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It’s one thing to read about the people of Israel receiving God’s direction through the cloud and the pillar of fire (Numbers 9:15-23). It is quite another to know what that might mean for us today. Do we have a cloud or a pillar of fire to consult? How do we know what we should do?
Recently, I came across Lisa Whelchel’s story (the actress who played “Blair” on Facts of Life in the 80’s) …
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Is our dependence on God for Provision and Protection the most fundamental expression of our dependence in this life?
For me, one of the most interesting pieces of our study of Dependence was the Lesson of the Manna. Obviously, it was focused on God’s Provision. The manna itself was an expression of His daily provision, but God was also in the process of providing them much more.
Ultimately, the manna would be replaced by the abundance …
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I’ve heard confidence defined as “that feeling you have before you fully understand the situation.” Actually, I first saw that on a t-shirt. Bought the shirt.
Now, while the picture on the shirt sets that definition in the context of outdoor adventure, I have found it true in many areas of life.
For example, I was confident I understood my health insurance policy deductible. Turns out, I did not yet fully understand the situation.
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It’s Monday morning, and this week is off to an obstinate start.
I needed to make a payment by phone. Expected it to take five minutes. Took an hour.
Then, I got ready to head out to Starbucks to work on this article and I couldn’t find my mug. After more than 10 years of officing at Starbucks, it recently occurred to me that one of those insulated steel mugs would keep my tea hot throughout …
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As a result of the question I posted last week, I was discussing the issue of being a “lover of money” with some friends. In the course of our conversation, it was suggested that, perhaps, we are not so much lovers of money, but lovers of security.
This idea helped us move beyond a cursory response to the question, and begin to dig into the issue a bit. But I don’t believe it got us …
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Over the last several weeks, we have looked at three of the priorities regarding our use of the money and possessions God has entrusted to us:
Provide for my needs, and those of my family
Share to provide for the needs of others within the body
Share with those who devote their full attention to the proclamation of the Gospel
Now, at first glance, that seems like a pretty comprehensive list, but there is one more issue that …
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Why do churches “call” a Pastor, but “hire” his secretary?
(I don’t know whether that is always true, but it has been in my experience.)
I suspect that a more fundamental question focuses on the nature of the relationship of a Pastor to the congregation. Is he their shepherd or a member of their staff? Their leader or their employee?
Based on most of the various designations for him, he seems to be the leader. Pastor, Shepherd, …
As we prepare to move to the third item on God’s agenda for our finances – Funding Ministry – it’s time to consider another question:
What is the relationship of a Pastor to the congregation? Is he their shepherd or a member of their staff? Their leader or their employee? Can he be both?
What passages come to mind as you think of this question?
Check out 1 Corinthians 9:1-18; Philippians 4:10-20; 1 Timothy 5:17-18; Galatians 6:6-10. How …
Exploring Dependence – Tithing
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By the time I had been out of Bible College 5 years, I had begun to suspect that my beliefs about giving to God were unsustainable.
As I mentioned in last week’s post, those beliefs could be summarized with the following statement:
“You ‘pay’ your tithe. You don’t ‘give’ it. You can’t give what you owe. And you ‘owe’ God your tithe. So, ‘giving’ must be above the ten percent you ‘owe’ Him. …
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“You ‘pay’ your tithe. You don’t ‘give’ it. You can’t give what you owe. And you ‘owe’ God your tithe. So, ‘giving’ must be above the ten percent you ‘owe’ Him. And this giving (above ten percent) is an expression of your faith. So, if your faith is going to grow each year, the percentage of your income that you give each year must grow as well.”
For many years, the churches we attended held …
