Tithing

This morning came across this and wondered how many see tithing in this way.

Why I Quit Tithing (and Why You Should Too)

by Larry Poole

Why has tithing become so divisive in the church today?

Most people simply don’t understand tithing.

To many Christians, it seems like some sort of country club due. Another bill in the long list of monthly expenses.

Giving is supposed to be an act of worship that draws you closer to the heart of God.

Then why is it that the concept of tithing, giving the first 10 percent of one’s income, has become so divisive in the church?

Christians debate questions like:

- Is tithing still even required? 
Wasn’t it an Old Testament law? 
Didn’t Christ abolish the law with His death and resurrection?

Should I tithe off the gross or net of my income?

Does God really expect me to tithe if I’m struggling in my personal finances?

I “tithe” my time to the church. Isn’t that enough?

These questions all have the same recurring theme—what’s the least I can give and still receive God’s blessings.

When you debate these questions, you totally miss the point.

Biblical generosity isn’t about giving the minimum. It’s about surrendering it all to an all-powerful, all-loving God. A God who gave everything in his son Jesus Christ (John 3:16).

Randy Alcorn said it best: “Giving affirms Christ’s lordship. It dethrones me and exalts Him.”

Bull's-eye.

I used to write checks to my church that looked like this: $112.14.

To the penny. Nothing more. Nothing less.

“There’s my 10 percent God. Hopefully that’ll cover the upkeep in Heaven until my next paycheck. Now bless me.”

I didn’t get it.

Wednesday Jan 30

Well today we went to the Baptist seminary in Cochabamba, met with the president and had a tour. We also got to see what their future plans entail with the facility as they prepare leaders for ministry in Bolivia.

After we were done there it was about dinner time so we decided that we would go and meet Jesus up on the mountain. After we drove up and up there he stood looking over Cochabamba with his arms held straight out to embrace the city. It was also interesting to see that he was holy, literally, large hole through him I suppose so that the wind could blow through him.

He was like 48 meters tall and was surround by many tourist in the area including us.

I may sound a little cynical which I really am, it just seems so not Jesus to have this statue. As I was sitting there looking up at this rather huge statue of some white guy, I could not help but to think, it would just be so opposite of what Jesus stood for or would want. Let me digress, Jesus came to the less fortunate, he ate with the tax collectors, healed the lepers and the list goes on. He was all about the Fathers business, and was about all that was good. Here in Cochabamba the government has spent millions in erecting this huge statue, while at the foot of the hill are some of the poorest in the city. This does not include the people we met 3 hours away who really did not have much for a house. Anyway that is my rant for the day, we did get to see the statue, but it was defiantly not Jesus that is for sure.

We went to lunch and met up with Rebecca Alward who was making her way back to Cochabamba.

It was good to see her again and we enjoyed the visit with someone who was able to speak English. After dinner we ventured out into the city again to just explore and some picked up a few last minute items before heading home. We then had a nice meal and went back and began the process of packing up everything and getting ready for the trip home. It is hard to believe what had taken so long to plan is coming to an end, feels in some ways like we just got here. In other ways though there are family and loved ones that we are missing a lot.

Casa De La Amistad

This morning we went for a walk to see another one of the ministries that CBM is taking part in called Casa De La Amistad. It is about two blocks away from where we are staying, and is within sight of two of the men's and women’s jails here in Cochabamba. Jails are much different here than in Canada in many ways, first the guards are all outside and the inmates on the inside fend for themselves.

third floor of men's prision across street

Also if a mother or father goes to jail, and there is no other family member, the children go with them. They also have to provide their own meals and basic necessities of life. The Casa is a place where the children from ages 3 and up to 18 can go for tutoring, mentoring, counseling and meals. In Bolivia many times you are considered guilty until proven innocent, and it can take years before you case is tried. We were taken on a tour of the place and asked to continue to pray for this ministry.

It is summer here so the center is closed until school goes in again in 2 weeks

(this is the inside of the center, the main play area and dinning area, there is also a medical clinic and many class rooms)


For dinner today we met up with Isabel who owned the hotel we stayed at in Mizque. We were told that we could not have a true Bolivian experience until we had eaten Saltenas, much like kissing the cod in Newfoundland. They were very good, you could either have beef or chicken and were much like a pie.

This afternoon we visited the market which was very interesting, and extremely different than anything we had seen before. We headed to the market, taking one of the local bus systems, which was an experience in itself. We arrived to find it was a very large market, with many isles, each about 200 feet and only 4 feet wide. Each isle had approximately 80-90 shops. The great thing was that today there were not many people around, making it much easier to explore and shop . We all were able to find a few things for loved ones, and was a very different experience for most of us.

this is a photo is taken from google images, we were advised not to take cameras to market

Back in Cochabamab

It has been awhile since I have been able to post, mostly because of the amount of time we had after our long days. I do apologize for those who have been waiting, even last night by the time we ate and then I chatted with my wife, time had disappeared. Thursday to Saturday were very busy and long days working at the two houses. I think that Friday was probably the most physically demanding day,  we had to bring supplies into the houses by foot. We were told that these two homes were the most remote homes they have done with the Chagas project. We worked really hard in getting the jobs done, but most days were very hot with a couple of them temperatures close to 40. The goal was to have one side of each house completely plastered and with a floor put in. House number one we did complete one side and the other side was ready to pour cement, when we left yesterday. House number two was complete both sides when we left yesterday, so all in all we did a great job.


Yesterday was a difficult day we did not work but visited each home one last time to say goodbye. We became attached to the families at each home, and will continue to pray for them in the days, months and years to come.

We then began the 3 hour trip home, up over the mountain. We went from Mizque at just over 2500 feet up to over 4000, then back done to just over 2000 feet. The roads were again pretty interesting and we were glad that Ivan and Alex were both driving. We took pictures of the mountains but the photos do not even come close to doing them justice, it was so pretty. We were very excited to be back in Cochabamba, it almost feels like one step closer to being at home and with loved ones. We have no phones here, but internet access, which was the opposite of Mizque. The team has been hit with illness over the last 4-5 days, most taking a turn. It comes with a very sore belly and sometimes fever, and accompanied with absolutely no energy, and the rest you probably don’t want to know :), lol. What I will say is that everyone is doing good, and we are looking after one another and please do not worry God is good. I was fortunate in the sense that I did not get it until Sunday morning, when all the work was done. Pastor Dave preached on Saturday night in the little Baptist church in Mizque, and I preached on Sunday morning. Ivan translated for us as we preached the word of God. All the work that we did was through this little Baptist Church, it will give them great opportunity in the days to come to build a stronger relationship with them and share the gospel. Both homes were very surprised to think people from so far away would come to help them with the work. Sunday was a down day to help people regain their strength and for some of us to feel better before our journey back to Cochabamba.

Here are a few of the pics.

                               placing and leveling the rocks in each room before pouring the cement  

In House #1 with family on last day

House #2 with family last day

 

the place we all were able to phone home at, we really enjoyed this

Some of the drop offs on the side of the road were massive 1000 + feet, this one was small. 

Can anyone say Ice Road Truckers visit South America. Don't worry we had great drivers.

Monday - Wednesday

Monday January 21,2013

We had a great morning today; the weather was sunny and quite warm, and no rain. Alex is one of the men taking us to Mizque, he had an emergency he needed to attend to so we were delayed in leaving this morning. It was ok because it gave us an opportunity to walk around down town Cochabamba and we tried to locate a few items that we needed before leaving for Mizque. The city was quite busy and it was interesting to see the many different stores and vehicles. We exchanged some of our money over to boliviano, and prepared to leave around noon. Just outside the city, we ate lunch at a road side restaurant called Las Carmelitas. There we all ate Empanadas which are like a panzarotti filled with cheese, and then headed toward the mountains. At the base of the mountain the temperature was 21 and we spent the next 1 ½ hours heading up on roads that were very dangerous looking. If you ever watched the Ice Road Truckers show- Most Dangerous Roads, this is what the road up the mountain resembled (in places) . The road was mostly cobble stone, and must of taken years to build. We reached the summit at some 10,000+ feet and the temperature had dropped down to 7 degrees. We stopped along the way and had taken some pictures, but they definitely did not do justice to the beauty, height, and steepness of the scenery we saw.

We then made our way down the other side of the mountain and to the town of Mizque, which is quite a nice town. It is not what you would see at home anywhere, it is set in the valley and we have mountains all around. We are staying in a very comfortable place for the next week and we begin work a 20 minute drive outside of the town about tomorrow. Everyone is still healthy and the group is getting along very well, please continue to pray for us. We had a good team meeting, time of worship, scripture and sharing tonight after a long day.

Tuesday January 22 & Wednesday January 23

We began work today on two different houses just outside the town of Mizque. They are very small homes with two rooms each, both with dirt floors and adobe brick (straw and mud). House number one has 6 children and two adults that live in it, and house number two has 8 children and two parents. Both families are some of the poorest of the area. Most house in this area outside town are made of the same material and about the same size 10x15’. The second house is the one which I have been working at the most with and for 20 years have been living in a house 6’x10’ with three walls, tin roof, and the front wall filled in with sticks. They are only able to grow enough food to survive on because of the small piece of land that they own. While we are there the Father and at least 5 of the children work with us constantly nonstop. Yesterday (Wed) a young man came to work with us who us to live with the family but had moved away to work to help support the family.

Our day consist of breakfast at 7:30, then off to the two different houses to work until 12:30. We then head back into Mizque for lunch all together, then back out to work until 5:00-5:30. We then have our supper around 6:30 and our team meetings at 8:30 or 9:00, usually for about an hour. The temperature the last couple of days has been a little different than yours at about 27-28 degrees Celsius. The sun here is much hotter than home, with a couple of the team being subject to burning rather quickly. It is there summer, however also it is rainy season. We have been blessed so far that it has only rained in the night, however it saddens our hearts because the two houses we are fixing the families are sleeping outside. Last night (wed) we were told that things are progressing very quickly and hopefully finish the walls today (Thurs) and start pouring concrete for a floor later today or tomorrow. This will help us finish up on Saturday, stay here on Sunday for church then head back on Monday for Cochabamba. Please continue to pray for the team, everyone is healthy so far, but pray that we will be able to finish the two houses and represent Christ to them.

new house

their old house

Day Two, Cochabamba

Well we landed safely last night in Santa Cruz, where we met Ivan from CBM. We took taxi to the hotel and we all felt like we were on the Amazing Race. I was in a taxi with the three teens, and Ethan kept telling the driver Jose Carlos Vroom Vroom and he would start passing everyone. He was pretty cool, even though we could not speak Spanish and he could not speak English.

We got to the hotel we were supposed to stay at and the reservations were mixed up, so we then had to go to another just up the road. The first one was a three star we were supposed to stay in, and we ended up in a four star hotel instead. Before anyone gets excited, can anyone say the old White Spot in Kentville. That would have been a four star hotel in Santa Cruz, lol but we survived and were up early again to catch a fight to Cochabamba.

The we made our way to the CBM guest house which was not far from the airport. It is a court yard that is totally surround by walls with a great big date tree in the middle of it.

We had a great breakfast of eggs, toast, yogurt, and fresh Mango’s that taste nothing like you can get at home. They were definitely the highlight of the meal. We then went to church with Ivan, which was the Spanish service, and he did his best to interpret for us.

He then took us out to eat lunch at Puerto Madero's which everyone enjoyed and it was an adventure to try some Bolivian food. Ethan, Marcie, Emily and I tried the cows tongue and deep fried bananas to name a few. We spent the afternoon just catching up on some much needed rest from the last few days. Tonight we will have our orientation to the county with Ivan, which will be nice to get under way.

We are headed to Mizque tomorrow morning around 10 for a week. It is about from Yarmouth to Liverpool away from Cochabamba (150 km)but will take 3 ½ hours of driving to get there. We are not really sure what the chances for an internet connection might be, but will do our best.

We are leaving today

We made it safely to Halifax yesterday and met up with the folks from New Tusket. We all went to Swiss Chalet as a group for our last real meal till we at least get to Bolivia. We had a short meeting and passed out team t-shirts, so we can keep track of everyone, and had prayer. `We would like to thank the couple who felt lead by God to pay for our rooms last night, thank you the place was very nice. Well the day started very early, like can you say 3 am anyone. We made our flight no problem in Halifax and I find myself sitting in the Toronto airport waiting our flight to Panama that leaves in 45 minutes. Everyone took time to contact home one last time before leaving Canada.

We took the following photo before departing Halifax, and next stop is Panama and Sana Cruz Bolivia by 10:30 or so tonight Yarmouth Time.

So the highlight of our trip from Toronto to Panama was Ethan watching a screw work its way out of the wing of the plane.

The other two highlights were the three teenagers sleeping all but 50 minutes of the trip Toronto – Panama and learning that there is such a place as Central America (and not sure what they teach in school).

By the time we landed in Panama we were looking forward to a good stretch in the airport. We had about an hour and a half to get off the plane and find our other plane that takes us to Sana Cruz. Most of us went to the food court, where we found Quizzno’s, Domino’s Pizza, Hagan Daz, Cinnabon, and many others. We also found out that in an airport they really know they have got you, and the prices are astronomical. It felt like we were at the food court in Mic Mac Mall, except for the prices. Everyone is doing good on the trip so far, just a little tired. It has felt like we have been flying all day.... wait we have.

We are all looking forward to getting to Sana Cruz and our hotel for the night, The Hotel Alaska (kind of a funny name). We will be able to get some sleep before we then fly out Sunday morning to Cochabamba and meet up with our CBM partners. I do believe that Sunday will mostly be a day to catch up from our 15 + hours of traveling today. Keep us all in your prayers, for health, the work we will be completing and relations that will be developed with our STEP partners.


Well all this time we have been preparing to go, and it is here. For our family, church and friends you probably want to know this, 



We took a team photo at the airport this morning before we left, thanks Sheridan for making the T-Shirts on such short notice.

Less than 4 days

            &                  New Tusket

      Baptist Church

 

   

 Short Term Missions Trip

  

Keep us in prayer as we travel

Going to Bolivia

Jan 19   Flight                     Origin                                   Departure            

AC603                   Halifax 5:35 am                 Toronto    7:04 am

CM471                  Toronto 8:40 am                 Panama City 2:12 pm

CM125                  Panama City 4:08 pm        Santa Cruz 10:09 pm

Motel     in Santa Cruz @ Hotel Alaska 

Jan 20^th OBO572                Santa Cruz 7:50 am           Cochabamba  8:35am                      

Returning Home

Jan 31    OBO650                Cochabamba 19:00           Santa Cruz  19:45

Feb 1                     

CM126                  Santa Cruz 2:37am            Panama City 6:22 am

            CM470                  Panama City 6:18 pm        Toronto 11:41 pm

Overnight at Hampton Inn & Suites Toronto Airport

Feb 2                     

AC606                   Toronto 11:41 pm              Halifax  1:46 pm

Bolivia 2013

Well it is hard to believe it is almost time to leave for Bolivia, 11 days and counting.  We all met last night at the New Tusket Baptist Church in order to make final arrangements and chat about any concerns or questions our up coming trip might bring up. We signed our team covenant and got to know one another a little bit more then we had previously, and we were treated to Lorna's cookies which were very good, lol. 

We leave bright and early on the 19, say 5:30 am and head from Halifax to Toronto, then Panama City to Santa Cruz and finally arriving in Cochabamba on the 20th. For many it is the first time out of the country and some even out of the Atlantic Provinces. We will try and keep you updated, God willing and as we will have access to the internet. Please pray that God would speak to each member of the team, for direction not only on the trip but in our lives. May He also use us beyond our abilities to minister to those in Bolivia that we might build relationships with and that CBM already work with. Please pray, Thanks