Tithing----Mandate or Out-dated!!!

I've been studing for a sermon on money for the students and found this website with "Questions about tithing." I thought it has a great explaniation.

-If anything it will make you think......

http://www.generousgiving.org/page.asp?sec=43&page=589

Would it be easier to be a Christian if I wasn't a pastor???

Being a Christian can be very tough at times. There is no doubt that from our "pastor's chair" we see people struggling with living out their faith everyday.

Lately, I have been struggling with not allowing my faith to become my JOB. I find myself asking on Sunday, "Do you love God enough to spend time with Him?" Then I find myself on Monday saying, "I better go pray so I can be effective at my JOB....."

Being a pastor, a so called spiritual leader, and being a Christian can be a difficult task to juggle at times. Maybe it's just me ;) So this question has popped into my head... "Would it be easier to be a Christian if I wasn't a pastor?"

If I wasn't supposed to go pray... and I did. If I wasn't pressured to go spend time with God...and i did. Would that show a more pure love? How do you keep your job as a pastor from ruining your faith.........

Maybe you other pastors don't struggle with this, but the question is still a good one...

Would it be easier to be a Christian if I wasn't a pastor????

I don't know.....you tell me :)

Church Metrics

I don't think I've talked about Church Metrics with any of you yet, but I wanted to pass it along. Church Metrics is a free church management app that allows a church to track statistics within its congregation. It was created by Lifechurch.tv as a resource for churches to use in tracking attendance, salvations, baptisms, and financial giving. It hasn't gone "live" yet, but I'm on the waiting list to be notified when it does.

I think most churches probably already have some sort of system developed to track these kinds of things. However, after sharing it with my staff here at Covenant, we're curious if this could work more efficiently than the system we currently use. Even if we don't utilize this tool, I'm looking into using it within our youth ministry.

Whether or not this becomes an app that you and your staff use, I think it's wonderful that churches are continuing the trend of sharing their resources...and for free! LifeChurch is really a pioneer in this area and if you haven't checked our their resource site, here it is...OPEN.


Introducing ChurchMetrics from ChurchMetrics on Vimeo.

Politics

(Update: I posted this on my personal blog today. However I'm not sure if anyone reads that so I thought I'd copy it here also)

This year is different. For the first time in my life I really feel excited and passionate about an election. I made it a priority to watch the first presidential debate, as well as the vice-presidential debate last night. This is something I've not done before. Four years ago I would have changed the channel when I turned on NBC expecting The Office, only to find "boring news."

Perhaps this is the case because this year I am different, as are those around me. Four years ago my little brother wasn't driving trucks for the National Guard in Iraq. Four years ago I was certain homosexuality and abortion were the two most decisive issues in my political decision making process. Four years ago I was a student, and really couldn't care less about our nation's economy as I lived in my college bubble taking loans to fund my education. Four years ago I wasn't a youth pastor working in the lives of students wanting to know how Christians should act regarding the war, gay marriage, immigration, etc.

Yeah, this year I am different.

I think the thing that is most different however, is my idea of who God is and what his will for his creation looks like.

These past four years I’ve become more convinced that God is less concerned about rising oil prices and more concerned about young Iraqi and American, men and women, killing each other.

These past four years I’ve become more convinced that God is less concerned about a person’s sexual orientation, and more about making sure the rest of us love that person unconditionally and without limit, as Christ loves the Church.

These past four years I’ve become more convinced that America hasn’t the faintest clue what humility is. I wonder what it would be like to not be the first to speak (praise or condemnation), but to wait and listen to the ideas of those around us instead of assuming our answer is the only correct one.

These past four years I’ve become more convinced that forgiveness is a lost art. It’s suitable for children learning to play well with others and for “churchy people” but too old fashioned or illogical to ever factor into national security or foreign relations.

So what to do? I have no answers. I guess I’m not really sure if any of the candidates do either. I seem to find what I think are biblical ideals in each candidate. The thing is, I also find things I feel are unbiblical.

So where do I go from there? I pray. And I vote. I pray that God would be glorified regardless of who sits on the earthly throne at the White House. And I pray that God would draw the heart our our president closer and closer to Himself. And then I vote. I vote for the person whom I believe reflects the most Christlike world view, even if that candidate isn’t aware that is what he’s doing.

Yeah, this year is different. But so is the world. And its my hope that this next year will be even more different, if only because of a uniquely God shaped imprint upon it.

I Need Encouragement

http://misleadingtruth.blogspot.com/

Thanks for your prayers and encouragement; love you guys.

T