In January, we did a series of messages called “In the Zone.” Being “In the Zone” is where you live in the sweet spot of God’s success in the area of finances. I challenged the church to take the Three Month Tithe Challenge. I told the congregation that if anyone would be willing to try tithing for three months and if after the three months of tithing they did not see God’s hand of blessing on their life, then the church would refund their tithe completely. And 19 families responded and signed up. I wanted to share with three stories from S.C.C. members who have taken the challenge to trust God in the area of their finances:
“We have gone to church for a long time and we have always given an offering but we never tithed. Over the last year God has been speaking to us in this area of our lives. On Sunday January 22, Pastor Scott was speaking about tithing and we decided (even before he issued the 3 month challenge) that we were going to listen to God, give God control of our finances and begin the practice of tithing. During that service I wrote a 2nd check for the amount that made 10% of our pay that week and added it to the envelope. My husband had no idea I had written this extra check. We got home from church that day and he handed me in cash the exact amount of money that I had written that 2nd check for! I laughed and told him about the check and that it was for the same amount that the cash was. I knew God would bless us, but I sure didn’t expect it to happen that fast!”
Here is another one I received:
“In January we realized that our family had approximately $1,000 in unexpected bills that we had not prepared for. Although there was no way that our income would cover these expenses we continued to tithe our 10% in faith that somehow we would figure it out later. Not truly having any plans. Sort of just using the ignore method. In January we made a decision to change our home owners insurance policy in attempt to save a little money. After making this change we received a check for roughly $950 due to overpayment from our original insurance policy that we had canceled. God is capable and faithful and all I can say is look out, He will do measurable more than what we could ever imagine.”
And there is more:
“2009 was a very hard year for us. Our family endured a lot of illness (nothing serious) that resulted in a lot of medical bills, co-pays and deductibles. It seemed as if every time we turned around, something in our house was going out and we were having to replace water heaters and water softeners and garage doors and openers. Then there was my car. Fuel pump, odometer, breaks down. WHAT MORE???? We also suffered with marital struggles. Instead of continuing to trust God, we gave less and less. And felt more and more guilt. Pastor Scott’s messages on tithing helped spur the reminder that God is faithful and God is good. He will provide all we need and more when we trust in Him. We starting giving again and already God has blessed us with a healthier marriage, a more profitable business and a better outlook on life. And that’s just since last month. Imagine what God can do for us as we continue to trust Him.”
Not done yet…read this:
“This last series, In The Zone has been great for us. We have committed to be the faithful givers that we know He wants us to be, so we began 2010 with our tithe, and just today, as I was driving down 135 my van began to overheat! This became very depressing to me, as we had just had the transmission rebuilt not that long ago, but I remembered Pastor Scott’s sermon from Sunday and began to thank God that we have a vehicle. I called my husband who just happened to be on the South side of town to let him know what was happening and he came and got the van to have it checked. We ended up needing a new radiator and water pump, which was estimated to cost $796.00. I began to chuckle because you see, our taxes were filed Wednesday night, February 3, an all time record, and our return was $800!!! It’s just like our God to bless us in ways we would never expect! I often wonder why we always think God will bless us financially, because my blessings have always come in the way of relationship building, but today I was shown that God always meets us where we need him the most. Thank you so much for this series! We love this church, we love the staff and we are excited for the vision of this church!”
I know what you are thinking. You are thinking, “Scott, where have you been? You have not been doing much blogging lately. What is going on?” Tell me about it. Things have been a little busy. I feel like I have been running the “hurry-up” offense lately. There is a lot going on.
First of all, the walls in the Family Ministry Wing are down. There will be new carpet, new paint, new seating, new technology. In other words, we will have a whole new look for our Excite ministry. This renovation will give our children’s ministry a little bit more room for elementary worship. A huge thanks goes to everyone who has volunteered their time, treasure and talent to make it possible. I want to especially thank Jason and Jennifer Jacks for being the Project Team Leaders. It should be completed by Sunday, February 21.
Speaking of February 21, I want to remind you our new times for worship, 9:30am and 11:00am, begin on February 21. That is also the day our middle school ministry, The Flow, will move to 9:30am. I know this is an inconvenience for some of you. I know these new service times are not your preferred times for worship on Sunday. Making this change will help us overcome the challenges of a growing church. I really do appreciate your willingness to sacrifice for the vision of being able to help more people take their next step toward Christ. I really, really do. And I am proud of how you taking the changes in stride and with joy!
If you typically come to the 10:45am worship experience, I would ask that you make the 9:30am worship experience your new service. We simply need more space at the later service. Your great commitment to the Great Commission will grow a great church, and this is an easy step that will make a huge difference!
Another challenge of a growing church is parking. Pastor Jim is looking for able bodied men and women to serve on his parking team on a rotating basis. If you are willing to help out, please contact him at jim@stonescrossing.com. We need this team in place by February 21.
As many of you know, we are going to be moving our administrative offices back into the church building. Our target date for this move is the week of April 5-9. We are excited about the fact we will be able to save a lot of money on rent.
Married Life Live is almost here! I am going to blog more about this later, but for now, I need volunteers to help us with set up on Wednesday, February 17 at 7:00pm at the church. Let me know if you can help by emailing me: scott@stonescrossing.com.
Okay…that is it for now. There are so many great things happening at SCC. Thanks for all you are doing to make it possible!
I love this time of year. It is our family tradition to spend the holidays, Christmas and New Year’s, in Florida. It has a huge impact on me. I like how Mark Batterson says it in the following formula: “Change of pace + change of place = change of perspective.” That is exactly what happens. My perspective is completely different. My normal routine is gone; I don’t have job deadlines. I see more clearly. It is a great time for reflecting on the past year and setting goals for the year to come. In my previous post on goal setting, I shared with you Mark Batterson’s steps 1-5 to setting goals. I would like to give you steps 6-10.
6) Write Down Your Goals: if you want to remember it, then write it down. I just downloaded a new computer program call Evernote. It syncs with my cell phone and my laptop. I use this note taking software to keep track of everything in my life. I have my 2010 goals listed in the very place where I will see them everyday.
7)Include Others: It is very important to share your goals with your closest friends and family members. Our family has a tradition of sharing our goals during dinner on New Year’s Eve. I also know that at some point, Luann and I will sit down and go over our goals together. This provides accountability and encouragement.
Celebrate Along the Way: during our New Year’s Eve dinner, I know we will all have the opportunity to share how we did on our previous year’s goals. Some goals I will have not attained(like my goal to memorize Ephesians); there are other goals I did accomplish(like running my first two triathlons). We need to celebrate our successes!
9)Think Big: Michelangelo said: “The greater danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it; but that it is too low and we reach it.” Goals will always vary in size and scope. Setting a big goal will make you depend on God like never before. Even if you don’t achieve the goal, setting a big goal has changed you. You are depending on God more and that is what being a Christ follower is all about. And besides, with God’s help, you just might hit your goal!
10)Keep Dreaming: if you stop dreaming, you will stop growing. And if you stop growing, you start dying. As long as you have air to breathe, God has a purpose for you being here. Goal setting is really about living life to the fullest.
One last point. You might say, “I am not a goal oriented person.” You might want to become one. I really believe goal setting is all about being a good steward of what you have…your time, your treasure, and your talent. As I get ready to turn 40 this year, it is becoming ever so clearer to me that I don’t have as much time left. I better max out what I do have. Goals help us to do just that.
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Celebrate Along the Way: during our New Year’s Eve dinner, I know we will all have the opportunity to share how we did on our previous year’s goals. Some goals I will have not attained(like my goal to memorize Ephesians); there are other goals I did accomplish(like running my first two triathlons). We need to celebrate our successes!