bible study

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it. (Malachi 3:10 NIV Translation)

What is the storehouse? What is the food? Is it literally food for God’s house or does it mean something else? What is God’s house, the building or the people?

If we are to give our tithe to the storehouse which is taken to mean the church, shouldn’t we be viewing the church as the people? Shouldn’t our tithe be going to help the people?

Of course, if we did that then where would we get the money to pay our pastors and staff? Where would we get the money to pay the expenses on the building? Where would we get the money to purchase the latest and greatest Bible teaching tools?

Most teach your tithe goes to the church and anything else is an offering and that can go anywhere you choose. Now, stay with me for a bit.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Enter, you who are blessed by my Father! Take what’s coming to you in this kingdom. It’s been ready for you since the world’s foundation.

35 And here’s why: I was hungry and you fed me,
I was thirsty and you gave me a drink,
I was homeless and you gave me a room,

36 I was shivering and you gave me clothes, I was sick and you stopped to visit,
I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 “Then those ‘sheep’ are going to say, ‘Master, what are you talking about? When did we ever see you hungry and feed you, thirsty and give you a drink? 38 And when did we ever see you sick or in prison and come to you?’ 40 Then the King will say, ‘I’m telling the solemn truth: Whenever you did one of these things to someone overlooked or ignored, that was me—you did it to me.’ (Matthew 25:34-40 The Message)

What if…our tithe was to go to the church (people) and our offering was to go to the church (building stuff I mentioned earlier)? How are we helping the least of these if our money is going to the church (building)?

I am one of those where it is difficult to give 10% of my income. It hurts us financially. I would tithe but there would be so much more I would want to do but didn’t have any extra left over.

Things such as:

• supporting a child through Compassion
• buying lots of shoes for those who need them
• purchasing supplies for the homeless
• making care packages for our military that is serving overseas away from their families
• purchasing nice yarn to knit caps for cancer patients

That’s just a small list of the tings I think show the love of Christ in a practical way but financially am not able to do it. Especially if my tithe is going to the church (building) instead of the church (people).

Those are just my thoughts and I don’t have any answers.

I wonder though…how would it change Christianity if we gave to the church (people) instead of the church (building)?

Photo Credit: Eric I. E.
Bible verses from YouVersion.

What: Raising enough money to purchase 50,000 pairs of shoes in 50 days.
When: November 10, 2008 - December 31, 2008
Cost: $5 buys two pairs of shoes
How: www.50000shoes.com. Also, blog, Facebook, Twitter, email, ANYTHING & EVERYTHING online about this campaign.

Anyone who donates will be entered to win a trip to Mexico to personally deliver their shoes to someone who has never had shoes before, tying together the virtual world with the real world.

Thank you to each one of you who has helped get a pair of shoes to someone who needs them. For what it’s worth, I don’t normally endorse a charity unless it’s something I believe in.

Press Release

Nashville, TN — November 7, 2008 — Soles4Souls, the international charity dedicated to providing free footwear to those in desperate need, has announced plans to launch a new fundraising website, www.50000shoes.com. The charity is challenging bloggers and social media users to raise funds for 50,000 pairs of new shoes in 50 days.

Through the new world of blogging, emailing, twittering, and through many other forms of online media, the non-profit hopes to achieve not only the fundraising goal, but also to spread their mission far and wide. The Soles4Souls www.50000shoes.com charity challenge will be live on Monday, November 10, 2008 and end on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.

“We have been utilizing the basic Web-based marketing tools such as e-mail blasts, social networking and YouTube videos. However, this website, www.50000shoes.com, is the natural evolution of our viral marketing plan,” said Soles4Souls Founder and CEO, Wayne Elsey.

“A strong grass-roots effort, combined with an effective web-based social marketing platform, will allow Soles4Souls to form online community in a creative manner while being effective with raising funds and helping those in need,” he said.

Both the tech savvy and the computer challenged can visit www.50000shoes.com to download their choice of four (4) Soles4Souls banners ad and blog widgets. Using the tools provided, users will be able to easily email, blog, or twitter the challenge to friends, family and co-workers as well as ask everyone to continue spreading the message.

“This is a huge challenge to meet a huge need. We want to virally attack the issues of poverty and make it simple for the end user to play a role in it,” Elsey stated.

Donating is easy and takes just a click and a couple of minutes. It requires no shipping, no wrapping and no trips to the post office. The monetary donation is small with $5.00 buying two pairs of new shoes. Anyone can click and give, and all donations are tax-deductible.

After 50,000 pairs have been donated, one person (with a guest of their choosing) will be selected at random to deliver the shoes they purchased to someone in need on one of Soles4Souls’ trips to Mexico!

“Can you imagine what it would be like to personally give someone their very first pair of shoes?! We look forward to connecting the tangibility of handing someone a pair of shoes with the virtual world of the Internet,” Elsey said.

Social networking has become a very powerful communications tool; however, no one knows when life will hit hard or where a disaster will strike. One day you have everything you need; the next you may only have your life. A pair of shoes can help people begin the rebuilding process. Shoes not only bring hope, but in millions of cases they can save lives. It is estimated that Americans have 1.5 billion pairs of unworn shoes lying in their closets while over 300 million children around the world have never owned a pair of shoes. This is an opportunity to “Step Up” and to help Soles4Souls with their mission of “Changing the World, One Pair at a Time” with “One Click at A Time.”
Contact Info
Email: flowerdust@gmail.com
Website:

http://www.50000shoes.org
Office:
GiveShoes.org
Location:
2900 Lebanon Road, Suite 210
Nashville, TN

It’s no secret that I participate in the internet campus of LifeChurch.tv. I attend their services when I am not able to make my local campus and I read their blog daily.

Imagine my surprise when they announced they had areas to serve in! Wow! I can serve at the internet campus! Naturally since I have a blog I was interested in serving on the Online Community Team. More specifically, the blogging team.

Today there were two different meetings that took place the facebook team and the blogging team. Both meetings were recorded and talk about how you can help. Go here to view it.

Which team to serve on appeals to you and why?

This week’s findings are some blog posts that spoke to me and a plug for my church.

Keeping your mouth shut - from the post: what is something you feel you can’t say in church, or around other christians?

Forgive the Church? - Most people have been hurt by the church at one time or another. I know I have and didn’t go to church for almost ten years because of the hurt I experienced. I’ve also been hurt off and on since I’ve started attending church regularly for almost ten years.

Vision - When I first started attending LifeChurch.tv my old pastors were concerned that hubby and I wouldn’t be challenged to grow in our walk with Christ. I can honestly say that I have been challenged quite a bit since I’ve been attending.

YouVersion - An online Bible community and tool. (I use it as a tool instead of as a community.) Not only can you read the Bible online but you can also journal. What I love about this is I can be on any computer, log into my account, and pick up where I left off in my Bible reading and still take notes. If I forget my Bible or journal, no problem, it’s online.

LifeChurch.tv - My church. If you are not able to attend one of their campuses there is an online campus you can attend. The internet campus rocks! I love it! There is also online lifegroups and they also rock! You should check us out sometime!

Every evening I read a chapter out of the Bible to the kiddos before we go to bed. I’ve done this off and on for quite some time but lately I’ve actually stuck with it. If I forget or…cough, cough, don’t feel like it, one of the kiddos will remind me that we didn’t read the Bible. So reluctantly (yes, I said reluctantly) I will get the Bible and start reading.

When I first started the read a chapter a night thing I made the mistake of starting in Genesis. My kiddos could care less and after awhile it was quite boring for them. Then I started reading a Proverbs a night and I got bored with it. So after quite some time (this was before the kiddos would remind me) I decided that I needed to start reading to them again. This time I read out of The Message (I had been reading out of the New Living Translation) and I started in Matthew.

My theory was that I like the New Testament and what better way than to start there with Matthew and work our way through the New Testament and eventually the Old Testament. By the time we got to the Old Testament hopefully the nightly Bible reading would be a habit and it wouldn’t be so bad. I mean the Old Testament can get boring but at least it wouldn’t be boring and something we just started.

But all of this nightly bible reading has me asking questions. Why do I read the Bible to the kiddos? Why is it a nightly thing? Is it even effective? Are they listening and paying attention? Are they absorbing anything I am reading to them?

I don’t have the answers to all the questions. My prayer is that some of what I am reading to them will reach it’s way to their hearts and minds. I believe it’s important for them to know what Jesus has to say about how to live life and treat others. There is so much more in the Bible besides the Noah’s Ark and David/Goliath stories. There is so much more to it than fire and brimstone. There is so much more than Jesus’ crucifixion (although that is a very important part).

All of that is important but I don’t want to focus on one thing, I want to focus on all of it and how all of the Bible works together. Too many times as Christians we focus on certain parts of the Bible and leave out the parts we don’t agree with (or conveniently forget about). I believe everything is in the Bible for a reason and it’s my desire that my kiddos will eventually start reading the Bible for themselves so that the can start learning on their own.

Photo Credit: DrGBB

I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Rebecca. I met Rebecca through our lifegroup at church and every week we meet she always stretches me and challenges me.

Give it up for …. REBECCA!

Welcome to day 4 of the LifeShare challenge that is a part of the internet campus at LifeChurch.tv.

Today is the final installment of the four part series So You’re Dead…Now What?

Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

LifeShare is a 7 day community challenge to share our faith online as a part of the internet campus at LifeChurch.tv.

I have been showing the series So You’re Dead…Now What? as a part of the challenge. Today we will be watching part 3 of the four part series.

Part 1, Part 2, Part 4.

This is the second day of LifeShare a 7 day community challenge at the internet campus of LifeChurch.tv. Yesterday, I showed part one of the four part series So You’re Dead…Now What?

Welcome as we continue to part 2 of So You’re Dead…Now What?

Part 1, Part 3, Part 4.