Grateful: Finding Hope in Every Day

Gratitude, , ,

Grateful: Finding Hope in Every Day

 “For surely, I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord,
plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”
(Jeremiah 29:11)

Diana Butler Bass’s most recent book is entitled, “Grateful: The Transformative Power of Giving Thanks.” We know that gratitude is good, but many of us find it hard to sustain a meaningful life of gratefulness. Most of us report feeling gratitude on a regular basis, but those private feelings seem disconnected from larger concerns of our public lives.

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Giving Courageously

Stewardship, , , , , ,

Now in its twentieth year, “Giving: Growing Joyful Stewards in Your Congregation” has become a premier stewardship resource for churches and denominations throughout North America. It is published annually and available sometime early in May each year. I have found this magazine to be a helpful tool for congregations to select a theme and a method for conducting an annual Stewardship program as well as learn more about Stewardship to enhance the church’s overall ministry.

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Eat, Pray, Love

Stewardship, , , , , , ,

“Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received.”

I Peter 4:10

For me, this is one of the most powerful passages of scripture that really gets at the core of what Stewardship should be. Did you know, however, that this verse never comes up in the Revised Common Lectionary, and many of us follow the lectionary for our preaching?

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