Dave Ramsey at Maximum Impact Conference

I found this video on youtube and thought it was good. I'm going to work at adding in good video clips and other resources I find that I think will be helpful to those interested in developing a stewardship ministry.

It's A Matter Of The Heart

I survived the first ever Stewardship Foundational Course. I did much better than just survive - I had a wonderful weekend with the 17 people who attended the course. Here is a picture of our group.


As we progressed through our 20+ hours together, we began to joke about how we kept coming back to "it's a heart issue" as we wrestled with the issues of biblical stewardship. It was kind of funny after awhile - but I think by the end of the weekend we all really understood that God cares much more about our motives and our attitude than He does about the the amount we give or the things we have.

If we truly believe that God is the owner of all things and that we are to faithfully manage all that he has entrusted to us for His purposes, not our own self interest - I believe He will be pleased. When we view our possessions - our home, our car, our stuff - as things to not only enjoy but to use for Him - I believe God will be pleased.

It's a matter of the heart - it's a heart issue - it's making sure you love and worship God above all other things.

So, where is your treasure? Because that is where your heart will be also. Matthew 6:21

The beginning of the blog...

I'm sitting at my desk finalizing the new Stewardship Foundational Course for The Free Methodist Church in Canada (scheduled to run for the first time this weekend) when I finally decide to start blogging. I've never been one to be consistent at journaling so I have hesitated at starting a blog. But I passionately want to spread the word about biblical stewardship so I've taken the plunge, praying that God will help me turn over a new leaf.

My goal here is to download some of my thoughts regarding stewardship and generosity, provide resources that I have found helpful in my journey in the hopes that they will inspire you to seek out what God is saying to you in this area.

Today I'm thinking a lot about celebrating generosity. We are so reluctant to tell our stories about how our lives have been affected either as the giver or the recipient of generosity. But when we hear stories of other people's generosity, we are often encouraged. The goal of celebrating generosity should be to encourage others to be generous. Let's examine our hearts to make sure that is our goal.

Scripture tells many stories of generosity - Abel's offering; the Israelite's gifts for the tabernacle (Exodus 35); the giving to build the temple (1 Chronicles 29); the widow's mite(Mark 12:41-44); the boy who gave his loaves and fish to feed the 5,000. All of these stories were recorded for a purpose - to teach us and to encourage us.

We need to revive the art of storytelling. With care and sensitivity, we can tell stories that celebrate God's provision and our obedience through generosity.