This Sunday we started a new teaching series entitled Generous. Our desire is to encourage and challenge people to learn to give when the world continually says “get.” In 2 Corinthians 8 we saw that Paul asking the church in Corinth to give generously to the Christians in Jerusalem that were experiencing hardship. The money would be distributed through the local church to members that were in need. The Apostle challenged the church to grow in this grace of giving, and for it to be out of an overflow of joy. For many people today, giving, especially to the church, can bring up a host of uneasy feelings. Many churches do a poor job of teaching Biblical stewardship and generosity. Some churches make giving feel like a guilt driven obligation rather than a joyful act of worship. And, unfortunately, many churches have mishandled money and broken the trust of their members and even those outside the church. At City Awakening we are very aware of the cynicism that follows giving to the church and we try to be sensitive to those issues while still teaching Biblical truth on the subject. After all, Jesus talked a lot about money. We never want to make anyone feel obligated or guilted into giving. We never want to emphasize the size of a gift over the sacrifice of the giver. And we never want to break the trust of those that give or might give to our church. But we do want to teach generous living. 

That raises the question that many people have when it comes to giving to any church or organization, “Where does the money I give to the church go?” Honestly, this can be a tough question for churches because everyone is going to have their opinions on how the money “should” be used. Some people will be passionate about children’s ministry while others advocate for a robust homeless ministry or global missions’ budget. The issue of pastor and staff salaries is always touchy as well. Some believe pastors should get paid a minimal salary and not take money away from other ministries, and some see pastors as being mostly underpaid especially considering the 1 Timothy 5:17 statement that elders are “worthy of double honor.” 

With this in mind, the goal of this post is to give an overview of how we utilize the financial gifts we receive and the process behind those decisions. Our leaders want to maintain integrity and honesty in all that we do, and we want you to know that we are striving to be the best stewards of all the resources God blesses us with. 

This past Sunday Pastor Louis addressed some difficult issues regarding race and the current culture in America. The goal of this current teaching series, Graceful Resistance, is to provide a Biblical examination of current issues we are facing in society. As Christians, the Gospel should inform every issue in our lives and the Bible should always be the starting place for truth and discernment. It is the inerrant Word of God, and it is the final authority in the life of a disciple of Jesus. That doesn’t mean we can’t read and listen to other sources for information. To better understand cultural issues, especially one like race, we must listen to a variety of opinions and information, even those we don’t agree with. Unfortunately, one of the negative effects of social media and today’s news culture is that it has made it too easy to immediately dismiss the information we don’t like and selectively choose the information we do like. We are losing the art of conversation, especially conversation with people we disagree with. Christians must set a better example. We need to work to revive healthy conversation. We should be better positioned to do this than anyone because we know the power of grace, our peace is not found in worldly issues, and we can forgive offenses because we have been forgiven all our offenses. This is only one way we can “love our enemies,” and show the world that God’s love crosses all barriers. This does not mean we have to agree with everything we hear or that we are constantly questioning the truth. That’s why we start with the truth of Scripture and then work to apply it to what we hear. It also doesn’t mean we force our opinion on someone else. We can share our thoughts if others are willing to listen. But sometimes, we may just need to listen. 

With that being said, we wanted to provide you with some resources to help the conversation continue in your own life. There is no shortage of information on the internet. Some is good, much of it is not. The following list is not whole-heartedly endorsed by City Awakening, but overall, these are reliable sources. These resources have been helpful to our leadership team, and some come recommended from leaders we trust. At the end of the day, the best place to turn is to actual people. Build a relationship with a neighbor that’s different than you. Engage in conversation with a co-worker of a different race or ethnic background. Invite these people into your home and start to tear down the dividing lines between “us” and “them.” 

A few weeks ago Pastor Louis preached on Wisdom for our Work. We often lose sight of the meaning and purpose of our work, especially when it right after our summer vacation! The Bible tells us that even the most menial tasks are important and can be used to bring Glory to God. Check out this post by Kristen Wood for some encouragement in your work today.

Fathers. When I think of fathers, I think of doers. They do... things. Even if sometimes the things they are doing is resting until they have to do something else! Whether it’s doing things around the house, doing things at work, doing things with the family, we always have something to do. 

Being a father is a wonderful thing. When I had my first child, I was excited and very proud! I had this small, innocent, helpless spark of possibility and potential placed into my care. I know a lot of fathers experience fear but I did not. I have an amazing wife and family that, I knew, had my back and would be there to help me. I grew up in a good family with a great dad. I had other men mentor me and show me what it means to care for my children. And, of course, I also had my faith in a Heavenly Father. What an example He has been in my life! Talk about a doer! Provider, Protector, and Teacher. These are just a few attributes of God that stick out to me when I think of God as my Father. It amazes me how these attributes overflow into my role as a father.