FIRSTFRUITS FINDINGS NEWSLETTER VOL. 9 NO. 5 SEPT - OCT 2004 A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR In a book entitled, Work: The Meaning of Your Life, Lester De Koster suggests that the essence of working is making ourselves useful to others. This is why work gives meaning to life. It is through work which serves others that we also serve God. He, in exchange, weaves the work of others into a culture which makes our work easier and more rewarding. I’m not sure I ever thought of work as serving others. I thought of it as making a living, of doing things that I enjoyed, of providing employment for others. When I was in business, I thought a great deal about serving customers, but I don’t recall thinking of work as “serving others” in the spiritual sense. It has been much easier for me to think of serving others in my role as Director of Stewardship Education and Development at Barnabas Foundation. However, when we think about work and try and instill a work ethic into our children, I believe we ought to seriously consider teaching them that serving others with our time and our abilities is a God-given opportunity to use our resources. Maybe that is why we read in scripture, Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord…” because in serving others, we reflect the Creator Himself. God bless you as you encourage your children or grandchildren in work. ~ Norm Vander Wel RAISING CHEERFUL GIVERS This is the second in a series of articles on “Raising Cheerful Givers”. Helping our children understand financial principles will not only help them manage their money, but also become joyful stewards. THE VALUE OF WORK According to a 2003 study, students who worked in high school are much more likely to achieve their financial goals and be knowledgeable about money than those who did not. Working in high school and college, to the extent that it doesn’t interfere with schoolwork, seems to pay off later in life. Children can begin to understand the value of reward for work at a very young age. The fact of the matter is that the value of work is much more than just monetary. Teaching your child the value of work builds character. Children will grow up with more respect for the value of money and what is required to earn it. It also teaches diligence. Diligence is a work ethic that means you do the task set before you to the best of your ability in a timely fashion. Diligence encompasses honesty, purpose, energy, excellence and working heartily. “Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men.” (Col. 3:23) When they are too young to “work”, children need a source of money that enables them to learn how to save, spend and share. One such source is an allowance. Sometimes there is debate among parents of whether an allowance is good. Some may feel that children need to understand that as part of a family, they do chores simply for the benefit of the family community. While contributing help to the family unit is very important and right, parents may miss the opportunity of a valuable teaching tool if there is no allowance. Have you ever been in the store when your child eyes the toy that represents the latest hot “toy craze” or technological gadget that he really needs and he needs it now? Do you hold your ground and simply respond, “No” as you prepare to once again do battle with the crankiness that follows? Or, do you smile and ask your child, “How soon will you have enough money to buy it?” Whether the money is given or earned, the money is theirs. If they choose to blow the money on the ugliest (in your eyes) and most expensive shoes in the store, let them do it. When they are short on cash, they will realize the benefit of a wiser decision. Keep telling yourself that the reason your children are receiving money is because you want them to learn to manage it. In our next issue, we will further discuss the idea of allowances.? Stewardship in our Christian Community When we say we are Christian stewards, we recognize the fact that everything we have comes from God. We gratefully use our time, talents and treasures in a conscious response to God’s goodness. Our stewardship is an act of thanksgiving for everything we have and are. It is a personal response. It is also a response to live in a faith community committed to the Lord and committed to serve each other’s needs. We respond to our faith community, the church, which provides opportunities to heighten the effects of our personal stewardship. Our church becomes important because people are important. In our community, we are engaged in a wide variety of activities. We are involved with and for each other using our gifts as a reflection of our love and thanksgiving. This involves our valuable time. We all live busy lives, but always seem find time to do what we want to do. Time is certainly precious. However, a thankful return of a portion of our time to God in serving others is not only pleasing to Him, but a blessing to both the giver and the receiver. ? DID YOU KNOW? “Sociologists have conducted studies with children that show that kids who can wait a few minutes for two cookies rather than eat one now are far more likely to achieve financial stability in life.” Gary Moore Faithful Finances 101 TIPS TO TRY CLEVER COST-CUTTING IDEAS TO USE AT HOME Instead of buying “baby gates” to keep baby safe in the house, go to the pet store and buy “pet gates”. They are the same product, for a lot less money. Use cottage cheese in place of ricotta in your favorite lasagna recipe to reduce the overall calories and saturated fat. Regular cottage cheese works better than low fat cheese here. Think of the public library as your source for videos, Internet access, fine art, cookbooks and free passes to community events including museums and art galleries. RECOMMENDED RESOURCE “ABCs of Handling Money” Crown Ministries This 12-chapter book is geared for children ages 5-7. It is full of activities to help make learning basic financial principles fun and exciting. It is designed to be very “hands on”. There is a full-color student’s book and a leader’s guide. The leader’s guide offers the teacher a wide variety of optional activities that reinforce the financial concepts in ways that appeal to young children. This resource is an ideal tool for parents, homeschoolers and Sunday school teachers. Order from Crown Ministries at 800-722-1976 or on their website at www.crown.org