An indispensable part of the <em>Extravagant Generosity</em> stewardship program, this volume, by Bishop Schnase, opens the Scriptures to show the joy and grace of giving. Designed to provide daily Bible reading for the four weeks of the program, it leads the reader to explore such questions as “Why do we give,” “Who benefits most from our giving,” and “Where does true contentment come from?” By reading and following this guide to the spiritual discipline of stewardship, church members will experience afresh the joy of serving God with their time, talents, and gifts.<br> <br> <p>Additional program components (available seperately) include:<br> <br> An overview timeline, providing quick information on what happens during each week of the stewardship campaign.</p> <p>A guidebook for leaders that covers all aspects of the campaign, from detailed plans for each of the four Sunday services to marketing materials like flyers and postcards to e-mail messages and letters designed to be sent to specific groups within the congregation–all available on the enclosed CD-ROM. <br> <br> A small-group leader's guide to host Sunday school and other small groups during the program using the devotional book. <br> <br> A DVD with video segments for four group-study sessions and short clips for use in worship.<br> <br> The <em>Extravagant Generosity</em> kit is also available.</p>
Оглавление
Robert Schnase. Practicing Extravagant Generosity
WELCOME
Robert Schnase
WEEK ONE
Monday. FROM STEWARDSHIP. TO GENEROSITY
Tuesday. BUILDING NESTS
Wednesday. SEEDS WITH WINGS
Thursday. PARTNERING WITH GOD
Friday. MUSCLE MEMORY
Saturday. POCKET CHANGE
Sunday. THE GRACE OF GIVING
WEEK TWO
Monday. AS IF FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
Tuesday. WHITEWATER WORLD!
Wednesday. WHAT HAPPENS TO GOD'S LOVE?
Thursday. OWNERSHIP
Friday. ROBUST MINISTRIES
Saturday. ALL THE GOOD YOU CAN
Sunday. FIRST THINGS FIRST
WEEK THREE
Monday. THE JOY OF GIVING
Tuesday. ALIGNEDWITH GOD'S PURPOSES
Wednesday. HOW MUCH DO WE NEED?
Thursday. I HAVE LEARNED TO BE CONTENT
Friday. THE GOD-RELATED LIFE
Saturday. TITHING IS A LIFE CHOICE
Sunday. PRACTICING GENEROSITY
WEEK FOUR
Monday. THERE IS ALWAYS A WAY
Tuesday. TEACHING THE TITHE
Wednesday. THROUGH GOD'S EYES
Thursday. THE OLD LIFE AND THE NEW LIFE
Friday. ONE OF MY OWN
Saturday. GENEROUS CONGREGATIONS
Sunday. DELIGHT
NOTES
Отрывок из книги
Practicing Extravagant Generosity
Over the next four weeks, you're invited to join in brief daily readings with everyone else in your congregation.* Each reading prepares you; your pastor; and all congregational leaders, members, and guests to understand more clearly the "why" of Christian giving and to develop a common language and theology of generosity. Everyone praying, reading, and reflecting on the same passages fosters a unified sense of purpose and clarity of mission. Your participation with an open heart helps open the doors of your church's future mission. Thank you!
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* Practicing Extravagant Generosity: Daily Readings on the Grace of Giving has been prepared for use with the congregation-wide stewardship program Extravagant Generosity: The Heart of Giving by Michael Reeves and Jennifer Tyler (Abingdon Press, 2011; UPC 843504019143). While these readings may be used with other stewardship programs, the themes align particularly with topics, strategies, timelines, and media materials of the Extravagant Generosity model.
Generosity is an aspect of character. It is an attractive quality which I aspire to and desire to see cultivated in my children. The opposite of generosity is selfishness, self-centeredness, greed, and self-absorption. No stories from Scripture tell of people living the God-related spiritual life while fostering a greedy attitude. Generosity extends beyond merely the use of money, although it most definitely includes that. There are generous spirits; generous souls; people who are generous with their time, with their teaching, with their love. Generosity finds many biblical sources, and is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). It sounds more organic, more generative, less legalistic, less formal than stewardship. I have to explain to my teenage sons what stewardship means. They know generosity when they see it.
