Posts Tagged ‘generous’

12 Days of 12 Dollars of Christmas

December 24th, 2008

This year I wanted to celebrate and remember Christ’s incarnation for more than just one day on the 25th of December. I wanted a way to participate in and enter into Christmas for all 12 days of the Christmas season (December 25th until Epiphany on January 6th). So, I’ve been thinking about different things Bryan and I could do for the 12 days of Christmas, I had a lot of ideas that went through my head, but here are the things we stuck with:

-          We are going to read the Christmas story each of the twelve days of Christmas.

-          We are going to together read the book “The Story of the Other Wise Man” by Henry Van Dyke over the Christmas season. We’ll read seven pages a day to finish it in exactly 12 days. I’m really looking forward to this – I’ve read this book before and really liked it and I’m excited to share it with Bryan.

There’s one more thing we decide to do, but it takes a bit more explanation and it involves YOU and this blog.

-          Each of the twelve days of Christmas I will write about a different charity, non-profit, or missionary family here on the blog. Most of them will be organizations and people who Bryan and I have some kind of relational connection with. This will be a way for you all to find out about some great organizations and people and a way for me to advocate on behalf of others about the wonderful work that God is doing around the world. But, there’s more… Bryan and I will also be giving at least $1 dollar to each of these charities/people. I know $1 dollar isn’t much, just $12 dollars for the whole Christmas season. But, here’s where YOU come in. Each day as I talk about these people and companies I’m going to ask YOU (my readers) to also give just $1 dollar (or more if you’re able). I figure $1 dollar isn’t much for any one person to give, but if we each give $1 then it could definitely add up. So, I look forward to telling you all about some great organizations and people over the next few days and I hope you will join me in supporting the work God is doing through them and praying for each of them over the Christmas season.

So, what are you doing over the 12 days of Christmas? I’d love to hear your ideas for this special holiday season and how you are remembering the incarnation of God and stepping into incarnational living yourself.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Bethany Stedman

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Seek out Hospitality?

August 17th, 2008

“Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” – Romans 12:13

The other day I was reading an article about hospitality and it was talking about how the original word for practice in Romans 12:13 has more of a sense of “seek out” or “look for” or “continually purposefully practice.” I thought this was interesting and it reminded me of a Shabbat Grace that I had read in the Celtic Prayer Book.

“Bless, O Lord,
this food we are about to eat;
and we pray you, O God,
that it may be good
for our body and soul;
and, if there is any poor creature
hungry or thirsty walking the road,
may God send them in to us
so that we can share the food with them,
just as Christ shares His gifts
with all of us.
Amen.”

The first time I read that I thought to myself “Wow… that is a dangerous thing to pray.” And honestly I didn’t have the courage to pray it. I remember thinking to myself, “is that really necessary? Is it really necessary to pray that God would send those who are hungry and thirsty and lonely and needy to me?” I mean I am glad to help others in whatever way I can when I come in contract with them and when I see need in the lives of those I know I am more than willing to meet it. Isn’t that enough? Or should I actually be calling need unto myself and seeking it out actively in my prayer life…? Well, according to the reading of Romans 12:13 above I am called to continually seek out hospitality – that means calling it unto myself through prayer. It also means actively seeking out ways in which I can “Share with God’s people who are in need.”

I have been challenged lately that I should offer hospitality and share with those who are in need freely when I have opportunity AND that I should also pray that God would bring more opportunities into my life for me to practice hospitality and share with those in need.  Christ sought me out and in love shared His gifts with us all, shouldn’t I then seek out others and share what God has given me with all who have need?

This is difficult for me. I like my space. I like my stuff. And honestly I feel like I don’t have much to give, especially right now. But, shouldn’t I be the person God calls me to be no matter what my situation is? I believe that I should. And I believe that God calls each of us to be hospitable and generous and people who live with open hands willing to give freely and accept freely. So, even though this is difficult and not natural I will seek to become that kind of person and pray to become that kind of person. Lord, help me.

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

Photograph by Beth Stedman

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Round Up From Around the Web and Some Personal Disclosures on Finances and Tithing

July 9th, 2008

I don’t like money. I don’t like talking about it. I don’t like thinking about it. I don’t like managing it. I don’t like needing it. But, when your faced with a job loss especially at a time when you recently spent a good deal of your savings to go on a long trip to the states to visit friends and family…well, you find yourself in a place where you do need money, and you do have to manage it, and you do have to think about it, and talk about it.  

So, the last day or two Bryan and I have been talking and thinking a lot about finances. When we got married we made a few commitments and decisions as to how to view our finances. And now we are finding ourselves in a place where those commitments and views are being, well, maybe tested (for lack of a better word).

When Bryan and I first got married we made a number of decisions in regards to tithing and giving. We had been raised with all the normal lectures on stewardship and the idea of tithing had been drilled into us, but more than all that we felt like we had been incredibly blessed and that to “whom much has been given much is required”. We decided from the get go to look at ALL of our finances as a gift from God and as something that was truly His and not ours. As an extension of that thought we decided early on that 20% of our income wouldn’t go to us. Where that 20% goes has changed a bit over the past 3 years of marriage, and has been a matter of prayer and listening to God’s leading. Even with this job loss we feel that this is still what God is calling us to. We believe that we are still incredibly blessed and still have more than many others around the world and we believe that if others can get by with so much less then we have then we should be able to get by with 20% less of our income. But, when you are faced with bills and a lack of finances it is always a struggle to actually live that belief out.

Yesterday, I read this post on Andrew Jones blog and was felt newly convinced that even with this job loss God still wanted us to continue to live as generous and open people with our finances and with our lives. The blog wasn’t really specifically about finances – it was more about just being generous and open people in general, but God really spoke to me about our finances through it.

Then today I was read these to blogs about tithing, which I found interesting…

This first blog talks about the idea that the tithe was part of the old law and we are no longer under the old law. It talks about how often church leaders guilt people into giving to the church by talking about the command to tithe and then try to motivate people to tithe by saying that if you tithe then God will reward you and if you don’t tithe then he will punish you. I could really relate to this – I have felt that guilt and even when our job loss came I must admit that one of the first things I thought was “oh, no, we still have some money in the giving account that we haven’t given away yet, we are behind on our tithe…” I know it’s sort of silly. I know that God is not like that, He is loving and wants good things for his children, and he doesn’t punish us for falling a little behind on our tithing. But, the thought still popped into my head. In reading this ladies blog and hearing her talk about this I was reminded a lot of sacrifices and the old sacrificial system… Has tithing become the sacrificial system of the church, the new Pharisees? Anyway, I really liked her view of giving as something you do not because you are “suppose” to or have to give to the church, but something you do as a result of listening to the prompting of God in your lives.

This second blog was also really interesting. I found it to be a really insightful and different way of looking at tithing. Jeromy’s blog is quickly becoming one of my favorite blogs to read and this entry shows yet again why that’s true. This post asks the question “Why Are People Giving Less to Churches?” but really it is addressing church budgets and wondering if people would give more if they saw their money being used to do God’s redemptive work in the world. Here’s a quote from this blog post that really hit me and I thought I would share here…

“Imagine if a church even went as far as to trust you with your “tithes” for kingdom-type investments in people’s lives all around you? Imagine if 70% of all the church’s donated income went out into the world and community, instead of back into the church? What if, instead of teaching and strongly encouraging people to give 10% to the church, people were empowered and freed to use that money as God personally leads them towards his kingdom? As you dream these things, what is happening in your heart? Are you sensing joy? Fear? What is happening to your apprehension to give? Is it lessoning? Increasing?…I don’t think we need yet another message on stewardship to get us to give more. I think we need to see our money in Kingdom action. I think we need to be released into the natural joy of seeing our money used to transform and restore – in real and substantial ways – the lives of those in need, both afar and right next door.”

Rejoicing in the journey -
Beth Stedman

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