Yum!

Depending on ability and inclination, cooking/baking can be one of life's greatest pleasures or life's greatest banes. However, it's easy to agree that a good solid meal can make a huge difference in the way that we feel, so I thought about cooking (and its cousin, baking) today in terms of stewardship. After my little girl was born, when we all finally came home from the hospital, I was just so tired and still in so much pain (I knew it would hurt, but I didn't realize how much, I guess!), cooking a good meal seemed like so much effort! I was so grateful to those of our friends, family, and church family who brought meals over (including dessert! Wow!) without being asked. This was just such an amazing blessing, and I know I would never have suspected quite how much it would be before she was born. And I realized, though sometimes it seems like there's little that I can do to help someone because their pain (or joy, mixed with exhaustion, as in the case of a healthy birth) is their own, one thing I can do is provide some quality nourishment. I think one thing I valued the most about the kind folks who provided food to us is that they didn't ask, they just came forward, and I know that sometimes I lack that initiative myself, but it made such a difference! So, next time I'm not sure what to do for someone who I know is facing a challenge in some way, I'll think...Yum!

This great bowl (says faith, hope, love) is from LittleBayClay's Etsy store - all proceeds from her shop are donated to charitable organizations, so check out her ceramic goods!

"Our" Resources

My husband related today that he heard an interesting piece on the radio regarding adoption from other countries, and all of the various aspects to consider when making this choice, and I thought something very insightful was said, which was that if you are interested in "helping somebody," you should donate money, but if you would like to build a family, then you should adopt. This struck me because I think often as Christians we think about how to share what we've been given, and perhaps, sometimes, it's easy to think of this as how we can be a benefactor for someone else rather than how we can operate as a family of God, considering all resources to be provided for this purpose. I believe that most who choose to adopt are adopting to create a family rather than to play benefactor to a child, and I believe adoption to be an amazing opportunity and blessing, but I found that suggestion to consider motives to be really interesting to think about. And it brought to mind a faithful organization that works to share the gospel, improve living conditions, and disperse resources around the world, World Vision. Also, it encouraged me to try to remember, every day, that the resources we have come from God, and as such, belong to God as we belong to Him, so rather than thinking of how I can use or disperse them, I should prayerfully consider what He has in mind for them, whether that means by expanding our family in adoption, or sharing resources in another way.

Time is a'tickin away

When we read the New Testament, there's a definite sense of urgency in terms of living a Christian life and making good use of our time. But how! So many little things to do each day that can get in the way of doing all the "good things we mean to do." This brings to mind a clever little story about Susanna Wesley, the mother of Methodist leaders John and Charles Wesley, who had 19 (yes, 19!) children, and who was a very dedicated Christian woman. The (true) story is this: she would take time each day to pray, and would lift her apron over her head to indicate that she should not be disturbed by one of her many offspring (or anyone else). She would gather her spiritual resources, reflect, and grow closer to God each day. This is such an awesome story of someone who clearly could have let the little things bog her down but instead focused on the most important of all. So while most of us aren't wearing aprons that we would feel comfortable hiding our heads in, perhaps we can make a practice of telling our family that for "x" number of minutes, we will be unavailable each day, and use our time wisely by growing closer to the One who is timeless!

The cute "Feed my Sheep" apron is from Wowembroidery's Etsy shop!

What Do You Mean, Stewardship?

Stewardship is a concept that requires people to make good use of what they have been given. Often people think of stewardship only in terms of the environment, but it can be applied to a variety of different resources: time, talent, and creativity, to name just a few. This blog will focus on people and organizations that are practicing a variety of different types of good stewardship with a Christian message. God has given us so many gifts and opportunities to take care of those gifts, and it is awesome to consider all of the ways that we can bring glory to His name by doing so!