Michele Minehart

words

Category: Uncategorized (Page 25 of 188)

On Giving: Pastors give too

December 11, 2013 /
Today’s guest post on giving comes from a dear friend, Trevor, who serves as a pastor with a community of people rethinking church. I’ve partnered with Trevor for years, sharing the task of coming up with jr. high camp activities or digging into historical contexts of scriptures.  I value his insight as much as his sense of humor: though he takes God very seriously, he’s careful not to take himself too seriously, which is the most welcoming and engaging position for leaders. You can follow him on the Twitter – @JCCFindlay – or listen to the podcast (which I highly recommend – the Christmas series is using the best holiday movies as the guide! I can’t wait to hear him teach on Elf!) 

***

I’m a pastor. My dad was a pastor. So it’s safe to say that I have been in church for nearly every Sunday of my life. Except for college, because you know, that’s what you do. I grew up being taught that you give 10% of your income to God. That’s what you do. And now that I’m a pastor, that’s what I teach as well. You give 10% of your income to God. That’s what you do.
That’s what I do, too.  Not because God needs my money. God doesn’t need money.  And God doesn’t want me to give because the church needs money.  While it’s true that the church does need money to operate, that’s not why God expects me to give.
Here’s why I give.
It’s a spiritual issue.  Somehow we get the idea that it’s not a spiritual topic.  It very much IS a spiritual topic and one which we need to be informed about rather than ignore.  We don’t have an issue with talking about investing, 401K pensions, debt, etc. outside the church, but as soon as we talk about it inside the church then alarms go off.  But it’s a spiritual topic and we need to address it. Jesus talked about money more than any other topic, so it’s safe to say that there are spiritual implications involved in what we give or don’t give. It’s a spiritual issue and I’ll never ask the people in my church to do something that I don’t already do.
God has me give because it’s me who needs to give it… because it makes me more like Christ.  Every Sunday in worship I end my prayer with the phrase, “Help us to be shaped more and more in the image of your Son, Jesus, in who’s name we pray, AMEN.”  That’s not just in our character or thoughts, but it’s also in our actions, and yes our giving.  I can’t claim to be a spiritually mature Christian if I’m not giving.  By definition a Christian is Christlike and Christ is a giver.  John 3:16 tells us that God is a giver.  For God SO LOVED the world that He GAVE…   We love because He first loved us.  We give because He first gave for us.  It makes me more like Christ.
I also give because it’s a reminder of ownership.  The word steward, where we get the word stewardship, means manager; not owner.  I am actually an asset manager for God.  I get in trouble when I get in the wrong position.  When I start viewing it as “my money” then I get into trouble.  I get into trouble when I switch seats with God.
Suppose your banker takes your money from your savings account to spend for their personal use.  How is that going to go over?  It’s not theirs to use in such a way and that’s how bankers end up in prison, right?  God gives us money, and sometimes we act like the banker and squander the owner’s money.  God owns all that we have and entrusts us to use it wisely for Him.  Giving reminds me that God is the owner and I am the manager.
God wants me to give because it provides me with a way to be involved in God’s work.  Christ chose to build His Church through people, and chose to fulfill His mission through the Church, and as a follower of Jesus my giving ought to reflect the character of Christ and help to fulfill His mission.
Kingdom Investor is my role. I give to God and to mission and vision and to the ministry that God wants to do through my local church.  I give because God has chosen to work through our church body to effect change in our community.  Our church is a platform and launch site from which we can better love our neighbors and impact lives.  To the extent to which I don’t give, I hinder what God is asking us to do for the people that God loves.
That’s why I give.

On Giving: What you should know, from one who is asking you to give

December 3, 2013 /
As I mentioned, I’ve asked several individuals to share their thoughts on holiday giving from a variety of perspectives. Today’s dose comes from a wise woman, one whom I always enjoy valuable conversation. She walks her talk, both at the organizational and individual level. As she said, she gives to charity. But there was a time when we were talking parenting books and the next week an Amazon shipment arrived, simply because she thought I would enjoy it. That’s the kind of generous nature I aspire to have. If you like what Erin has to say, consider a gift to her current job, the Red Cross. 
***

I’ve had the privilege of working for 3 very different non-profits at all levels of giving over the course of my 13 year career in philanthropy. I have given to each while I worked there and sometimes I continue to give what I can after I’m gone. I’m moved by the mission or I wouldn’t work here but I also think that when I am asking others to support my cause that it is important for me to put my money where my mouth is.
The holidays tend to put a special spot light on philanthropy. Some of us spend more time thinking of others or thinking about how grateful we are for what we have and want to share our wealth. Others see the tax man coming and make some gifts to offset some of that pesky taxable income. Some people write a check every time they get one of those lovely direct mail pieces with free return address labels (and those people are the reason you get solicited so often..we’re playing the odds around here), and some people give when they see a crisis in the news that is so horrible they have to do something (anything) to help. Others know they were given a hand up and now they want to pay forward.
What I’ve come to learn is that no matter what you choose to support, what your motivation might be, and no matter how much you are able to give, it all makes a difference. A large gift to Ohio State can endow a scholarship and create access to education in perpetuity but $10 to Red Cross can buy a blanket to keep someone warm when they have just lost everything. Both of those things are important and they both require the same thing:  The desire to make someone else’s life a little better and a little easier.
Today is Giving Tuesday. For lack of a better explanation this is the non-profit world’s answer to Black Friday. It is a day when we highlight the good that non-profits do in our communities in the hopes that it will encourage you to consider giving a little something to make someone else’s life a little easier.
If you’ve never made a gift before, think about some way that someone has helped you in the past and do a quick google search to see who is doing that for others on a bigger scale. Look around your community and see what moves you. Community gardens, feeding the hungry, early childhood education…. If there’s a need, there’s a non-profit for it!
I’ve always felt confident in my giving because I’ve worked for outstanding organizations that are doing good work every day and I get to see it first-hand but if you want to spend a little time doing your own research there are resources to help you determine if the charity you choose will be a good steward of your money. One well known resource is www.guidestar.com and another is Charity Navigator. Or ask your friends and neighbors for recommendations.  
Non-profits exist to bring people together to find solutions for complex problems. Our power to change is much better when harnessed with that of like-minded people and I think our world is better for non-profits and the work they facilitate. Take a minute today to check out the difference non-profits are making in your community. You never know where your giving spirit might lead!


A sticky, drippy mess

December 1, 2013 /

Though I’ve been a part of many communion services, I’ve never served as a communion steward during a normal worship experience. No real reason – it just wasn’t something I sought out. I tend to jive with symbolism better on paper, but the experience and ritual of it gets lost on me. Honestly, it’s always been just as powerful to me to reflect on communion and what it means as to actually eat and drink the elements. 

This morning I was asked if I would be willing to sub as a communion servant. I was not prepared for how meaningful it would be to serve the cup to others. 
Some people came and waited to be served. Others dove right in so as not to slow the line. One boy, clearly his first experience, decided to drop a crumb of bread into the cup instead of the intinction practice. I nearly cried when I offered it to JJ and my friend Jen, stuttering out the phrase “The blood of Christ, shed for you.” (Sidenote: I can’t believe I’ve been married to a man nearly 8 years and not had the occasion to serve him communion. We’ve shared communion together frequently, but I’ve never served it.)
I noticed how many drips our method of communion tended to scatter upon my hands. No one wants to get any Jesus on the carpet, so after the dip, a person either flung it into their mouth quickly or tried to get it over a cupped hand. 
In the end, my hands were wet and sticky with a reddish-purple tint. Clearly, we cannot serve our family, friends and even strangers without being willing to get our hands dirty. If we’re going to bring them Christ, we’re going to get a little Jesus on ourselves as well. We can’t offer life poured out and expect a nice, neat, tidy process. Rather, it’s going to seep into the cracks and maybe even sting a little. 

Make [the bread and wine] be for us the body and blood of Christ,that we may be for the world the body of Christ.

« Older posts Newer posts »

Read more, in your inbox

Contact

Email

© 2026 Michele Minehart

Theme by Anders Noren — Up ↑