Giving and Stewardship

Giving and Stewardship

This subject has been a question I have wrestled with for awhile.  I know it is Biblical to give, but how much and what is "good stewardship".

Makes me think of Uganda.  They have nothing really, and yet they give to one another.  How is THAT considered "good stewardship"? 

Mark 12:38-44

English Standard Version (ESV)

Beware of the Scribes

³⁸  And in his teaching he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes and like greetings in the marketplaces ³⁹ and have the best seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at feasts, ⁴⁰  who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”

The Widow's Offering

⁴¹  And he sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. ⁴² And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny.^[a]43 And he called his disciples to him and said to them,“Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. ⁴⁴ For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.”

 We adopted our daughter in the worst of financial times for us, and THAT makes NO SENSE in THIS world.  But in God's economy it makes perfect sense. 

 He said to give it ALL!! 

 I don't tell this to exalt anything we have done, but to exalt Him who is in control and owns it ALL, and when He calls us to something HE PROVIDES, He doesn't leave it to us to figure out.  *Praise Him* 

I told the Lord, we would adopt when we got ourselves together, financially, He spoke loud and clear to my heart and told me, He would provide and to step out, walk in faith and to "Go NOW", that it would all be part of the testimony!!!

He did it!  He provided and continues to provide.  It's not comfortable and there's no "emergency fund", it is literally day by day, I like to call it Manna.  The world says we are ridiculous for the number of kids we have, but God is the Father to us all and He is Almighty and it's ALL His, so my inheritance is eternal and humongous, and I don't need a retirement fund or an emergency fund. 

 He's it!!! 

 When I retire, I will be in Heaven walking on streets of gold.  Why in the world would I care if I had money in the bank on Earth while I'm dancing around on streets of gold??

Celebration Time!!!

Jeremiah 30:19

English Standard Version (ESV)

Out of them shall come songs of thanksgiving,

    and the voices of those who celebrate.

I will multiply them, and they shall not be few;

    I will make them honored, and they shall not be small.

We just had a CRAZY...and crazy fun week-end. 

 This family went nuts with celebration. 

 We had so much  to celebrate that it may take us a few days to recover.  

We celebrated with praise and thanksgiving!!

We celebrated with ceremony.

Yep!!!  Not even kidding...he wore the morph suit to graduation, with the added fashion statement of his boots and spurs.  WHATEVER!!  I was too proud of him to say much...so I took pictures and enjoyed.

These are my 3 teenagers.  :)  2 have been Valedictorians and 1 is well on her way.  I have one married and pregnant 1 graduate and one in high school.   

We celebrated with food and fun.

We played games...musical chairs!!!  My dad...yes Papa, played too.  He won't admit it, but he kinda got into it!

We played basketball!!

Leap frog!

Team cheer!!  *Praise the Lord*

We ate *a lot*!!

 We celebrated with showering of love and gifts.  

We had a baby shower.

Here is the proud grandmas and one of the proud great grandmas.  The other great grandma was there too, but I didn't get a picture with my camera (it died), from over use this weekend.  :)

What were we celebrating??? 

 It would be easier to list what we weren't celebrating. 

 We have so much to be thankful for.

Family.....graduation....healing.....fun.....babies....more babies.........being together.

THAT WE HAVE A SAVIOR THAT LOVES US AND HAS SAVED US AND WHO IS MORE THAN ENOUGH!!!!

PB&J and BLT

This group has been amazing!!! 

These kids bless my socks off every time we get together.

 They  have met for close to 3 years and called themselves...PB&J, for Powell Butte and Jesus...or People, barns and Jesus.
 And then on the opposite weeks they are the BLT..that would stand for Bible Learning Time.

 This has been a group of kids that have based their time together on: 

Acts 2:42

English Standard Version (ESV)

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² And they devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.

We are going to spend the summer just taking a break and praying about where to go from here as we have several Seniors graduating.

A couple of kids have asked to be baptized....so we will be doing that very soon in the pond. 

This makes my heart sing with praise and thanksgiving!!!

 We will all get together and baptize the ones that are ready and CELEBRATE!!

 They will fellowship and pray and break bread and follow the apostles' teaching!

This group is GOOD at all of that...they can,

pray

 and eat

 and fellowship

 and get into Scripture

 like CRAZY teenager people!

They have stretched and grown, and stretched and grown all of us adults that have had the privilege of walking along side of them.

Thanks kids for being awesome and willing and dedicated to Jesus and to each other.

  

Check this blog out for an amazing adoption story and a really fun fundraiser with AWESOME prizes!!

http://momentswithlove.blogspot.com/

It's for a girl named Esther....from Uganda...but it's not our Esther it's another special Esther that has a forever family ready to go and get her.