Three Jars of Money

Regardless of how much money we already have, money seems to be one of those things that we can never have enough of!  As a six-year-old, I remember my mom telling me, “We can’t go to McDonald’s today because Mommy is all out of money.”  To which I replied, “Just go to the bank and get more money, Mommy!”  Then my mom explained that in order to get money at the bank you needed to first have money in the bank, a concept that my little six-year-old mind couldn’t understand. 

Pastor John, in his sermon this past weekend, challenged us all to apply Psalm 90:12 to our lives:

“Teach us to number our days, so that we may become wise.”

We were to look at our family income and figure out what percentage we were really living on.  As Pastor John said, numbers don’t lie!  How did that go for you this week?  Were you shocked at the percentage of your income that was taken up with utilities, credit cards, housing and food?  Was there any margin left?  And what about God’s request for a tenth of our income? 

For most of us, doing this exercise was, perhaps, a bit shocking.  When you actually put everything down on paper and look at the numbers, the reality of our situation hits home quickly!  This week, I found myself thinking back to the “money jar” management system my mom and dad used with me.  I had three small jars in my room labeled “Church,” “Savings” and “Fun.”

Each week my mom or dad would give me my “allowance” and I had to put the money into the jars.  It seemed easy and simple!  I had to put at least 10% in the church jar and at least 10% in the savings jar.  Do you know that most of the time, I put 50% of my allowance into those 2 jars!  Gosh, what if I would have carried that habit into adulthood?  I’d probably would have a lot more margin in my financial life!!

If you’re finding your “jars” are empty each month, then perhaps today is the day to reprioritize your finances and look at ways that you can find more financial “margin” in your life so that your “jars” won’t be empty or nearly empty each month. 

Here’s a humorous farm skit about giving God the “first fruits” rather than our “leftovers” each month.


   

Pax,

Pastor Carol

Our Priorities

In the sermon this past weekend, Pastor Steve mentioned that “priority determines capacity” and we tend to do the most urgent things first, which may or may not be the most important priorities in our lives. What if we did a radical thing this week and actually asked God to help us use the day as He has designed for our lives -- to have Him put our priorities in the proper order!

Reflect on your own priorities as you read this great poem on the "Poems by CC" site. Read "Priorities" poem>> 

Pax.

Pastor Carol

Worms and Sewing

This past weekend, Pastor Steve challenged us to look at our lives and to find ways to add more “margin” to it.  I know for me, as I’m sure it is with many of you, I live a lot of my life on the margin.  We all push the limits of our time, our relationships and our finances--perhaps not all at once, but at different times in our lives. 

I never have enough hours in the day to get things done, so I’m always spending my nights checking e-mails and doing work at home.  Because I’m so squeezed for time, I find myself saying far too often “I’m too busy” to friends and family.  Some weeks I can’t even find an hour to meet friends for a quick lunch.  And, when it comes to finances, my margin is thin!  After all, now I’m paying back those wonderful seminary student loans. 

As a child, I was the one that always waited until the last minute to get school projects completed.  There never seemed to be enough time between piano, singing and violin lessons, not to mention confirmation, other church activities and school activities.  By the time I would get home each night, I was too tired to get homework done. 

I remember my dad helping me to dissect a large worm for science class in 7^th grade because I hadn’t had time to get it done at school.  And there was the time I had a sewing project that needed to be done for sewing class in 9^th grade.  I had not even cut the fabric out and so my mom and I were up all night getting the “dress” done for sewing class.  To this day, I can’t even look at a sewing machine without getting nauseous!  Margin wasn’t part of my world as a child.  And, even in college and grad school, I would often stay up all night to get papers done because I was working all day.  Crazy, right?  However, I would bet that for many of you, these scenarios hit pretty close to home!

So, what is margin?  Well, it is something most of us don’t have and something most of us need, but we don’t know what to do to get more of it.  God doesn’t want us to live our lives frazzled, stressed out and fearful of the future.  So what do we do?  As Pastor Steve mentioned in his sermon, why not ask God to help you?  Maybe it’s time for you to give your life back to the one who created you and ask Him to help you to find your way back to a life that isn’t lived on the edges, but instead is lived with plenty of margin. 

There is a wonderful song sung by Chris Tomlin that is taken from an old hymn called “Take My Life and Let It Be” and talks about giving our whole life over to God – our days, our hands, our voice, our finances, our feet, our lips, our intellect, our will and our heart.   Great advice for all of us who need more margin in our lives!  

Pax,

Pastor Carol

No More Fatigue, Frustration and Fear in 2011

Happy New Year!  Can you believe that another year has already gone and a New Year is before us?  We all get a clean slate – a fresh start!  I love fresh starts!  It gives me hope.  It’s as if God says, “Hey, Carol. You get a ‘do-over!’” 

Many of you probably just opened a “new” 2011 calendar for the first time this week.  There is something about getting a “new” appointment calendar each year that makes me feel excited about the future.  The pages are blank – ready to be filled in.  A new calendar makes me wonder about the next year and the plans that God will have for me over the next 12 months. 

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”   --  Jeremiah 29:11-13

For many of us, we will set OUR plans and goals for the year and then consult God about them after we have them all set.  What would happen if you and I consulted God first -- before we make our plans?  As the sermon this weekend alluded to, we make plans and look for solutions to our problems rather than seeking God first.  The reality is God would be thrilled to be involved in our planning process for our lives! 

We don’t know what this New Year holds for any of us, but what we do know is that God has plans for each of us and those plans are better, more rewarding and more life-giving then we could ever imagine.  As was mentioned during the sermon this week, too many of us suffer from fatigue, frustration and fear because we choose to do everything on our own rather than seeking God and trusting God’s plans for our lives.  God doesn’t want us to be burned out, stressed, anxious and full of fear. 

The question that we need to all ask ourselves is this: In 2011, what are you seeking? 

Are you seeking to lose weight, to exercise more, to go to the gym more, to get healthy?  Maybe you are seeking a job or a relationship or more financial security in your life.  How about God?  Is He on your “list” of plans for the New Year?  

Here’s a song that talks about putting out trust in Christ alone for He is our hope for this New Year and for all eternity.   

Pax,

Pastor Carol