Tuesday is Outreach day

Well today is tuesday, we have had a very busy day. We got up and again were to the kitchen for 6 am to start work, mornings come early. There were a couple of the team who were not feeling well today. We served both breakfast and lunch for almost 200 per meal. 7 of us went to a local park where we served soup to a little over a 100 people and served 96 at the pantry. The pantry was a line in which bread, egg plants, apples, sandwiches, cereal and sweets were passed out. When we got back it was after lunch and we cleaned up and were off at 3 today. We stuck around this evening and had a time of worship and sharing this evening. I think we needed that both physically and spiritually.

 Please keep praying as the work is hard but the blessing are huge.

We Met a gentlemen named Terry who works at the bowery.He has a great testimonial as to what God has done and is doing in his life. He has been clean for 2 1/2 years and is giving back to the bowery. He has about a 6" scar on the side of his neck. He shared with a couple of us it is a constant reminder of his past, it is where he would inject cocaine in to his system when getting high. The stories are endless. Many may say O what a great thing your doing in NY and how you are such a blessing to the homeless. However we are the ones being blessed by those who are sold out for the goepel of Christ and who are truley being the church in a broken world. God is so good...

N.Y.

We made it to the Bowery safetly. We left Portland around 9 and made it to Newton just outsiee of Boston around 11:30. This is where we picked up our 14th member of the team. We then traveled 4 more hours with one stop half way in conneticut. We came into NY around 4:30-5:00ish. I can now say that i drove in NY city,and glad to say that i won't have to again until next week, phew. The team got aquanted with the bowery why Angie, Jason, Curt and myself to the vans back and dropped them off in Brooklyn. I gor to see a glimps of the lady liberty as we crossed the Brooklyn Bridge.

After settling in some of us went for a walk, cause we are in NY.

The Bowery 2015

It is Two days before we depart for the Bowery Mission 2015 Trip. I am going to try and update this when time permits so that you can see a bit of what we are doing. We would like you to keep the team in prayer while we are away, for the work that we are going to be doing and our family members that are at home. For those who may not know much about the Bowery, here is a little information from there web page (http://www.bowery.org/)

Since 1879, The Bowery Mission has served homeless, hungry and poor New Yorkers. Meals, shelter, and medical care lead to residential programs that offer men and women the opportunity to transform their lives. Children get a positive first chance through summer camp, mentoring and family support. A vital part of the Lower East Side, The Bowery Mission now offers new hope to neighborhoods like Harlem and the South Bronx.


This is a wonderful chance to experience daily life in a gospel rescue mission. There are opportunities to help with meal preparation, service and cleanup; receive food donations and stock our pantry; and sort/organize the clothing donations that dress our resident students, those coming in for our shower programs, or whosoever has the need.

Your group will also likely be able to participate in chapels, outreaches to local parks and other special projects. Groups are given the opportunity to become part the life of the Mission, enjoying fellowship and working shoulder-to-shoulder with both our staff and resident students, as we serve the larger community of homeless and hungry people in New York City together.

We will be sailing out the Yarmouth Harbor on this Friday morning around 9:30am and staying in Portland that night. The next day we will be driving to New York with a stop in Boston to pick up Curt, who is flying in from Toronto on Friday night to stay with his daughter.  We are 14 strong, and we are looking forward to what God is going to do through us.

Please Pray for the Bowery 2015 Team

Unsolicited Advice About Shoeboxes

I Found this online the other day and thought it was something worth reposting when it comes ot packing shoe boxes each and every year

» Posted originally by corey on May 11, 2015

First, I can’t believe a year has already passed since we were part of giving shoebox gifts to the kids in our Sunday school last May! How is that possible?!

Second, let me say that I know that each of these gifts is prepared with love and given from hearts full of generosity, compassion, and a desire to share Jesus’ love. And each one is SO appreciated! No matter what is inside the box, each child (and family) is excited and blessed to receive a gift, given with no strings attached. For the local kids here, this is so unexpected, so unusual… Kids here do not get presents on Christmas or on their birthdays (if they are even aware of those days!). And most are only rarely given new things or presents at all. So to receive a box of gifts like this is such a treat.
You may or may not be aware of how Samaritan’s Purse runs this project. They partner with churches and missions who are involved in children’s ministry. So in our case, a leader of the denomination of our local church attended the Samaritan’s Purse training meeting a few months ago to learn the parameters and the process. He requested boxes for the children in our Sunday school and the request was granted. So this past Sunday we had the fun of giving each child a shoebox after church along with a booklet. The booklet is written in the form of a comic book, and it tells the story (in French) of some children learning about the greatest gift of all – Jesus! The booklets are well done and thoughtfully appropriate for our context – and super cool!
Now, given all that, can I offer some feedback to those of you who will prepare shoeboxes this Christmas? I can’t remember how many times we have been involved, directly or indirectly, here in Senegal with the distribution of shoeboxes, but it is at least half a dozen times over the past 15 years. I have watched little people I know well open their boxes, ooh’ed and aah’ed with them over the contents, and answered their questions about some of the items. Every year, I have thought of giving some advice on this topic, but I don’t want to seem ungrateful or critical. I just want to offer my advice, based on our experience in this one context:

BEST

GIFTS:

• For any age boy here, what they really want is a soccer ball. So get the best quality mini soccer ball that you can fit into the box when it is inflated (or send a deflated ball with a pump) and you can basically forget about anything else!
• Brand new nice short-sleeved shirts (with no writing on them) for boys and girls. Kids here have few clothes and often wear old, ripped, hand-me-downs, so nice new shirts are really appreciated and will probably fit. (I don’t know any obese Senegalese kids.)
• Small flashlight with batteries (Most families don’t have electricity so a working flashlight is gold!)
• Good quality melamine plate, bowl, and/or cup (Practical and also special.)
• Soap AND a plastic soap dish that has a cover. When you bathe standing on a big rock in the dirt as kids do here, you really need the soap holder. And families never have enough soap. (Funny note: the kids didn’t know what the soap was because it was in a box. I am sure they would have figured it out though, even without our help.)
• Toothbrush in a toothbrush holder. Again, the plastic case for the toothbrush is really great when you don’t have a sink/counter/tiled bathroom but rather brush your teeth outside squatting over dirt and need to keep it in your room.
• Pencils, erasers, colored pencils, and sharpeners for all school-aged kids. And good quality pens for kids aged 10-14, in black, red, green, and blue. All of these are required for school and the ones from America last so much longer than the cheap ones available here.

GREAT GIFTS:

• Jump ropes
• Band-Aids
• Hard candy and gum
• Comb
• Hair elastics or head bands for girls
• Marbles
• Harmonica
• A simple watch for older kids
• A solar calculator for older kids
• Sunglasses for older kids
• Socks
• For the youngest girls, a baby doll with light brown skin and no hair (good for a child of any color)
• Toy car, truck or airplane for the youngest boys (The ones with bigger wheels that are made for toddlers and are larger than Matchbox size are good. Matchbox wheels are so small, they don’t work well in dirt.)

NOT AS GOOD items we have seen kids receive:

• Anything with instructions in English, even if it seems simple to you (We tried to explain to one girl who got a cool pair of markers that came with a clip so you could draw with them both at the same time and a set of paper 3-D glasses you then used to see what you drew in 3-D… but it didn’t make sense. And how do you even say 3-D in Wolof??)
• Any toy that is not universally recognizable (We have seen kids receive matching memory card games – a great idea but with no one to explain it to them, they are wasted.)
• Yo-yo’s (They don’t know what it is here.)
• Gloves, winter hats (You don’t know whether your box will end up in Siberia or Senegal.)
• Play-dough (Kids here have no idea what it is for.)
• Stuffed animals (Young kids here usually burst into tears when presented with stuffed animals from their shoeboxes. The kids who are old enough not to be scared are not interested. Also, animals carry meanings here that are culturally specific. One of our Sunday School kids got a cute stuffed owl and a much older sibling told me that he himself is terrified of owls. They connote evil and shapechangers. You can’t know what the animal will signify in the culture your box reaches.)
• Stickers or temporary tattoos (Kids don’t have anywhere to stick the stickers, and often the pictures don’t make sense or connect with their world. For example, cute puppy stickers don’t make much sense in a Muslim country because dogs are considered unclean in Islam.)
• T-shirts with words or pictures on them (Would you want to wear a shirt with something unknown written on it? And again, pictures have different meanings in different cultures. Stick with solid colors, stripes, or pretty designs.
• Anything cheap or fragile (One box had a white skinned, red-haired porcelain doll in it…)
• Two of the 10-year old boys in our Sunday School class got adult sized XL t-shirts in their boxes that were obviously left over from an event. They were brand new and will be worn by some adult in the household, but in my opinion, they would have been better donated to Good Will or the Salvation Army. Approach filling a shoebox like you would approach picking out a gift for a friend’s child, not as an opportunity to unload stuff you don’t want.

That’s my unsolicited advice on this topic; I hope you find it helpful!

Why I Would Never Force my Kids to go to Church

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Ruth Meyer • 

My parents forced me to eat three times a day growing up.  No joke.  Three times.  Every.  Single.  Day.  And it wasn’t always stuff I liked, either.  Matter of fact, I complained a lot about what my mom made.  “Ewww, gross!  Sauteed zucchini?  Seriously?  Mom, you know we hate this stuff!”  So as I approached adulthood I made an important decision.  Since my parents forced me to eat while I was growing up, I decided I was done with meals.  Oh, here and there I’ll eat out of obligation.  I mean, family traditions like Thanksgiving and Christmas, yeah, I’m there.  But daily eating?  No way.  I’m done.


Set in any other context, excuses people make for not going to church sound completely ridiculous.  But set in the context of Christianity, people say these things in all seriousness while others nod sagely in somber agreement.

My son told me a few weeks into school that he didn’t like the teacher.  He wasn’t getting excited enough about learning, and he didn’t really feel connected to the other kids in his class, so I told him he never had to go back to school again.  Who wants to waste their time going somewhere where they aren’t being fulfilled?
We’ve never forced our daughter to stay off the road when playing.  We don’t want to restrict her imagination.  We allow her the freedom to make her own choices in life.

Okay, Ruth.  Come on.  That one was just ridiculous.  No loving parent would ever say that.  That’s a safety issue- a matter of life and death.  Exactly.  And that’s just my point.
Church isn’t a place you go to get pumped up about life.  It isn’t entertainment like a movie or concert.  It is literally a life and death matter.  Eternal life.  Just as a loving parent wouldn’t allow their child to wander in the road or to quit school, a loving Christian parent also does not give the option to their children about going to church, learning Bible stories at home, and praying together.  Do your kids always jump for joy when they hear you say, “Time to get up!  Let’s get ready for church!”  No.  They won’t.  Do they get excited for school every morning?  Hardly.  But you still make them go.  Why?  Because you are the parent and you know what’s best.  Even when they complain, you serve them healthful meals and limit their junk food intake.  You set boundaries for their own safety when playing outside.  You insist they go to school because you’re looking at the long term picture.  And you are right to do those things.  How much more so are you responsible for doing all you can to secure their eternal well being?

Yes, kids can be brought up in a loving Christian home and still turn away later.  That’s on them.  But you, parents, have a task of the utmost importance.  God has placed these precious children into your homes for such a brief while.  You have them with you for perhaps 1/5 of their lives.  Set a strong foundation while they are under your roof.  Take them to church.  Make sure they understand that they are sinners and that Jesus is their Savior.  They are never too young to learn this.  My one-and-a-half year old sees a cross and excitedly shouts, “Jesus!”  Don’t use the excuse that “they wouldn’t understand this.”  Try them.  I don’t understand it all myself, but I still believe.  And you’d better believe that the Holy Spirit works in their hearts effectively.  My children sometime amaze me with the insights they pick up during devotions or Bible readings.  The strength of their faith often humbles me.  Once when I was having a terrible day, my oldest asked, “Can I pray with you?”  He was nine at the time.  He knows there is power in prayer.  He perceives that sometimes there’s nothing he can say that will make it better, so he’ll just go straight to the One who does have that power.  Do my own kids complain about church?  Yes.  Do they tell me it’s boring?  Sometimes, yes.  They say the same things about school.  But church and school are different environments for a reason.  School is centered around learning and thus has its own schedule and structure.  Church is a hospital for sinners.  That would be all of us, mind you.  You, me, the drug dealer a few streets away- all of us are sinners in need of a Savior.  So what do we do at church?  We confess our sins.  Why do we do this at the start?  To “wipe our feet” before entering God’s house, so to speak.  Then we are assured of forgiveness.  We hear God’s Word.  We sing hymns proclaiming what Christ has done for us.  We hear sermons where our pastors preach Christ.  We don’t go to church to hear what we have to do to gain heaven.  No, Christ did it all.  100%.  We can’t do one thing to merit salvation for ourselves.  That’s why we hear sermons about Jesus and not about us. We take the body and blood of Jesus in Holy Communion for the strength of our souls.  And we depart refreshed to serve God by serving our families, friends, and neighbors in Christian love.

So parents, don’t give in to outside pressures telling you not to force your kids to go to church.  Don’t give in to them, either, when they complain about it.  Because at some point an amazing thing happens- that kid who complains about church grows up and takes his or her own kids to church every Sunday.  Going back to my opening analogy, believe it or not, there came a point in my own life where I realized I actually liked sauteed zucchini (although I never would have admitted that to my mother).  Keep at it, parents.  Just as we need three meals a day for physical strength and nourishment, so do we need regular worship to refresh and strengthen our souls.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I need to go make breakfast.

Movie Review: 'Son of God' Is Most Certainly Not The Son of God - by Sunny Shell

I Found this Review that might be helpful to some deciding whether to watch this film,

written by Sunny Shell

Today, "Son of God", a new movie produced by Roma Downey and her husband Mark Burnett opened in theaters across the country. Individual Christians and well-known Christian churches, organizations and even schools are raving about seeing Jesus on the big screen.
Many Christian groups bought out multiple screens at theaters or purchased mass quantities of group tickets for this epic film...or rather, epic fail of the true and biblical story of Jesus, the Son of God.
Last year I was contacted by a media group for The History Channel. They emailed me requesting my help in promoting their upcoming 10-episode miniseries called "The Bible". After reviewing their material, Bible studies based on the series, and clips of every episode, I responded kindly telling them that due to the unbiblical nature of the series, I was unable to help promote it. After watching the entire miniseries I wrote and published my review and I haven't heard from them since.
Prior to entering the theater today, I went in with an open-Bible-mind and open-Spirit-heart. I hoped that this movie was better than the miniseries, but alas, it was not. The majority of this film was simply scenes taken from the heretical and blasphemous miniseries. Please know, I don't take these two terms lightly, and you neither should any professing Christian.
I won't go point by point on all the biblical errors in this movie because honestly, there's just not enough room in one review, nor time in one day to cover the ineptness of the writers and producers of this film. I will only cover some of the topics and scenes that are fundamental to God's holy precepts and His loving relationship with His people which include God's:

• Authority
• Righteousness
• Love

As a movie, it was gripping, emotionally engaging, well-performed and the cinematography was good. I'm not an emotional person, but even I found myself tearing up when Matthew was called away from his tax collecting table to follow Jesus. Unfortunately, the way this scene is portrayed (as many others) is not actually how God inspired it to be written in His Word.

Jesus Asks Peter To Go Fishing
When Jesus comes to the Sea of Galilee, rather than call His first four disciples (Peter, Andrew, James and John), He only calls one disciple—Peter. But rather than call Peter and Andrew from their boat while they were fishing, Jesus pleads, "Peter, just give me an hour and I'll give you a whole new life." After sassing Jesus, Peter takes him fishing where Jesus works a miracle and provides him with an abundance of fish. When Peter asks what they are going to do, Jesus says, "Change the world."
In the real Bible, Jesus doesn't beg anyone to spend time with them. After all, He is the Lord and has all authority to command who He wants and what He wants. Therefore, He commands Peter and Andrew to follow Him and they immediately leave their boat and nets and obey Jesus' command. Just as all the Apostles who were commissioned by Christ to go into all the world and make disciples, that is, learners. He didn't tell anyone that He came to "change the world" nor did He ask for their help to do so.
Christ came into the world to save sinners from the righteous wrath of God, which is the just penalty for our sins. He never said He came to change the world. He said He came to transform people by giving them new hearts and new minds through repentance and faith in Christ alone.

The 13 Disciples/Apostles
Yes, you read that right. I know in Scripture there are only 12 apostles...all men (Peter, Andrew, James and John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James, Thaddaeus, Simon and Judas Iscariot). But in the film, there are 13 apostles, and the thirteenth apostle is a woman named Mary. Not only is she always with them, but she's with them in the boat during the storm when Jesus walks on water; she's with them when they travel privately, though in the Scriptures, Jesus pulled aside and taught only The Twelve...men. Mary is also very outspoken and often reproves the male apostles to have more faith as it is very apparent her faith is stronger.
During the crucifixion scene when Jesus is being jeered at by the crowd, Mary defends Jesus and shouts "Leave him be!" Wow, brave gal, huh? Braver than the male apostles who never speak up or do anything heroic or faithful. Then when Jesus is resurrected, she's the first (and only woman) to enter the empty tomb. She also accompanies Peter and John who later come to the empty tomb to see for themselves. In Scripture, three women go to the tomb early in the morning and are greeted by angels who remind them that Jesus said He would rise on the third day. In the movie, she and the apostles remember all this on their own.

Lazarus Rises With More Than a Command
In Scripture Jesus purposefully delays from going to see Lazarus when he was ill, allowing him to die. Then He purposefully goes to see Lazarus after he's been dead four days. When Jesus arrives, He is greeted by Martha (one of Lazarus' sisters) who says, "Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died." Martha confesses that Jesus is the Christ and that she believes she will see her brother on the last day, the resurrection. Then Jesus tells her that He is the resurrection and the life. Shortly after telling her this, as He comes to the tomb He weeps. Then from outside the tomb, the Lord Jesus commanded, "Lazarus, come out." With his face wrapped in a cloth and the rest of his body wrapped in linen strips, Lazarus obeys Christ and comes out of the tomb.
In this unbiblical portrayal of the true Son of God, while the fake Jesus and his disciples are walking through a crowd, Mary (the thirteenth disciple) just happens to see Martha weeping and asks her what's wrong. When Martha says that Lazarus has died, Jesus is surprised (which he often is throughout this film) and asks to be taken to the tomb. Once Jesus arrives at the tomb, he actually goes in...with Martha! Then he touches Lazarus (who's face is not wrapped), gently cradles his head, weeps, kisses the back of Lazarus' head, quotes some Scripture and gently suggests that Lazarus rise; and he does. Martha and Lazarus embrace and the three of them emerge from the tomb as the crowd cheers. This scene was performed more like football players exiting a tunnel and onto their home field, than the truly majestic and awesome scene that is depicted in Scripture.
This scene (along with the entire movie) was bankrupt of Jesus' power and authority over life and death.

Not One Stone Left
In Scripture, when one of the disciples are marveling at the architecture of the temple, Jesus says, "Do you see these great buildings? There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down." But in the movie, no one is marveling at anything. Rather, when Jesus sees a little girl in the crowd He kneels down to her, smiles, chuckles and playfully pokes the little girl, who giggles as Jesus' quotes Scripture.
The filmmakers take this powerful and frightening prophecy and turn it into a light and impish exchange with a little girl.

Pharisees Care About God's Name and His People
In Scripture, the Pharisees and Sadducees are clearly jealous of Jesus' popularity and despise Him to the point of wanting and plotting His death. But in this unbiblical adaptation of the Pharisees relationship with God and His people, they want Jesus dead because they truly believe Jesus is a blasphemer and they are concerned for the Jewish people's welfare under the tyranny and oppression of the Romans. In the movie, the Pharisees want Jesus dead, not out of sinful hatred and jealously, but out of deep concern to spare the people of Israel any further harm from the Roman Empire.

Jesus Convinces Judas to Betray Him
In Scripture, Judas willingly betrays our Lord for a mere 30 pieces of silver. In the Bible, Judas is clearly depicted as a thief and someone who loves money more than people. None of the other disciples are aware of this impending betrayal while they're eating their last supper with the Lord. Rather than being consumed with His predestined suffering and death, Jesus once again portrays the humility of a servant (contrasting the disciples lack of humility and care for one another) as He removes His outer garment and wraps the towel of the lowliest servant around His waist, and begins to wash the filthy feet of His disciples—loving them "to the end". While Judas is lolly gagging and enjoying this meal, Jesus turns to him and tells him "What you are going to do, do quickly." And he does.
In this movie, Jesus is never shown humbling himself and serving the disciples as one of the lowliest servants in a household. But he doesn't have to since throughout the film the Lord is depicted as more of our buddy than our glorious Master and King. So here, the Lord is shown laughing and enjoying this meal with his disciples when suddenly he has a vision of being betrayed by Judas. Then pretend Jesus has a look of surprise and defeated sadness as he tells the disciples, for the first time, that he is going to be betrayed, suffer and die. Though in Scripture the Lord foretold His suffering and death three times prior.
After Jesus has this surprising and upsetting vision of Judas betraying him, he turns to Judas and convinces Judas to betray him. With tears, Judas adamantly refuses. But Jesus endearingly holds Judas' face, then gently and lovingly insists that Judas do it, and do it quickly. Reluctantly, Judas does as Jesus says. In this false adaptation, the other disciples are aware of Judas' betrayal and Peter tries to stop him, but Jesus tells Peter to let him go.

The Great Commission Has a Great Omission

"Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him they worshiped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age...And He said to them, 'Go into all the world and proclaim the Gospel to the whole creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned."

~Matthew 28:16-20, Mark 16:15-16 (ESV)

The Gospel, that is, the Good News of Jesus Christ is essentially in John 3:16-21. This passage proclaims why Christ came into the world—to save sinners from the full penalty of our sins. Which is why the Good News is the greatest news any human being can receive. For there is only one Mediator between man and God Almighty; Christ the Lord, the only Son of God.
However, in the movie, Jesus never mentions the just penalty of sin, or that we need to be made into new creations through repentance and faith in Christ; which alone equips us to go forth into all the world and make disciples—not converts to a new way, a better world or just a happier and more peaceful life.

Jesus Visits The Apostle John on The Island of Patmos
In the very beginning of the film and throughout the film, the Apostle John is narrating from the Island of Patmos as he reminisces his time with Jesus. At the close of the movie, John's narration is interrupted by Jesus who appears with a reassuring smile saying, "There will be no more death, pain and crying...I am coming soon." Then with a twinkle in his eye and calming gesture, the fake Jesus disappears.

In Revelation 21, the real Jesus says, "He [God] will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away." The Lord says this to the Apostle John after showing him the new heaven and the new earth that only Christians will see and dwell in. This delightful promise is not generic nor is it all inclusive as the filmmakers try to convey to the audience. This great and awesome promise is only for those who have repented of their sins and trusted in Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and the only Savior for all mankind.

Conclusion
If someone called to you, suggesting that you come out of your comfortable home to take you to a more comfortable and elegant home, you may think they're nice, but you wouldn't consider this to be great news or even an impossibly generous gift. Which is the essential message of this film. But if you were in a burning inferno and someone called to you with instructions on how to be saved from a horribly painful and terrifying death, you would consider this person a great savior with the greatest news you've ever heard, and you would listen to him. This is the Gospel—the true Good News of Jesus Christ.
The truth is, we're all in the burning and destructive inferno of our sins until we are washed by the pure and precious blood of Jesus. We are all covered with the ash of our sins until we are baptized into Christ and made new creations, with new hearts and new minds; no longer darkened and depraved but enlightened by the Gospel and credited with the righteousness of Christ.
There is no evidence of this glorious truth anywhere in this movie. There is no evidence of God's authority, righteousness or saving and powerful love that continually conforms us into the likeness of Christ.
This film does a great disservice to anyone who is infected by it's anemic and sclerotic message of false hope in a false christ.

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.