Playing Catch Up!

Today is my Monday in the office...you know what I mean? (I have regular Mondays off.) It's everything that has piled up from the weekend is now sitting squarely in front of me -- looking at me as if to ask me, "Are you going to pay attention to me today?" The administrative work of being on staff at a church.

We're currently working on budgets, revising our spending patterns/habits, and forecasting for the next year. It takes a lot of money to do church...facilities, utilities, salaries, and then ministries. That's the part I don't like...and then ministries. Aren't we supposed to fund that first? I hear the saying to give GOD your firsts, not your seconds or leftovers and I get frustrated. Our giving goes first to a mortgage, to the lights, to redoing the parking lot -- all of which are nice to have! Please don't get me wrong -- we have a beautiful building and a great campus setting.

But I think it would be best to have those things paid off so that the majority of our money goes to people (not salary increases!) to people in need of hope, people in need of food, people who need Jesus! That's the frustrating point -- we have a generous church, people who are very good at giving and we also have the reality of a large mortgage hanging over our heads.

Do you have that at your home -- large debt but a desire to be more generous and giving to others in need? I'm praying that God will turn that around for us -- that someday a mortgage won't be the unspoken concern -- but that ministry will be first. If you're a member of SMVC will you pray that direction with me?

Thanks for reading -- that was my point of frustration today -- I just needed to share that!
God bless ya!