What does your church’s annual budget represent? Is it a proud menu of the hopes, dreams and missionary ministries your congregation wants to accomplish in the year to come? Or is it a life-support prescription for how the congregation expects to pay the staff, keep the lights burning, the sanctuary heated and the grass mowed?
It’s Personal blog Summer is the time when many people take a break from the routine – from work, from school, and, yes, even church. The warmer temperatures and longer days of summer make it more enjoyable to spend time outdoors, and the slower pace gives us time to relax and engage in leisure activities. […]
A clever bumper sticker speaks wisely: “Tithe if you love Jesus. Anyone can honk.” If that nugget of wisdom holds true, we have to ask, “Do Mormons love Jesus more than other Christians?” An impressive 79 percent of Mormons tithe their income — giving 10 percent to their church, according to a recent article in […]
It was Jesus’ last night on before his execution, and he spent it with those he loved, giving them some of the most powerful teachings of his ministry. That’s what Maundy Thursday is all about. (Photo by Wharman, used by Creative Commons License.)
“How is your soul?” a friend of mine always asks. The greeting always gets me thinking, “Well, how IS my soul doing?” And I can’t help but wonder, come to think of it, what exactly IS my soul? When I asked that last question — “What is your soul?” — to the faithful worshipers at […]
IT’S PERSONAL BLOG:
I can truly relate to what Jesus is saying in this Sunday’s Gospel lesson, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34b). Deny myself? Oh yeah! During Lent I’m all about self denial. (Photo by Randy OHC, used by Creative Commons license. Thanks!)
‘It’s Personal’ Blog
Meditate on the sobering words of Ash Wednesday: “Remember you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” You’ll find the source of good stewardship of life — our mortality. (Photo by On the White Line, used by Creative Commons license.)
‘It’s Personal!’
Most people forget their New Year’s Resolutions as soon as they break them. It’s too bad, because resolutions to be a better steward of your life really can help you. Here is some advice for how to keep them from getting stale or forgotten.
(By Overthehill, via Bigstockphoto.com. )
What’s wrong with us? As a species, we persist in lifestyles that are making us stressed, fat and sick. We continue to smoke and drink. We use violence as the primary way to resolve conflict. Through overconsumption, we continue to waste resources and energy. (Photo by Treehouse 1977, used by Creative Commons license. Thanks!)
I live in blue jeans during my nonworking hours, but as the New Year approached, my “good” pair of Levi’s were conspicuously scruffy and literally falling apart. But holding off on buying a new pair helped me experience two much-needed stewardship virtues.
(Photo by Anirav, via Bigstock.com.)
