Reverse Offering

I decided to wait until after the Easter weekend to post my final blog on our 3 month focus to “Recalibrate our Finances” at New Life because of the “Reverse Offering” we did on Sunday.

If you were unable to be there or have never heard of a Reverse Offering, it simply is the church giving to the people on Sunday instead of the people giving to the church.

But this giving to the people was not so they can get but rather so they can give away what they received.  This past Sunday, we gave each family who attended our 9:30 and 11:15 services a $50 bill so they can use it to give away in whatever way they sense God directing them.

To help each family we also gave some tips on how they can give the $50 away...

1 – Bless a family so they can have a family night out.
2 – Surprise someone at the gas pump
3 – Pool your money with others to help someone with a major need (like a car or home repair)
4 – Tip your waiter or waitress extravagantly!
5 – Spread some joy to someone who has recently experienced a loss. (a divorce, unemployment, a death)
6 – Pay for the groceries of the person in front of you!

These tips are to help spark the imagination of those who were there at New Life on Sunday.  Perhaps you weren’t there.  Perhaps you don’t even live near New Life.  No matter, you too can choose to use these 6 tips to spark your imagination on how you can give away what God has given you to help others. 

Imagine what it could and would do if we were more focused on giving rather than getting.

Giving away with you,

Pastor David

Give a little away

During this first 3 month focus at New Life, to Recalibrate our Finances, I know for some of you things might be so tight that you may have only been able to save a little if any in January. You may have been able to pay down a little if any debt in February too and now you are just waiting for March to get over because you will have only a little to give away if any.

And so you may be asking yourself this question:
What can I do with so little?

This is the same question I have asked myself at times when I have seemingly had so little to give away.  This is essentially the same question asked by the disciples of Jesus when a boy was willing to give away the little he had to help serve and feed 5,000 others.

"With what?" - Mark 6:37
"But we have only 5 loaves of bread and two fish." - Luke 9:13

But what the disciples didn't realize and probably the boy too for that matter was,,,
Jesus can do more with our little than we can.  If we give it away.

Do you realize it?
Jesus can do more with our little than we can.  If we give it away.

It's ok you have a little to give away. Give it away anyways and watch what happens when Jesus gets a hold of it and it multiplies far beyond your wildest imagination!

Giving away with you,
Pastor David

Money Matters

One thing is true in this life...Money matters.

But how much it matters to you can reveal a lot about where money is placed, priority-wise, in your life.

In his book, 'God's at War,' Kyle Idleman says this about money, "If you want to find out how important money is to you.  Start giving it away."

I believe the month of March is going to tell us a lot about how important money is to us at New Life. 

First let me say it has been amazing to see 11 families at New Life save over $4700 in January.  It is perhaps even more incredible to see 10 families at New Life pay off and/or pay down 18 bills and $16,000+ of debt in February.

It's one thing to put money into savings though.  I mean, we all want to have money stored away for the proverbial "rainy day" don't we?  It's also one thing to use your money to pay off or pay down debt because who wants to keep having debt?

In both cases, our money is working for us.  And that's the catch.

When you choose to give your money away, you are choosing to let your money work for someone else.

In March, let's choose to let our money work for others and if we do it just right our money could actually work for God too!

So start storing up every extra dollar you can and be ready to give it away whenever God guides you to do so.  At New Life, we too have been storing up money to give away.  It's called our First Fruits Fund.

And on Easter weekend, during both services (9:30 & 11:15) we will announce how we plan to give it away so it can work for others and for God.  You won't want to miss it!

Giving away with you,
Pastor David

Don't Give Up

At New Life, in the month of March, we switch gears from taking every extra dollar we can and paying off or paying down debt, to giving those extra dollars away.

But before we do, I want to give you one more encouragement on the journey towards a debt free life.

“Don’t Give Up.”

 

Have you heard the Florence Chadwick?

 

She was an open water swimmer who had successfully swam across the English channel multiple times.  In 1952, she took on a new challenge:  Swimming the 26 miles between Catalina Island and the California coast.  In her first attempt, a thick fog settled in around her when she was well into the swim.  Unfortunately, Florence doubted her ability and soon gave up her effort.  Shortly after she was pulled out of the water she learned that she was only one mile away from the coast.

 

You and I may not be taking on a big swimming challenge like Florence Chadwick did but for those of us that are dealing with debt it can seem just as impossible.

We often feel like we are in a thick fog uncertain of when or how we will be able to get free from debt.

The key in being able to become debt free is simple – “Don’t Give Up”

 

I didn’t say it was easy.  I said it was simple.

If we don't give up, we will be able to finish the challenge of getting debt free.

 

Florence Chadwick gave up on that day but not on completing the challenge of swimming those 26 miles.  Two months after she had failed, she set out to swim from the distance between Catalina Island and the California coast again.  The thick fog also returned this second time.  But rather than giving up, Florence kept swimming and successfully reached Catalina.

 

What was the difference maker for her?  She said she had kept a mental image of the shoreline in her mind as she swam.

To be successful in your efforts to getting debt free, keep a mental image of what a debt free, fully funded life looks like.  That image will help you stay the course, even when the fog of life makes things seem uncertain.

 

Remember, “Don’t Give Up!”

 

Getting out of debt with you,

Pastor David