TLC Newsletter

Finances Matter

Here is a simple question to assess your understanding of biblical finance. What percent of your paycheck/ income belongs to you?

If you said:

100% total
- 10% tithe
90% mine

then you aren't even close.

If your answer looks more like:

100% total
- 10% tithe
- 10% offering
80% mine

then you are closer to correct.

If you answered:

100% total
- 10% tithe
- 10% offering
- 50% Uncle Sam
30% mine

then you are Nathan, and already know why this is incorrect.

The correct answer, the ONLY correct answer, is of course that regardless of whether or not you pay tithe, regardless of how much you may or may not give in offerings, and especially regardless of how large a chunk goes to the government, the amount that belongs to you, that you can claim as your own, is zero.

As a child, dependant on your parents, could you claim ownership over anything you possessed? At most, you may have 'owned' items that were given as gifts, but even those were things bestowed upon you, and not something you could 'earn'. As humans, it is beyond our ability to create anything. Sometimes we construct, but we are always working with material provided by God, whether it's trees, atoms, or even ideas. (Try & think of something original, for instance, an alien that looks like a jellyfish, with lobster claws, and eyes on stalks like… flies. Now realize why your idea isn't original. It is either based on your experience, or someone else's experience that has been shared with you.) Even our ability to labour is from God.

So, if it is God's money, and not our money, where does that leave us? It leaves us as stewards, whether we like it or not, and whether we acknowledge it or not. If you are unsure what God expects of His stewards, I would suggest that it is in your best interest that you find out. The following verses provide a start.

Deut 10:14
Job 33:6
Eph 2:9-11
Eccl 2:23-25
Eccl 3:12-14

Swap Talents, Skills, Gifts

In this space we would like to encourage you to list items you have that you would like to not have, items you need, services you could provide, services you need – how you could serve other family members.

Melodie Selby has garden space for someone to plant and maintain a garden in exchange for a share of the produce. She is also looking for someone to make a small repair of plaster over sheetrock.
Kim Gorton and Larry Lee are a source for Scrip Cards from various retailers and restaurants. If you shop these businesses anyway, use Scrip and help support our local church school.
Kim Gorton has a wooden child-sized rocking chair that needs a new child. Free.
Nathan Koster is looking for a reliable but cheap means to haul building materials. Probably an old beater truck, preferably under $1000.
Linda Hamerly has a nine drawer dresser stored in her garage looking for a home. Free.
The church library could use a couple of wall mounted tape racks to hold cassette Bible study tapes. Quite a few were donated and it would be nice to set them out for easy viewing.