”Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”  ~ 2 Corinthians 9:7

In my clergy group, we talked about spiritual disciplines. A spiritual discipline is a practice that helps us grow in our faith, like prayer, Bible study, worship, journaling, and evangelism.

We decided that most of us who were there, think of spiritual discipline as chore, instead of something that grows our faith. Our facilitator suggested a shift in our thinking. Instead of “discipline,” we were invited to think about it as  a “pattern.” A pattern is a form or model that is imitated.

XOXOXOXO is a pattern. How you drive to school, or work, or church could be a pattern.

I thought about it in terms of my recovery. I am a person who has a “pattern” when I get up and get ready for the day, as well as a “pattern” for getting ready for bed. After surgery, for several weeks, I couldn’t follow those patterns. Now that I am doing them again, I have found that they bring me comfort—a sense of being “normal” again.

Stewardship is another form of spiritual pattern. When we give back to God of our first fruits, instead of what is left over, and we do it in a pattern, or on a regular basis, we can create a sense of trust that God will lead us to those places which will take care of our needs, while helping others.

Giving to God first—before our bills are paid, before we put into our savings or 401K or pensions, or whatever we do—can be scary, especially when we don’t have much to begin with.

But this is the funny thing—by creating a pattern of giving, we create a way for God to bless us with more, so that we can share more, so we can be blessed with more, so we can share more, and so one. Do you see the pattern?

During the month of November, our theme is Stewardship. I know it is hard to talk about money in church, but to be good stewards of all God has given us, includes being good stewards of our money.

We currently have a deficit of more that $17,000 in our budget, and will likely end the year with a deficit between $25,000 and $30,000. Last Sunday, we unanimously approved a budget with a 3% increase, which means we will most likely face the same reality next year.

Yes, because of the merger, we have the funds to cover this deficit. But the money will run out if we do that too many years in a row. There are other ways to deal with this without dipping into that money. (Stay tuned in November for some of these ideas!)

In the end, God calls us to give with a joyful heart. When we decide to make giving a pattern in our lives, we can  begin to find hope and comfort, and each time we give, we begin to feel thankful, which brings us joy and makes us feel good, which moves us to give, which brings us joy and makes us feel good…..

Well, you get the picture!

Always Peace,  Pastor Heidi

P.S. I almost forgot my Health Update!  I am doing well. I have received 2 monthly injections. These are given once every 28 days, and will be for the rest of my life, at least at this point. My pain comes mostly from the inside—which makes sense, and occurs fairly infrequently. I do get tired more quickly than I like, but that, too, is getting better. There are some things I need to work out yet—like which foods my body likes and which ones are….well…….disposed of more quickly. But that will come in time, when I am ready to be more strict.

Otherwise, life seems to be returning to somewhat of a “new normal.” I’m so grateful to all of you for continuing to pray for me, as well as my family, and for all of the cards and gifts of food. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by this church family. Thank you!