Enough :Discovering Joy through Simplicity and Generosity
On October 23, we begin a sermon series called
Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity.
Over a period five weeks, we will look at some of the financial challenges facing us as a nation and examine our own spending, saving, and giving habits.
In addition to exploring biblical principles of financial management, we will learn ways to assess our financial situation and develop a financial plan that will allow us to experience the true joy that comes through simplicity and generosity.
Six Key Financial Principles
In worship on Sunday November 6, we will look closely at biblical principles of money management and learn how they apply to our daily lives. We will review some common pitfalls and cultural traps and discover how to avoid them. We also will receive a reminder of the Six Key Financial Principles. (Hint: This useful tool, which is designed for all of us, can be especially helpful in training youth and young adults as they begin to develop lifelong habits in personal finance.) We hope you will take time this week to read these principles and Scriptures. They will make a great table devotional for you and your family. By practicing these biblical principles, all of us can find greater simplicity, contentment, generosity, and joy for our lives.
A word from Pastor Mark:
If you’re like me, there are days when there just aren’t enough hours in the day. Some days there’s just not enough money in the checking account, let alone setting some aside for savings. Record high gas prices. Budget battles in Congress. Credit card bills rising. Stress, Anxiety, and Fear are real. State employees haven’t received raises for years. 10% across the board budget cuts. Every day we get a little bit more information about the uncertainty of the economic times in which we live.
A recent survey found that over three in four Americans are stressed about the economy and their personal finances. Half were worried about meeting their family’s basic needs. Over half of respondents reported feeling angry and irritable, and reported lying awake at night worried about this. The report concludes that, “The declining state of the nation’s economy is taking a physical and emotional toll on people nationwide.”
We live in a society that tells us “you deserve it now,” whether or not we can afford it or really even need it. We’ve all struggled with it at one time or another. They are issues we can’t ignore. During the 2nd half of Oct and Nov in worship, we’ll explore what the Bible teaches about financial management. We’ll look at some tools and hear some stories about what others have learned by working through financial challenges. Each week we will try to provide you with practical tools you can use to assess your financial situation and develop a financial plan with a biblical foundation.
Join us in worship for a series of messages based on Enough: Discovering Joy Through Simplicity and Generosity. At the end of the series, there will be an opportunity to consider the information, and to make personal commitments of our offerings to God through our church in the coming year. We will consecrate these commitments at the end of November.
I hope you’ll join us in the coming weeks as we look at Scripture, management of our finances, and discovering simplicity, generosity, and joy.
In Service with you,
Mark E
Sermon Series:
November 6 - Wisdom and Finance
November 13 - Cultivating Contentment
November 20 - Defined by Generosity
