Michelle, 

I resigned from Consistory & active deacons (once  ordained a deacon, it's for life, but I'm off the current board of deacons), but I bargained with my doctor to keep being the head of the Stewardship Committee. I feel a real calling there - believe me I feel God working through me because I can't do all that I've been doing or trying to implement by myself - even just coming up with the ideas I feel "Helped".  Did you know that Jesus spoke of stewardship issues more than any other topic other than the Kingdom of God?

I am  working with my committee to  teach stewardship as part of discipleship and as a discipline to become closer to God. It's not simply a fall fund drive or weekly envelope giving, it's every decision we make after we say, "I believe".  A steward is one who responsibly manages the affairs and possessions of  the Owner or Sovereign. From Psalm 24:1 we understand God to be the Absolute Owner of all. God, the "absolute owner" gifts us with life and all that encircles it and supports it. Wow! What a trust we have been given! And with it comes the freedom to make choices about our management responses.

Our faith-full response to God for these amazing gifts is (or should be) the grateful and careful management of all that is entrusted to us, all in our abundant living:  "our" bodies; the days-minutes-hours of how we spend  "our"time;  "our" gifts and talents; "our" planet; "our" children,  "our" material wealth, money, shelter, toys; "our" relationships with other people  close by & across the world. And it all intertwines.  How we treat the earth affects  the well-being of other people with whom we share the planet, as does what we buy or drive or how we dispose of it. How we care for ourselves impacts what we are capable of doing in the world, the energy and ability we have to use the gifts God gives us.  Stewardship involves our whole life and our whole life is our spiritual life.

And that is what I'm trying to teach by every method I can dream up or be led to. I'm too passionate about it to be willing to give it up. I don't God is finished with me yet on this..

Jo,  I love your belief of Stewardship!  I just would like to see more folks realize that it's a lot more than just giving money. 

Pixie,
My parents took me to church until I was out of the house.  I'm not sure if that really helped develop my "Spirituality" or if it just shaped the roots of my ideas.  I know that I don't think like they do about religion, but I do know how I think of God and how Christianity has a lot more responsibility than just preaching.  I believe that I have to be the "Bible" that folks around me read.  In other words, my actions have to speak louder than my words about what I believe.  If my life isn't a reflection of what I profess to believe, then I need to examine how committed I am to what I believe.



Frankie