Raising the bar on generosity

honestly, i had an entirely different sermon planned for this past sunday.  as i was going over it late saturday afternoon, i felt compelled to change it.  we call that preacher prerogative.  maybe it was the holy spirit prompting me to change.  maybe it was just my uneasiness.  maybe it was just conviction.  

i had planned to preach some final words on money and giving, but i didn’t want to.  don’t get me wrong.  i don’t have a problem in the world with preaching and teaching about money.  stewardship of resources is one of the most important parts of discipleship…maybe the single most complicated part of following christ in the 21st century western culture.  

in the end, i guess i still did preach a lesson on giving.  just not the one i had planned.  i preached one that was more important.

figuring out how to be faithful followers of the simple king in the midst of a narcissistic society pushes the best of us.  greed, opulence, comfort, self-centerdness, and the pull of unmet want can be overwhelming.  but in the midst of it all, we have the call to faith.

not just any faith.  but faith in the one who took five loaves and two fish and fed multitudes.  faith in the one who took something small and multiplied it.

here’s the lesson to remember:  when we follow the savior, giving never depletes our resources.  it replenishes them.  simple as that.

DNA

i really liked preaching this series on the church.

i really like preaching at north point.

to be able to speak about the DNA of serving and giving that exists in this church family is honor.  to challenge people to roll up sleeves and jump into a lifestyle of sacrifice is the best.  thanks for letting me do this.

DNA is like a fingerprint…God wants us to leave our fingerprints in this community by serving…by giving…by connecting…by loving…by putting a towel around our waist and pour ourselves out like a pitcher of water for others.

If you are not willing to get dirty…give…serve…lay it down…be used up…stop wanting to look good in your casket…you’re in the wrong church.

man, it feels good to say that!