Let's Talk About Giving

Yesterday was Compassion Sunday and I had the privilege of speaking in front of our church congregation about our experience of sponsoring a child through Compassion International. We began sponsoring our first Compassion child two years ago; a 7 year old little girl named Estella living in Ghana, Africa. The theme of Compassion Sunday this year was how we can be "story changers" in the young lives of these children; most of them living in poverty and in areas at high risk for AIDS, Malaria, and other life-threatening illnesses. Yet as I stood there sharing our own sponsorship experience, I realized that sponsoring Estella has also been a "story changer" for our family.

When we first signed up to sponsor Estella for $38 a month, I remember we both felt a little uneasy about such a long-term financial commitment (you are encouraged to sponsor the same child until they graduate from the program around age 18). Not that $38 a month is a huge amount, but we always had other ways we could spend that money! But sponsoring Estella opened a door in our hearts regarding the concept of giving; not just being able to satisfactorily check off a box on our spiritual "to-do" list, but a complete heart change in the area of our finances.

Last year Robert stumbled upon a book our pastor in Eugene had given us when he married us over 7 years ago. It's a thin, tiny little book called The Treasure Principle by Randy Alcorn, but the message within its pages is goliath. The book is revolutionary. It has the potential to change your life - and not just your life here and now - but the life you will live for eternity.  When Robert started reading from it I cannot describe to you how my eyes were opened regarding money. If there is one book I could persuade, encourage, entice you to read, it is this one. I am going to share with you a few of the quotes that I highlighted, but know that the book is RICH in truth, each page brimming with good teaching, and biblical truth that the church has lost sight of. Sponsoring a child like Estella - which amazingly can do so much good in a life for such a small cost - should be just the tip of the iceberg in how we give! And Christ wants us to give cheerfully, obediently, and generously. Be a story changer - in your life and in the lives of many, many others.

"But when Jesus warns us not to store up treasures on earth, it's not just because wealth might be lost; it's because wealth will always be lost. Either it leaves us while we live, or we leave it when we die. No exceptions." The Treasure Principle, 13

"Whatever treasures we store up on earth will be left behind when we leave. Whatever treasures we store up in heaven will be waiting for us when we arrive...Every day is an opportunity to buy up more shares in His kingdom. You can't take it with you, but you can send it on ahead." The Treasure Principle, 18-19

"By telling us that our hearts follow our treasure, Jesus is saying, 'Show me your checkbook, your VISA statement, and your receipts, and I'll show you where your heart is." The Treasure Principle, 42

"[In] the raging current of our culture - and often our churches - it's considered "normal" to keep far more than we give. But I'm convinced that the greatest deterrent to our giving is this: the illusion that earth is our home..."Our citizenship is in heaven" (Philippians 3:20). Where we choose to store our treasures depends largely on where we think our home is." The Treasure Principle, 44-45

"He does not exist for me. I exist for Him. God's money has a higher purpose than my affluence." The Treasure Principle, 57

"Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. But you ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings. You are under a curse - the whole nation of you - because you are robbing me. Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house." Malachi 3:8-10

"The meaning of the word tithe is "a tenth part." Ten percent was to be given back to God. There were freewill offerings, too, but the 10 percent was mandatory...Nearly every study indicates that American Christians give on average between 2 and 3 percent of their income..." The Treasure Principle, 60-61

"Every New Testament example of giving goes far beyond the tithe. However, none falls short of it. 'God, do you really expect less of me - who has Your Holy Spirit within and lives in the wealthiest society in human history - than you demanded of the poorest Israelite?" The Treasure Principle, 60-61

"Whatever we're teaching about giving today either it's not true to Scripture, the message isn't getting through, or we're being disobedient. Tithing isn't the ceiling of giving; it's the floor." The Treasure Principle, 62

"Certainly the affluent should never "check off the box," as if giving 10 percent automatically fulfills their obligation. The 90 percent belongs to God, too. He doesn't look at just what we give. He also looks at what we keep." The Treasure Principle, 63

"Ironically, many people can't afford to give precisely because they're not giving (Haggai 1:9-11). If we pay our debt to God first, then we will incur His blessing to help us pay our debts to men. But when we rob God to pay men, we rob ourselves of God's blessing. No wonder we don't have enough. It's a vicious cycle, and it takes obedient faith to break out of it." The Treasure Principle, 64

"You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion." 2 Corinthians 9:11

"God prospers me not to raise my standard of living, but to raise my standard of giving." The Treasure Principle, 73

"Why does God give some of His children more than they need and others less than they need? So that He may use His children to help one another...Abundance isn't God's provision for me to live in luxury. It's His provision for me to help others live. God entrusts me with this money not to build my kingdom on earth, but to build His kingdom in heaven." The Treasure Principle, 75

Imagine the work God could be doing through us in this world - in our very nation - if we were faithfully giving not only the bare minimum (ten percent of all we earn/receive), but giving in abundance?! How do you think He intends to care for the poor, the widows, and orphans? He intends to use us! Are you sharing God's money with others or robbing God to use it all on yourself? This isn't a popular topic these days, but that doesn't mean it isn't important to God or that we won't be held accountable for how we manage our God's money. There are stories in this book of people who went from neglecting to tithe a true ten percent, who are now giving 50 - 95% of their income away!!! God wants to bless us as we bless others...maybe not with an earthly reward, but with a reward much greater that will last for all of eternity. 

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in Heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:19-21

Call the Midwife

Thank you, BBC, for yet another gripping, quality series! Call the Midwife is absolutely my new favorite show. It's set in east London in the 1950's and follows a group of nuns and midwives as they nurse, befriend, and deliver the babies of poor women all over the city. You'll be instantly captivated by the musical score, the setting, and the quirky, lovable cast of characters. Each episode has had me either laughing, crying, or hyperventilating - often all three, and occasionally all three at once. I'm so glad a few dear mama-friends of mine passed this little secret on to me. It's the best drama on TV in my opinion! You can watch episodes from Season One and Two right now on pbs.org! 

Signs of Spring

It poured the other day. You may think that typical of Oregon weather, but for us high desert Central Oregonians, rain is rare. In fact our little town boasts "300 days of sunshine" each year. We joke that we really have two seasons: Winter (snow and lots of sun) and Summer. If we get a week or two of Spring and a week or two of Fall we count ourselves blessed. So when it started to rain, we just had to play outside. And it was glorious. The earth dark and damp with tender, green shoots. The air smelling of fresh rain and perfumed with wet juniper. The kids rode their bikes giggling and splashing in puddles. Oliver grabbed the snow shovel and began "shoveling" the water that was beginning to flood our front garden bed where the water was coming down in torrents from the rain gutter. Rain play was followed by hot baths and a hearty meal. I love the rain. It was heartwarming to see my kids loving it, too. 

Then today, in preparation for Easter, we made some lovely colored eggs. Dad hardboiled them, and right after naptime we set to work. It was the first time the kids had done this, so they were of course fascinated with the colored water and kept trying to poke their tiny fingers into the bright pigments. We used a very simple recipe and the eggs are absolutely beautiful. The hardest part was waiting those 5 minutes for the eggs to soak. Oh, and of course having to wait until tomorrow to eat them:)

Simple Colored Eggs:
(recipe measurements from Real Simple magazine online)

Hardboiled eggs

Mason Jars (one per color)

Hot Water (1/2 Cup per color)

Food Coloring (about 20-30 drops per color)

White Vinegar (1 tsp. per color)

Simply fill each mason jar with 1/2 Cup boiling water, 20-30 drops of food coloring, and 1 tsp of white vinegar. Gently place hardboiled egg in jar and let "soak" for 1-5 minutes (depending on depth of pigment desired). Carefully remove colored egg with a spoon and let dry (we used the egg crate for drying).

Thriftin' on the Cheap

It's been about 3 months since Robert and I made the decision to really overhaul our spending habits with the intention to spend less and give more (this little gem of a book was a big factor in that decision). The hardest part for me has been the change in my personal spending habits: I was used to spending what I wanted, when I wanted, where I wanted. Not that I was a "big spender" by any means, but when you really sit down and look at all those little charges - they really do add up. $40 for a haircut, $30 at TJ Maxx one week, $40 at World Market the next...by the end of each month I was regularly spending $100-$200 on "miscellaneous shopping" easily, and most likely, more. My new "fun money" budget is $40 for the whole month. Yup. That's it. And it's really puttin' a cramp in my style, just kidding (sort of). Thankfully, I've always enjoyed bargain shopping. Now I get to do it out of necessity instead of leisure, but that's okay; I've been honing my skills for the past 29 years...bring it. So what to do when I've blown through $35 of my precious $40 by the 7th day of the month and I have a paltry $5 left in my pocket?! Hit the sale rack at the thrift shop! That's right - I've discovered the joy of the DOLLAR TABLE. Goodwill has colored tag sales - Starburst Family Thrift (my new favorite store on earth) has a dollar table. It's piled high, and everything on that bad boy is ONE DOLLA'. My friend Lindsey and I discovered it last week when we stopped in for a quick fix. I literally had $5 to spend and wanted to make it last. And you would not BELIEVE what I found! Five incredible items for $1 a piece. I was pretty darn pleased with myself and raced right home to make Robert sit and ooh and ahh over my treasures with me. I plan to make shopping the dollar table a regular occurence - next month that is...when I have another $40.

Here are three of my $1 items. I also got two long skirts for myself; trust me, they're cute too. 

Grand total...$5

Super cute canvas tote/purse. It's reversible with a floral pattern on the inside. Robert commented that now when I get bored I can just turn it inside out instead of buying yet another purse.

Strawberry skirt for a "sweet" girl I know. That huge strawberry is a pocket. I love it.

 (The dress, not the girl) 

She loves her "pretty dresses"; I think she makes the dresses pretty:)

Cloth Diapering Made Simple

Cloth diapering used to mean safety pins, stiff plastic covers, and murky water-filled diaper pails, but today it’s all about cute patterns, Velcro (or snaps), and the ingenious hanging wet/dry bag. And it isn’t nearly as complicated, labor intensive, or messy as you might think! In fact, it’s as simple as tossing your dirty diapers in a bag and then washing them later! And if you’re like me and enjoy clean, warm garments straight from the dryer, the ritual of washing, drying, and stuffing, culminating in a colorful stack of clean (warm!) diapers, can actually be quite soul satisfying. With the help of a few key tools along with the right cleaning routine, cloth diapering is not only simple, but also less wasteful, and much, much cheaper than disposables! Plus, who doesn’t love to see a cute baby crawling around with a colorful, oversized, cloth diaper booty? Here’s a quick and easy “how to” to get you started...

The rest of this article has been published online at True North Parenting Magazine. Please click here to read this post in its entirety or go to: http://truenorthparenting.com/cloth-diapering-made-simple/