Perspectives on Stewardship

Thanksgiving - what a wonderful holiday! A wonderful time to gather with friends and family, enjoy great food, watch a parade and of course some football. But why? Why do we gather to celebrate Thanksgiving? Is it simply a nice fall tradition - or is there more? Unfortunately, Thanksgiving has...

In a familiar passage in Luke 18, Jesus shares a parable about two men who went to the temple to pray. One was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.The Pharisee stood proudly praying “God, thank You that I am not like other people... like this tax collector. I fast twice a week, I...

Some will remember the old Beatles song “Can’t Buy Me Love”. The lyrics tell us that “I’ll get you anything my friend, if it makes you feel alright...but I don’t care too much for money...for money can’t buy me love.” There is an old poem that...

One of the comments we’ve heard many times is: “I know I should give to the church but I can’t afford to give - my budget is too tight and my debt level is such that I’m not able to give to the Lord’s work.” Perhaps that is the case - but before we go on...

Question: How do you define success?Have you structured your life around achieving your definition of success - setting your priorities and goals, your financial budget, how you use your time and develop your skill set toward that definition of success?Are you on track?Our society typically...

How much is enough? Ponder this question: Have you ever asked yourself: How much is enough? Do you ever find yourself dissatisfied and discontent, always desiring more...pursuing more? That’s perhaps an easy trap to fall into - especially living in a place like Naples. Have you ever...

The storyline of the 1980 movie The Blues Brothers, is that of two brothers who had recently been released from prison, and soon learned that the church-run orphanage they had grown-up in was about to be closed because it had run out of money. The brothers then set out to raise the funds needed...

Today is tax day - April 15th. Did you file your tax return and pay your taxes? Today is the day the government expects us to pay our taxes, and although we may grumble, as good citizens of our great country, we do it. Okay - good, you paid your taxes. Now, what about your tithe? Have you given...

The subject of stewardship and giving can be a sensitive topic. Not surprisingly, this sensitivity is not new. In Matthew 19, a rich young man comes to Jesus and asks what he must do to be saved. Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. The young man says he has done so from his youth. So far...

Dual Membership and Dual Giving My wife and I bought a home in Naples during the housing crisis in 2010. Like so many of our  new Naples friends from the frozen and cloudy North, we immediately began trying to find a church that reminded us of our “home” church. It was...