FirstFruits Findings Vol. 9 No.2 Mar-Apr 2004 A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR I volunteer once each week to tutor the son of a single mother in our church community. Tutoring uses my time and talents in a way that I am convinced pleases God and brings Him glory. That is my motivation today, but I am not sure it has always been that way. When I reflect on the surveys we do for Good Steward Ministry churches, we ask a question about motivation in giving. The question asks to what extent the respondents are motivated by "...what brings God glory." Generally, the responses are, "I wish I would think about it, but only do so occasionally." This response suggests that most of us are only occasionally motivated by "...what brings God glory." That falls short of a life of gratitude for our salvation. Periodically, it may be well for each of us to do an inventory of our daily activities and determine how many hours of each day are spent in those things that bring glory to God. After all, for those of us who claim Christ as our Savior, there is no higher calling - no better use of our time. That is stewardship in action! ~ Norm Vander Wel 7 HABITS OF HIGHLY EFFECTIVE STEWARDS This is the sixth in a series of seven in which we will reflect on the habits of a highly effective steward: Habit 1 - Be Thankful with an attitude of gratitude. Habit 2 - Trust God to provide for our needs. Habit 3 - Be Content in God's provision. Habit 4 - Be a Faithful Example to our children. Habit 5 - Live Within Your Means Habit 6: Give Time and Talent What can we do with the life that God has given us? Since everything we have really belongs to God, we are simply using for God what God has entrusted to us. This includes our intellect, beauty, skills, energy, time and imagination. Each one of us is uniquely gifted. God has a purpose and plan for each of us that no one else can fulfill. We possess our own unique temperaments, passions, skills and experiences to be used for God's purpose. "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." I Peter 4:10 (NIV) As Christian stewards-managers of the gifts God has given us-we are called to reflect God's love in our community. We are called to love as Jesus loved, to serve as Jesus served. This means we have a responsibility to reflect God's love in our homes and offices, city streets and neighborhoods - in everything we say and do. In a world weakened by a lack of love, we are called to offer loving service to others. One of the greatest gifts we can give is the gift of self. Any day is a good day to offer the gift of self to build up the Kingdom of God in our families, communities and church. What will be the fruit of a truly Christian stewardship of time and talent? First, we will multiply ourselves in His service. Second, we will advance the work of the kingdom. Third, we will bring glory to God, and this is the reason we are here. ? WHAT CAN ONE PERSON DO? There was an elderly gentleman in a church who often went unnoticed. He couldn't sing, so he wasn't in the choir. His voice was rather shaky, so he never led a prayer group. What he did possess in abundance was love. The Vacation Bible School at his church had 150 children. There he was blowing up balloons, serving ice cream, and helping clean up. He always approached newcomers with a warm handshake and a friendly, "It's really good to see you here. Hope you come back!" If someone was hurting, he'd be the first one by their side at church to pray and give support. If someone was experiencing hardship, he'd be right there to offer help with the grocery bill that week, even though his income was very limited. If a young couple needed a break from all their responsibilities, he'd be the first one to volunteer to watch the little ones so mom and dad could escape for a night out. He did all this without ever being asked. His loving acts of stewardship largely went unheralded, but never unappreciated. Whether it's time or money or abilities, all God asks is a willing heart.? Used by permission Parish Publishing, www.parishpublishing.org DID YOU KNOW.... * Forty-four percent of adults volunteer and two-thirds of these volunteers began volunteering their time when they were young. * Adults who began volunteering as youth are twice as likely to volunteer as those who did not volunteer when they were younger. * High school volunteering recently reached the highest levels in the past 50 years. * In every income and age group, those who volunteered as youth give and volunteer more than those who did not. * Those who volunteered as youth and whose parents volunteered became the most generous adults in giving of their time. (As reported from "Independent Sector" and Youth Service America 2001.) THE ASSET OF TIME There are 168 hours in a week. If we sleep 8 hours a night, that's 56 hours from our week. Work, including commuting and the time it takes to get ready, consumes another 50 hours or more. Another 14 is consumed by eating three meals a day. If we subtract the time we have left after these duties, we have 48 hours per week of discretionary time. Time can slip through our fingers with nothing to show. Time is one of the most important gifts given us by God. It's our job to manage it well, because we are accountable to God for the time He gives us. ? TIPS TO TRY Cost Cutting Ideas to Use at Home Finding the best comparison of travel costs on the internet can get confusing. One of the best sites we've found is sidestep.com. It weeds through dozens of websites (about 150 of them including Orbitz, Hotels.com, Expedia, all of the airlines plus mainstays) and gets back to you in minutes with the best prices for airline tickets, rental cars, hotels, etc. This site is a little different in that you download the free software to your computer. Registering a change of address no longer takes a trip to the post office. Go to www.usps.com/moversguide and you can do it in one quick effective step. It also automatically changes your address for magazine subscriptions. Drop off used cell phones, PDAs, pagers and other handheld devices at your local Staples, which will donate them to charity or recycle. RECOMMENDED RESOURCE "MY GIVING BANK" Larry Burkett/Crown Ministries My Giving Bank is designed to teach your child the value of money and how to handle it in a way that is pleasing to God. This 3-compartment bank with sections for tithing, saving and spending also comes with Bible-based information for parents. It is a great teaching tool for preschool and grade school children. ($18.00 +s/h) Order from Crown Ministries at www.crown.org (click on Store, Children's Finance, and scroll down to Games & Banks)