John 3:16–20
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth. This then is how we know that we belong to the truth, and how we set our hearts at rest in his presence whenever our hearts condemn us.
In this passage, we see that John questions whether it is possible to truly have God’s love in you if you have no compassion for the poor. He uses as his example Christ’s love manifesting itself through the sacrifice of His very life.
God didn’t just give a little for us; He gave His best. He gave Himself. John is saying that it is no different for us: True love requires sacrifice. And our love is shown by how we live our lives: “Let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.”
One of the clearest ways we love “with actions and in truth” is through giving to others. By giving, I don’t mean just money, although that is certainly an element of it.
Another important element of giving is with our time. Most of us are so busy that the thought of adding one more thing to our weekly schedule is stressful. Instead of adding in another thing to our lives, perhaps God wants us to give Him all of our time and let Him direct it as He sees fit.
Giving that is not motivated by love is worth nothing. Paul says from this kind of giving we “gain nothing”; however, when we give out of love, we gain much. Giving results not only in heavenly compensation, but also gives us great joy in our lives here and now. As we love more genuinely and deeply, giving becomes the obvious and natural response. Taking and keeping for ourselves becomes unattractive and imprudent.
So, in our many interactions, maybe we can slow down, breathe deeply and really try to love the person across the desk or table.
Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
The Power of Community in Stewardship
God made us to live in relationships. To be in relationship with the Father, through the work of the Son in the presence and power of the Spirit. He also created us to live in community with each other on the horizontal. I was reminded of this over the past several weeks and again today.
When our school (www.TallOaksClassicalSchool.org) moved to our new location we had volunteers helping in a massive way. Some were painting, some moving, some packing, and some working on the technology infrastructure. Each sub-group had its own energy and enthusiasm and the dynamic 0f the group propelled them to go further than any one person would have done on their own.
Good Neighbors (www.GoodNeighborsHomeRepair.org) has its Summer Youth Work Camp this week in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Similarly, teens and adults are "swarming" on houses in need of critical repair and months worth of work is being accomplished in only five days.
Events are time-consuming parts of the job of development and stewardship officers, but they can yield results that are greater than the sum of many individual efforts.
For our planning purposes:
When our school (www.TallOaksClassicalSchool.org) moved to our new location we had volunteers helping in a massive way. Some were painting, some moving, some packing, and some working on the technology infrastructure. Each sub-group had its own energy and enthusiasm and the dynamic 0f the group propelled them to go further than any one person would have done on their own.
Good Neighbors (www.GoodNeighborsHomeRepair.org) has its Summer Youth Work Camp this week in Chester County, Pennsylvania. Similarly, teens and adults are "swarming" on houses in need of critical repair and months worth of work is being accomplished in only five days.
Events are time-consuming parts of the job of development and stewardship officers, but they can yield results that are greater than the sum of many individual efforts.
For our planning purposes:
- Have a good attitude about mobilizing volunteers; believe that the Lord has given us capable volunteers who are just looking to be plugged into the organization
- Recognize that more is being gained than the actual work itself; relationships are being developed
- Deep and strong ties to the mission occur when we are well-deployed and working shoulder-to-shoulder with each other
- Often, financial gifts just flow out of people seeing immediate needs and acting on them; the challenge may be keeping track of the generosity
Saturday, July 17, 2010
When God Changed my Plan
"A funny thing happened on the way to the Forum"
Two weeks ago I was sitting in a wonderful training course sponsored by The Stewardship Alliance (http://www.thestewardshipalliance.com/). In this first day of a three-day course I was struck down with an illness that caused me to be hospitalized for 5 days.
I hate being confined, not able to come and go when and where I wish. Yet, the ultimate Stewardship Officer had me on my back to remind me of some important things, things that I might not have thought about unless He had my full attention.
Our God is so good; He is always the best at using (shall I say redeeming?) the time we think is wasted.
During my hospital stay I was allowed to think more holistically about my role as a father, husband, church member, and stewardship officer. The change in venue let me see that I need make some changes to my work and life priorities and schedule.
I am returning to my "normal life" with renewed purpose for my work, appreciation for those who love and care for me, and how I can better balance all of these to give God the glory He deserves.
While I do not recommend these forced down times, the summer can be a good time to review our plans, re-connect with key donors and volunteers, and to test what we do in light of the mission of the school.
Two weeks ago I was sitting in a wonderful training course sponsored by The Stewardship Alliance (http://www.thestewardshipalliance.com/). In this first day of a three-day course I was struck down with an illness that caused me to be hospitalized for 5 days.
I hate being confined, not able to come and go when and where I wish. Yet, the ultimate Stewardship Officer had me on my back to remind me of some important things, things that I might not have thought about unless He had my full attention.
Our God is so good; He is always the best at using (shall I say redeeming?) the time we think is wasted.
During my hospital stay I was allowed to think more holistically about my role as a father, husband, church member, and stewardship officer. The change in venue let me see that I need make some changes to my work and life priorities and schedule.
I am returning to my "normal life" with renewed purpose for my work, appreciation for those who love and care for me, and how I can better balance all of these to give God the glory He deserves.
While I do not recommend these forced down times, the summer can be a good time to review our plans, re-connect with key donors and volunteers, and to test what we do in light of the mission of the school.
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
When a Building is not a Building
For many schools, owning their own building is a (the?) measure of security, permanence and stability. Ownership implies that the school will be around for a long time and is in this community as a good and stable neighbor. Many schools design their own building and have the architect design a structure reflecting the values and priorities of the school's mission (see last week's post).
If a school buys a building they may still personalize it to have it conform to the methods and philosophies in its charter.
However, while we do these things, which are good in and of themselves, we need to guard against our own sinful desires to build monuments. Remember the Tower of Babel.
I am not railing against owned buildings. Buildings can pull the school families and the operations together in healthy ways. And, when done in the context of thoughtful stewardship, they can be very positive. In some cases, owning is less costly in cash flow than renting.
However, while capital campaigns can be wonderful for raising resources and support, they are not the answer to every problem.
I am very aware of this as my school, Tall Oaks Classical School, has just moved into a wonderful facility that we are blessed to be able to rent for a reasonable rate from a church who is also committed to Christian education.
Owning a building can be a burden. Think of our own homes. If the government didn't give us an incentive to ownership through the mortgage interest deduction, would we buy? If we didn't expect the value to increase (common these days), would we buy? We have to maintain, insure and upgrade an owned facility. This effort takes significant resources, time and money.
And, if there is a mortgage, how many educational decisions are impacted by the need to service the debt.
We can go on, but a "building is not a building" when it becomes a drain on resources or distraction from the mission to educate children.
As stewardship officers I ask us all to think biblically about each decision we undertake and test it against our school's mission and the Lord's total ownership of the school.
If a school buys a building they may still personalize it to have it conform to the methods and philosophies in its charter.
However, while we do these things, which are good in and of themselves, we need to guard against our own sinful desires to build monuments. Remember the Tower of Babel.
I am not railing against owned buildings. Buildings can pull the school families and the operations together in healthy ways. And, when done in the context of thoughtful stewardship, they can be very positive. In some cases, owning is less costly in cash flow than renting.
However, while capital campaigns can be wonderful for raising resources and support, they are not the answer to every problem.
I am very aware of this as my school, Tall Oaks Classical School, has just moved into a wonderful facility that we are blessed to be able to rent for a reasonable rate from a church who is also committed to Christian education.
Owning a building can be a burden. Think of our own homes. If the government didn't give us an incentive to ownership through the mortgage interest deduction, would we buy? If we didn't expect the value to increase (common these days), would we buy? We have to maintain, insure and upgrade an owned facility. This effort takes significant resources, time and money.
And, if there is a mortgage, how many educational decisions are impacted by the need to service the debt.
We can go on, but a "building is not a building" when it becomes a drain on resources or distraction from the mission to educate children.
As stewardship officers I ask us all to think biblically about each decision we undertake and test it against our school's mission and the Lord's total ownership of the school.
Friday, July 9, 2010
The Mission (statement) is the Mission
As we go out and "sell" our schools to the investing public, we should be careful to remember that we are asking donors to join us on this amazing journey to something larger than we could ever do alone.
For example, the Mission of Tall Oaks Classical School (http://www.talloaksclassicalschool.org/) is:
The mission of Tall Oaks Classical School is to assist parents in preparing their children to excel in every duty and calling God has for them throughout their lives by providing a Classical and Christ-centered curriculum designed to equip our graduates with the tools to acquire, process, express, and defend knowledge from a Biblical worldview.
Notice these key words and phrases: assist parents, excel in every duty and calling, defend knowledge, Biblical worldview. These are large ideas that conjure up the idea of transforming society by unleashing a new generation of change agents. Change agents who carry out and extend the Great Commission that our Lord Jesus has given us.
We need to communicate our mission often and broadly. Our parents and other stake holders can be amplifiers of the vision which, when chewed upon, yields some stimulating flavor, just like the sugar cane I chewed on as a boy.
The stewardship officer serves up the mission to people who are looking to connect their passions for the next generation with a school that is clear about what God has called it to be and to do.
Take some time this summer thinking through how you can make the mission the school's rallying cry.
For example, the Mission of Tall Oaks Classical School (http://www.talloaksclassicalschool.org/) is:
The mission of Tall Oaks Classical School is to assist parents in preparing their children to excel in every duty and calling God has for them throughout their lives by providing a Classical and Christ-centered curriculum designed to equip our graduates with the tools to acquire, process, express, and defend knowledge from a Biblical worldview.
Notice these key words and phrases: assist parents, excel in every duty and calling, defend knowledge, Biblical worldview. These are large ideas that conjure up the idea of transforming society by unleashing a new generation of change agents. Change agents who carry out and extend the Great Commission that our Lord Jesus has given us.
We need to communicate our mission often and broadly. Our parents and other stake holders can be amplifiers of the vision which, when chewed upon, yields some stimulating flavor, just like the sugar cane I chewed on as a boy.
The stewardship officer serves up the mission to people who are looking to connect their passions for the next generation with a school that is clear about what God has called it to be and to do.
Take some time this summer thinking through how you can make the mission the school's rallying cry.
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