The Joy of Stewardship and Giving

March 9, 2012

Hi Faithful Cohort Buddies!

I hope you are all well and enjoying the promise of spring. It is supposed to be amazingly warm this next week, and I am really looking forward to it!

I am reading, studying and praying about the next retreat April 20-22. The discipleship school is such a blessing to me – it is energizing beyond measure to think about what God wants you all to learn, and how he wants you to grow in knowledge and character. What a wonderful privilege it is for me to be able to contribute to that growth. I love, love love it!

I got an email not too long ago from Karissa. She was getting excited about the topic of stewardship and giving that we will be addressing in April. (David Tyvoll will be presenting a workshop on Biblical principles of stewardship). God was reinforcing his message to her about giving by having it also come up in a powerful way at her church. Here is what Karissa said, and I am including the link to her church’s messages from March 13, 21 & 27 of last year.

I wanted to share another couple of sermons from my church. Robert Morris spoke at our my church last year and the two sermons he gave are some of the best I have ever heard. It is very interesting time for me right now because I have been reading the Randy Alcorn book about giving, my church talks about money once every year, and these last few weeks have been sermons on tithing and giving, and my other bible study from my other church was also talking about giving this last week and this next week. God apparently had something to say to me about my finances. I am glad he was able to pound the message into my head! Anyways, the sermons are here:


https://www.rivervalley.org/default.aspx?page=4204&ItemId=144&ChannelId=3&TopicId=57&BlobId=28515 

Robert Morris, by the way is the author of the book “The Blessed Life” that I recommended to you. I know many of us (all of us?) find the whole subject of finances and budgets challenging to say the least. I believe that God wants us to be obedient in small things, so he can trust us with bigger things. As Karissa’s pastor shared in his March 13th sermon, it is more than (MUCH more) just a money issue – it is a matter of our heart.

Be blessed as you listen to these sermons from Karissa’s church, and as you read the Alcorn book in preparation for our UR 1-3. God wants us to grow in faithfulness and obedience! It is a joy!

Joan Tyvoll