Why stewardship? Pt 1

It's been a week and this post is long over due. Why do I have a passion for stewardship? Why do I write about it and teach it? After all, it's not the most exciting topic around.  Well, there are a few reasons. First, I have lived on both sides of the fence and come to the conclusion that stewardship God's way is the best side to be on! Next, I have been around people that speak of being broke or not paying their bills and wear it as a badge of honor. Finally, my heart goes out to people who are struggling financially, going to foreclosure and just being victims, needlessly.                          

Do I have all the answers? Of course not, but I do know where you can find them. It starts by picking up your Bible, more specifically start reading the book of Proverbs.

As I often hear, most of us don't need more money, we need more "discipline" with using the money we already have. We need tenacity to sacrifice and work within our budgets.  Case in point. Do we have to shop in department stores or wear designer clothes and perfumes? Does everyone in the home need a fully loaded cell phone with games along with a land line?  Is cable a "must" have in life? If you have a financial deficit revisit how you spend your finances on these types of things.

If additional income is needed, perhaps a second job is the answer. If there is no job to be found, take it a step further and create one. Do you like to clean, babysit, organize? Find your niche and make your pitch! 

Do you have habits that are sucking up your finances? Smoking, drinking, gambling, cell phone addiction, cable tv addiction, electronic gadget addiction, along with so many other things that not only take it's toll on our health and time but also on our finances. Now might be the time to kick the habit that holds you back.

Living within our means can sometimes mean downsizing or making adjustments to our lifestyles. By downsizing you may find that you upgrade your quality of life. Sometimes drastic times call for drastic measures! It takes work. I wish I could hold a seminar where I could walk around and "ding" everyone on the head and render them "debt free", lines would be around the block for days.

 Too bad it does not work that way, but maybe not. Even if it were that easy, most likely we would find ourselves right back in debt with poor financial management. Why? Before we can be truly free, we must be educated and disciplined. Have you ever heard " a fool and his money is soon parted"? It's not about the money really, but rather about the person, money is simply a tool, the person is the one in control.   

This will be part 1 of "Why stewardship?" I want to keep my posts short and sweet. Until then, work what you have until you get what you need.

Remember: "True empowerment comes through stewardship!" 

We did it!

Hello to everyone, I hope all is well. I am elated to announce that this past Saturday was a success! Our church stewardship seminar was more than I could have imagined. There was plenty of interaction, excitement and participation. The food, fun and fellowship were fantastic!  I owe so much to everyone that made this possible. No one person could have done it alone. Each and everyone of you have my eternal gratitude.  Before the seminar was over one attendee put his stewardship goals into action and blessed many others! What more can a girl ask for?

God truly blessed us with great weather as we entered into the seminar. By the time the seminar was over and we were packing up to leave, down came the rain. I believe this seminar was meant to be and everything came into place and I trust that everyone was blessed.

These are a few words used to describe the seminar: informative, inspirational, powerful, refreshing, relaxed, practical, convicting and interactive! What a great way to end the day. Thanks to everyone who participated and gave of their time, talent, energy and resources, only God can repay you!

Who would have thought learning about stewardship would be so much fun? It was learning and laughter rolled up in one!

Let me know and I'll come your way with a seminar, you don't want to miss out!

Remember. "True empowerment comes through stewardship!"   

Financial literacy for kids (counting change)

Hi there folks, I hope all is well with everyone! I had a recent experience that made me re-visit financial literacy for children.     I completed my shopping from a major retail store and went to the register to pay for my goods. My total came to $36.70 and I gave the nice gentleman $40.00. Apparently, he put in $400.00 accidentally. When the amount of change due came up, I was happy but he was not!  At first he just stood there looking, trying to figure out what had just happened.        After a long pause, I told him that he had put in $400.00 instead of $40.   Now we waited to see what to do next. I could tell he was getting uncomfortable as another customer came into his line.  So I asked him if he could just make a note and give me my change as my 3 children were touching everything in sight.

It appears he was lost and could not figure out how much change to give me. So very nicely and quietly I said " you owe me $3.30" and he gave me my change and told me to have a nice day.

This really opened up my eyes to the importance of teaching children at a young age how to count change back when needed. As was the case here, no calculator was available, at best he could have used paper and pencil. 

Children don't have to be the quickest when counting out change but they should learn to be accurate and timely, just in case they are in a similar situation. This post was written, not to stand in judgement but to enlighten us to the importance of teaching our children the basic skill of counting back change. As much as I love technology, it can never take the place of using our own brains.

So as we seek to ensure that our children are financially literate, let's remember the simplicity of being able to count back change when needed. The younger they learn this basic concept, the better off they'll be as adults.

Remember: "True empowerment comes through stewardship!" 

"In God we trust..."?

I find it so ironic that of all things "In God we trust" is printed on money. For the most part people are trying their best to hold on to it and never let it go. For some there is a fear that they may never get it again. Some fear losing it altogether.   I read a caption years ago and I will always remember it..."In God we trust, all others pay cash."  Too funny!                                    This post is more of a thought provoking one with a few questions.                                       Do I really trust in God?  Do I trust God as it relates to my finances?  Do I really trust in my money?  Does my stewardship reflect my trust in God?  Could we re-place the words "In God we trust" with "In God I trust" on our money? Since I trust in God, can I let go of it?

Remember: "True empowerment comes through stewardship!"