March 5 - 11, 2007

 SOLI/Update

    www.stewardshipoflife.org



The lessons of 'financial fasting'
Some demons can be cast out, Jesus instructed his disciples, only through prayer and fasting. It’s a teaching on the power of temporary, voluntary self-denial to energize us and focus our intention.

I relearned this recently when I began fasting once a week for a specific prayer concern. Though I envisioned enduring hours of hunger pangs, dazily dreaming of Oreos, Doritos and ice cream, I was pleasantly surprised to miss the food only a little. And far from feeling weak, I actually felt strong and centered.

By doing without I learned how little of what I consume I actually need for nutrition. I saw the degree to which my incessant nibbling and snacking arose out of pure habit, and not real hunger.

As an experiment, I expanded this to my consumer life, setting aside “financial fasting” days when I would simply buy nothing. When there arose an everyday need or want that would normally send me to the store –  say, for something I thought I needed for a recipe, a cup of coffee or soft drink while "on the road," or just to “stop by” any store for whatever – I resisted. I put the brake on impulse buying.

The lesson? A good chunk of the money I spend is just frittered away on junk I don’t really need, or even really want.

At the end of the financial fast, I felt focused, more powerful and in control of my spending. Some demons can be cast out only with prayer and fasting. For stewards, maybe financial fasting is a way to cast out the demon of overconsumption.

-Rob Blezard, editor and webmaster
Permission is granted for congregations to reprint this for local nonprofit use. Just include the following notice: Copyright (c) 2006 The Rev. Robert Blezard, www.stewardshipoflife.org; used by permission.

New This Week:
How To Create a Culture of Stewardship in Your Church
An effective capital stewardship campaign can be your new muscle for ministry, and the process will create a discipline to trust God not merely in theory, but in the reality of serving God over money. Click here for “How To Create a Culture of Stewardship,” from Church Executive.

Giving is Often a Measure of Trust
"We don't really need a large scale study to tell us this, although some have been done. We have only to look at those who are withholding their giving from churches over certain social issues, such as like gay bishops or who can marry whom." Click here for the latest weekly column by Pastor Dana Reardon. To read past columns, click here.


15 Ways to Increase Your Church’s Offerings
Here’s a handy resource that you can forward to all the members of your stewardship committee – in fact, all the lay leaders of your congregation. It provides a kind of checklist for improving stewardship. Click here for “15 Ways,” from the General Conference of Canadian Evangelical Christian Churches.


The stewardship crisis facing churches
It’s strange that biblical stewardship seems to be such a silent subject in today’s churches and seminaries. Because stewardship really is the heart of what it means to submit one’s life to God. Click here for “The Stewardship Crisis,” from Church Central.