Money
You may have heard me mention "the enneagram" in a sermon. The enneagram is something fantastic and complicated that Toph & Emily make fun of, but for simplicity sake, we'll call it a personality profile thingy. That feels blasphemous to me because it's really so much more. It's a tool for growth and reflection, but for this conversation it's personality profile thingy. It includes 9 numbers of which I am a 3. That means a whole bunch of things that I won't go into here, but you can read about here if you'd like.
If you do work with the enneagram eventually you move beyond just learning about your number to learning how to grow in health. One of the things you learn about in that growth process are the instincts. There are three of them. Here's a paragraph from the Enneagram Institute website.
"The three Instincts (often erroneously called "the subtypes") are a third set of distinctions that are extremely important for understanding personality. A major aspect of human nature lies in our instinctual "hard wiring" as biological beings. We each are endowed with specific instinctual intelligences that are necessary for our survival as individuals and as a species. We each have a self-preservation instinct (for preserving the body and its life and functioning), a sexual instinct (for extending ourselves in the environment and through the generations), and a social instinct (for getting along with others and forming secure social bonds)."
Of these three I'm dominated by the self-preservation instinct. That's a lot about me especially since this is not really about me, it's about the church, but I wanted to share about the self-preservation instinct so I can make a confession. I hate dealing with money. It gives me anxiety. You can ask my wife and she'll confirm that on more than one occasion I've been accused of being cheap. When it comes to money, I'll always make the safe bet. I cringe if I feel like our savings are getting to small. Fiscal conservatism is probably a form of idolatry in my life. But, again, the reason I am this way is because of my self preservation instinct.
Because this is a source of fear in my life, it's a source of sin in my life. The real reason I'm telling you about all of this, is because we are in the season in the life the church when it's time to put together the budget for the 2014-2015 fiscal year.
Here's the tension. Churches need vision. Vision needs money. Part of growing is believing that money will be there to do things that support the vision. Proverbs 29:18 says that without vision the people will parish. On the other hand Proverbs 22:7 says "The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is the slave of the lender." I'm present to both of these truths in the moment.
Last week I had a meeting with the staff in which we all submitted budget proposals. They did a good job. It was fun to hear them dream and hear about where their hearts are longing to take the ministries of the church. No one's asking for anything obnoxious. It was a great meeting. The sad truth is that we can't afford to do everything that everyone wants. And this process will kill me because the enneagram 3 wants to be loved by everyone and consequently wants to please everyone.
Do you see what I'm doing here, I'm taking you to the vortex of my stress!
A bible verse that has been very meaningful to me this spring is 1 John 4:18.
18 There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear; for fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not reached perfection in love.
I have not been called to fear. 1 John could care less about my need for self-preservation or that I'm a 3. He insists that I rest in the love of God. And so this has been my meditation.
This week in our staff meeting I was naming these anxieties and then I read from Exodus 16. You know the story. Israel complains. God responds with manna from heaven. And the punchline in v 15 "Moses said to them, 'It is the bread that the Lord has given you to eat.'"
God provides. I want to ask that y'all join me in caring for the church during this season of planning. That you will join me by believing the God of Man for provision. You can care by praying the following:
1. That the finance team would hear the discerning voice of the Spirit as we make cuts.
2. That we would not operate out of fear, but out of joy and vision.
3. That we would not covet things we don't need.
4. That God would be glorified with how we use the money people graciously give.
Thanks friends. I love all of you.
Meet The Leadership Team
Chair: Jana Parker jparkerslp@gmail.com
Kristin Dodson kschwebke@prodigy.net
Kaley Eggers kaley.eggers@gmail.com
David Wilhite david_wilhite@baylor.edu
Austin Tiffany Austin_Tiffany@baylor.edu
Byron Roldan Byron_Roldan@baylor.edu
Teri Walter terijan@gmail.com
Meet Jana Parker
Vocation: Speech-Language Pathologist
Favorite Movie: close tie between Sleepless in Seattle and Anne of Green Gables
Best Restaurant in Waco: Amelia's on the Avenue (Amelia's trio is the best!)
Chapter from the Bible that is meaningful to me: Phillippians 2:1-11 I love what this passage has to say about God's character--Our God, the "Servant King".
Best Television Show: Parks and Rec
Favorite Holiday: Christmas of course!!
Something you might not know about me: I've studied opera.
Hobbies: jogging, cooking/baking, organization, spelling error analysis
Children’s Service Reminders
Parents a few reminders for our children’s service, which is coming up on March 2nd.
1. We will be getting T-Shirt sizes for the kids and helpers this Sunday for the UBCKids Service. The cost will be $8.00 a shirt (if the cost is a problem, they can contact me!) We will be tie-dying them at the evening practice and would love for each child to have a shirt for the service!
2. Also, our big UBCKids Service evening practice will be Thursday, February 27th from 4:00-6:00! Pizza will be served and we will be tie-dying shirts, so wear something that can get messy! If you can’t make it, let me know and we will tie-dye your child’s shirt for them.
3. The Roots class will meet in the campers room this Sunday for the full duration of the service.
Thanks Sean DelBeccaro
Because Toph (our normal big events guy) is in India, Sean DelBeccaro graciously agreed to take the leadership role in overseeing this last Sunday’s Love Feast. If you see Sean and were at the Love Feast, please take a moment to let him know how much you appreciated his contribution to our community.
Meet Our Newest UBCer
Name: Nash Hall Jobson
Birthday: 2-12-14
Height: 19 in
Weight: 7 lb. 1 oz.
Enneagram Number: 8
Work Is Worship
2-23-14
Coffee Makers: Bex Flannery & Becky Fowler
Coffee Clean Up: Haines Family
Greeters: Josh Blake & Joben David
Announcements
- Sunday Sermon Text: Matthew 5:39-49
- John Sunday School: John 7 & 8
- Christians in the Headlines: The Noah Movie
- Psalms of Ascent Sunday School: 124 & 125
- If you feel like the music is at times too loud, we have earplugs available next to the mints out front.
- Michelle has started a lost and found. If you are missing an item please check in the box under the bench in her office.
- Marriage Ministries Presents: Round Table Discussions February 23rd at 6:30 PM. Child Care provided.
Do you have an Emergency? Do you Need to talk to a Pastor?
254 366 9779