I now have the ability to post updates to the blog on Facebook, so some of you who are here may be new to my blog, . If so, I hope that some of you have found your way here...from there.
The following is a list of older articles in a series that I wrote during 2010, about how we use our money and about stewardship in general.
If this is a topic that is new to you, I hope that you will find this to be useful information. If this topic is one that is important to you, I hope that you will find something that encourages you to continue to be a faithful steward of what you have been given, in whatever way God leads you to save for YOUR family. Whatever the case, I hope that these articles cause you to think about your money, and whether or not you are honoring God, who is the one who has provided you with it, with your use of it. The articles are all listed here according to the articles original title. Just click on the title and it should link you directly to each article.
Shopping In Thrift and Consignment Stores posted January 9, 2010
10 Reasons Why You Should Tithe posted January 11, 2010
Crown Financial Ministries Money Forms and Helps posted January 12, 2010
Some of My Favorite Millionaire Quotes posted January 14, 2010
More...Millionaire Mindset also posted on January 14, 2010
Disciplined Finances posted January 18, 2010
Never Asked to Borrow a Penny Since (teach your children about borrowing $) posted January 21, 2010
Couponing, Is It Really Worth It? posted January 25, 2010
Coupon Shopping Trip Update... posted January 26, 2010
Coupon Trip #2 posted February 2, 2010
My Current Read(s) posted February 4, 2010
I pray that these old posts will have something in that is helpful, useful, thought provoking for you. If so, please post a comment. I always want to hear your thoughts.
Abiding in His abundant provision,
Lori
Showing posts with label Christian giving. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christian giving. Show all posts
Friday, December 21, 2012
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Crown Financial Ministries Money Forms and Helps
These are the budgeting and financial tools that Todd and I have used for almost 20 years. They are informative, straight forward, concise and written in language you can understand.
Read them, use them, and your financial outlook will change because of them!!
Crown's Free Publications Online
November 02, 2004 -->by Crown Financial Ministries
All are available at http://www.crown.org/Library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=263
Percentage Guides in PDF format:
Singles
Single ParentFamily of Two (Married Couple)
Family of FourFamily of Four (High Housing Costs Area)
Family of Six
Charts in PDF format:
30 Day Diary
Budget Analysis Form
Checkbook Ledger
Debt List
Financial Statement
Income Allocation
Individual Account Page
Insurance Needs
Investing Chart 1
Investing Chart 2
Investing Chart 3
Monthly Income and Expenses
Savings AllocationsWhat the Ratings Mean
Information Sheets:
Austin Pryor
Balancing Your Checkbook
Clean Up Your Credit Report Yourself
Christian Farmers
College Funding
Creation Nonprofit
Crown Career Resources
David Pollock
Debt Elimination
Envelope Budgeting System
Funeral Consumer Societies
Home Business
Home Schooling
Identity Theft
Joni and Friends
Marriage Pamphlet
Mutual Funds
Prescriptions
Prison Ministry
Small Business
Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Tax Counsel
Unemployment Fact Sheet
Pamphlets in PDF format:
Bankruptcy
Before You Say I Do
Benevolence
Debt and CreditFamily Budgeting
Finances for Children and Teens
Gambling/Lotteries
Giving and Tithing
Home Business Insurance
Investing
Major Purchases - Houses and Cars
Starting a Business
Widow's Financial Guide
Also visit their site online at http://www.crownmoneymap.org/.
Your Money Map is one of the best books you'll ever read on the subject of Christian finances.
Abiding in His grace, attending to my "herds", Proverbs 27:23-24 says, "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations." I'm thankful in this economy that I have something to attend to at all.
Lori
Read them, use them, and your financial outlook will change because of them!!
Crown's Free Publications Online
November 02, 2004 -->by Crown Financial Ministries
All are available at http://www.crown.org/Library/ViewArticle.aspx?ArticleId=263
Percentage Guides in PDF format:
Singles
Single ParentFamily of Two (Married Couple)
Family of FourFamily of Four (High Housing Costs Area)
Family of Six
Charts in PDF format:
30 Day Diary
Budget Analysis Form
Checkbook Ledger
Debt List
Financial Statement
Income Allocation
Individual Account Page
Insurance Needs
Investing Chart 1
Investing Chart 2
Investing Chart 3
Monthly Income and Expenses
Savings AllocationsWhat the Ratings Mean
Information Sheets:
Austin Pryor
Balancing Your Checkbook
Clean Up Your Credit Report Yourself
Christian Farmers
College Funding
Creation Nonprofit
Crown Career Resources
David Pollock
Debt Elimination
Envelope Budgeting System
Funeral Consumer Societies
Home Business
Home Schooling
Identity Theft
Joni and Friends
Marriage Pamphlet
Mutual Funds
Prescriptions
Prison Ministry
Small Business
Student Loan Forgiveness Programs
Tax Counsel
Unemployment Fact Sheet
Pamphlets in PDF format:
Bankruptcy
Before You Say I Do
Benevolence
Debt and CreditFamily Budgeting
Finances for Children and Teens
Gambling/Lotteries
Giving and Tithing
Home Business Insurance
Investing
Major Purchases - Houses and Cars
Starting a Business
Widow's Financial Guide
Also visit their site online at http://www.crownmoneymap.org/.
Your Money Map is one of the best books you'll ever read on the subject of Christian finances.
Abiding in His grace, attending to my "herds", Proverbs 27:23-24 says, "Be diligent to know the state of your flocks, And attend to your herds; For riches are not forever, Nor does a crown endure to all generations." I'm thankful in this economy that I have something to attend to at all.
Lori
Friday, September 25, 2009
The "Radical Experiment"
Today's post is written by my precious husband, Todd.
He asked that I share this with you all, an email he recently sent to many on his email list.
As many of you know, we are members of The Church at Brook Hills, but are currently helping with a church plant in the Calera area. We continue to be amazed at the way God is working in and through the life of this Pastor and his amazing heart for Christ, and the poor throughout our World.
He asked that I share this with you all, an email he recently sent to many on his email list.
As many of you know, we are members of The Church at Brook Hills, but are currently helping with a church plant in the Calera area. We continue to be amazed at the way God is working in and through the life of this Pastor and his amazing heart for Christ, and the poor throughout our World.
The Radical Experiment
Recently the Church at Brook Hills proposed the Radical Experiment; a one year proposal to radically change spending habits in order to benefit the poor and impoverished. After much prayer and discussion the decision was made to partner with Compassion International, a non profit organization that cares for the poor around the world for the glory of Christ. Before their trip to Compassion International’s headquarters the leadership at Brook Hills felt God leading them to focus their first efforts toward India, possibly the poorest, most impoverished nation on the planet, with almost half of its population living below the poverty level and less than one percent of its population being Christian.
After meeting with Compassion International the Brook Hills leadership asked them what they could do to help in India, expressing they felt God leading them toward India. Compassion answered by explaining that they needed the most help with their Child Survival Program. Although Compassion has a Child Sponsor Program, the children have to be at least five years old to qualify. The problem is that most children who live in extreme poverty seldom make it to the age of five and if they do they are usually mentally and physically challenged due to starvation and preventable disease. Thus for most by the time they are five it’s already too late.
Compassion explained that the Child Survival Program was put into place to care for these children during this critical time. The program provides for the basic needs of both the child and mother through nutrition and medicines they need to survive. They explained they had twenty one of these programs in place but often lacked sufficient funding. It takes about twenty five thousand dollars annually to operate just one of these facilities and often churches will work together to support one or more Child Survival Programs.
Ladies and Gentlemen give praise to The Almighty God because the faith family at the Church at Brook Hills has provided funding for all twenty-one of these programs for the year! Through a radical commitment to God’s word and a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the poor they alone have met this overwhelming need for all of India. So, if you think just one person or just one congregation can’t make a difference… think again!
I never cease to be amazed at what God can accomplish through the hearts of his people. I pray we would all follow the example of this faith family and give our resources and our lives for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is what the gospel looks like when somebody gets it right. (James 2:14-17)
By His grace and for His glory,
Todd
After meeting with Compassion International the Brook Hills leadership asked them what they could do to help in India, expressing they felt God leading them toward India. Compassion answered by explaining that they needed the most help with their Child Survival Program. Although Compassion has a Child Sponsor Program, the children have to be at least five years old to qualify. The problem is that most children who live in extreme poverty seldom make it to the age of five and if they do they are usually mentally and physically challenged due to starvation and preventable disease. Thus for most by the time they are five it’s already too late.
Compassion explained that the Child Survival Program was put into place to care for these children during this critical time. The program provides for the basic needs of both the child and mother through nutrition and medicines they need to survive. They explained they had twenty one of these programs in place but often lacked sufficient funding. It takes about twenty five thousand dollars annually to operate just one of these facilities and often churches will work together to support one or more Child Survival Programs.
Ladies and Gentlemen give praise to The Almighty God because the faith family at the Church at Brook Hills has provided funding for all twenty-one of these programs for the year! Through a radical commitment to God’s word and a willingness to sacrifice for the sake of the poor they alone have met this overwhelming need for all of India. So, if you think just one person or just one congregation can’t make a difference… think again!
I never cease to be amazed at what God can accomplish through the hearts of his people. I pray we would all follow the example of this faith family and give our resources and our lives for the glory of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This is what the gospel looks like when somebody gets it right. (James 2:14-17)
By His grace and for His glory,
Todd
I (Lori) am reading through Howard Dayton's book Your Money Counts - Now More Than Ever and, as God would have it, today's chapter is on giving, and talks about our responsibility to the poor. Expounding on Matthew 25:34-45, he writes,
"In some mysterious way that we cannot fully comprehend, Jesus personally identifies with the poor. If that truth is staggering, then the reciprocal is terrifying. When we do not give to the poor, we leave Christ Himself hungry and thirsty."
"In some mysterious way that we cannot fully comprehend, Jesus personally identifies with the poor. If that truth is staggering, then the reciprocal is terrifying. When we do not give to the poor, we leave Christ Himself hungry and thirsty."
"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep
to gain what he cannot lose."
Jim Elliott, martyred missionary to Ecuador
Abiding in His AMAZING GRACE!!!
Lori
Monday, June 15, 2009
Christian Giving
This morning in church we heard a sermon on the needs of the church, the needy, and the poor and how our tithe can help to meet these needs. Many Christians today do not tithe regularly, or at all.
Yesterday, Todd emailed me the following statistics he'd noted while listening to a sermon by Dr. David Platt of The Church at Brookhills (www.Brookhills.org). He asked me to share them with those on my email list, so I am doing that, as well as sharing it with you - my blog readers. :O)
*************************************
Statistics From Dr. Platt.
It is estimated that 4.5 billion people are without Christ in the world today.
If we continue with our present Church trends this will never change.
There are an estimated 1 billion people today living in extreme poverty, 700 million people today living in slums, 500 million people starving today and 200 million children exploited today for labor.
A recent Stanford research project found that if every church member, in America alone, would give only ten percent of their income in only two years time the church, apart from any help from any other organization, could;
1) Eliminate global starvation and malnutrition.
2) Provide an education for every child on earth.
3) Provide universal access to clean water and sanitation worldwide.
IN ONLY TWO YEARS TIME!!!
************************************
Those are statistics that are hard to fathom, and yet impossible to ignore. It can become so overwhelming to think of the greatness of the need that we become paralyzed, and unable to do anything because we don't know what to do - or where to give.
As Todd and I rode home today we took some time to discuss a few scriptures that came to our minds.
1 Corinthians 4:2, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. " (also read Mark 12:41-43)
Whether you give $500.00 a week or $5.00 a week, is not the issue. The tithe is a matter of the heart. It is something we do in obedience, to provide for the needs of the body of Christ through our local church, and then others outside our faith family. The point is, we should be found faithful with whatever amount we decide we can do. Granted, the goal is a tenth, but I've been there in that place where a tenth couldn't be given. We continued to be faithful even on weeks when it was as little as $2.00.
The only area in which God encourages us to "test (or try) Him" is in Malichi 3:5-11. I understand the Old Testament was not written TO me (as a Gentile) but that it was written FOR me (as an example). So, I am always willing to search the Old Testament to help me in examining my life.
Malichi 3:5-11 says, " And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien— because they do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the LORD of hosts. “ But you said, ‘ In what way shall we return?’
“ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘ In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the LORD of hosts;
Yesterday, Todd emailed me the following statistics he'd noted while listening to a sermon by Dr. David Platt of The Church at Brookhills (www.Brookhills.org). He asked me to share them with those on my email list, so I am doing that, as well as sharing it with you - my blog readers. :O)
*************************************
Statistics From Dr. Platt.
It is estimated that 4.5 billion people are without Christ in the world today.
If we continue with our present Church trends this will never change.
There are an estimated 1 billion people today living in extreme poverty, 700 million people today living in slums, 500 million people starving today and 200 million children exploited today for labor.
A recent Stanford research project found that if every church member, in America alone, would give only ten percent of their income in only two years time the church, apart from any help from any other organization, could;
1) Eliminate global starvation and malnutrition.
2) Provide an education for every child on earth.
3) Provide universal access to clean water and sanitation worldwide.
IN ONLY TWO YEARS TIME!!!
************************************
Those are statistics that are hard to fathom, and yet impossible to ignore. It can become so overwhelming to think of the greatness of the need that we become paralyzed, and unable to do anything because we don't know what to do - or where to give.
As Todd and I rode home today we took some time to discuss a few scriptures that came to our minds.
1 Corinthians 4:2, "Moreover it is required in stewards that one be found faithful. " (also read Mark 12:41-43)
Whether you give $500.00 a week or $5.00 a week, is not the issue. The tithe is a matter of the heart. It is something we do in obedience, to provide for the needs of the body of Christ through our local church, and then others outside our faith family. The point is, we should be found faithful with whatever amount we decide we can do. Granted, the goal is a tenth, but I've been there in that place where a tenth couldn't be given. We continued to be faithful even on weeks when it was as little as $2.00.
The only area in which God encourages us to "test (or try) Him" is in Malichi 3:5-11. I understand the Old Testament was not written TO me (as a Gentile) but that it was written FOR me (as an example). So, I am always willing to search the Old Testament to help me in examining my life.
Malichi 3:5-11 says, " And I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien— because they do not fear Me,” says the LORD of hosts. For I am the LORD, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob. Yet from the days of your fathers You have gone away from My ordinances and have not kept them. Return to Me, and I will return to you,” Says the LORD of hosts. “ But you said, ‘ In what way shall we return?’
“ Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘ In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the LORD of hosts,
“If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, so that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field, says the LORD of hosts;
Within these verses, we find a lot of examples to look to:
1) You can trust God with your tithes and offerings, you owe it to Him.
2) God owns it all anyway, and you're only giving back what already belongs to Him. (Todd and I always remind ourselves to have the mindset that all of it belongs to the Lord, He is gracious enough to allow us to manage the other 90 percent. Which really is more like 70 percent once the government gets done with us. :O(
3) There is a "Devourer" that God will rebuke on your behalf, as you follow in obedience to His Word. Which logically leads to the conclusion that He will NOT rebuke the "devourer" on your behalf if you are not living in faithful obedience to His Word in this area. What does the devourer look like in your home - the car broke down, the taxes are due, the mortgage payment is late, the kids need new shoes, your air conditioner went out, etc.... You get the point. It could be anything, but it comes in droves, and gives you that feeling of "what else could possibly go wrong!"
As Believer's, God expects us to care for the needs of the widow and the orphan. (James 1:27)There's so much more I could say about the Spiritual Discipline of the tithe,and yes I do believe it has spiritual implications. I don't believe in Word of Faith or Name it and Claim. I believe in obedience. Last, but certainly not least in my list of verses,
Luke 16:10-11
"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches?"
These verses in Luke have great spiritual implications. If you have learned the elemental principles in your relationship with Christ, be faithful in sharing those with the unbeliever and your brothers and sisters in Christ. When we are faithful in caring for God's Word, we will grow even more and be made to understand much greater truths. The same principal applies here with money of course, if the Lord can't trust you with $20,000 a year, He will not trust you with $50,000 a year. If He can't trust you with $50,000 a year, He will not trust you with $150,000 a year. Now don't go saying that I'm teaching prosperity through giving, because that is NOT the point here.
Some of you will read this and really get it, others of you may be scratching your heads in wonder, hmmmm, "what does all this mean?"
Everyone is very MONEY sensitive right now because of the economy. I'd love to recommend several authors whose writings have helped us tremendously in growing in our understanding of God's Word and how it speaks to the issues of money.
Resources: Howard Dayton - The Crown Money Map and other books. Anything by Dave Ramsey or Larry Burkett. All of these have websites with information available on them to help you get started too.
Don't delay, your financial and spiritual health are worth a good study of what God's Word says about Christian giving.Todd's final words to you are these -
I pray every Christian in America will bring glory and honor to God through giving!!!
Amen, and Amen... Todd and Lori McGuire
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