your finances? I can’t help with the diet and exercise part, but I can recommend a must-read book on finances. It’s Daring to Live on the Edge: The Adventure of Faith and Finances, by Loren Cunningham.

There are a lot of books out there on managing your money. They all contain pretty much the same advice—follow a budget, spend less than you earn, don’t go into debt. If the author is a Christian, then there’s an additional focus on tithing, generosity, and putting God first.

Continue reading →

by

Intentional Giving

Summer is a great time of year. Backyard barbecues, running through the sprinklers, feeling warm breezes on bare arms and legs—most people claim summer as their favorite time of year. But if you’re trying to run a ministry, or meet a church budget, summer is a time of scarcity. People on vacation aren’t home to make donations or mail checks, and we rarely put something in the offering when we’re just a visitor somewhere else. Ministries that run on donations know that summers make them tighten their belts, so they send out scads of donation appeals. My mailbox is full of them.

Being on a limited income, there’s no way we can send money to everyone who asks. (When Jesus told the disciples to do exactly that—see Matthew 5:42 and Luke 6:30—I often wonder if he had our era of mass communications in mind!) The problem is that they’re all worthwhile causes. How can I possibly choose between puppy-eyed orphans, rescued slaves, starving families, unborn children, our local homeless shelter or food bank, refugees, and entire people groups without any knowledge of Jesus? Indecision leaves me paralyzed.

Continue reading →

by

Are You Aware?

My news feed tells me that April is “Sexual Assault Awareness Month.” I was kind of surprised. I had no idea that people didn’t know about this. It turns out that April is also Autism Awareness Month, Earth Awareness Month, and Math Awareness Month. People need to be more aware of math?

Our calendar is full of “awareness” months. Apparently, we need to be more cognizant of teen dating violence, brain injuries, asthma, ALS, child support, preparedness, child support, domestic violence, disability employment, cybersecurity, rape, and of course breast cancer.

Continue reading →

by

Just Give It All Away!

Do you tithe?

Not many people do. Some believe that tithing isn’t taught in the New Testament, so it no longer applies to us. They explain that we’re living under grace, and tithing is legalistic. Others insist that all Christians are supposed to tithe, because of Jesus’ words to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:23. I’ve heard many sermons on Malachi 3:10, where the pastor explained that the local church is the “storehouse” and we must bring our entire tithe to them, with any other giving counting as an “offering” above and beyond our mandatory 10%.

Clearly, there’s lots of room for interpretation regarding tithing. Matt, at TheChurchOfNoPeople.com (one of my favorite blogs) recently wrote about tithing. I think he gives us a lot to consider, and urge you to read what he has to say. Matt inspired me, thus today’s post.

Continue reading →

by

Giving with a Purpose

What to do about the poor is a topic that has been discussed in Christian circles for ages, and I’m not going to solve the world’s problems here. Complaining about the commercialization of Christmas has also been discussed and re-discussed. Enough with the talking! What can we do about it?

First and foremost, ask Jesus how He would like His birthday celebrated! His answer might surprise you. But don’t ask unless you intend to follow through and do what He says.

Just in case He mentions something about re-focusing your holiday efforts,  I’d like to suggest a few practices you might incorporate into your Christmas tradition—or even participate in all year. They can at least get us pointed in the right direction.

  • Don’t let “stuff” be the focus of Christmas. Set a reasonable budget and stick to it. Let your gifts be thoughtful rather than expensive. Give the gift of yourself—time spent with family and friends, perhaps an outing together. I like to complete my Christmas shopping (or finish hand-made gifts) before Thanksgiving so that I’m not distracted during Advent.

Continue reading →