Podcasts

Stewardship can be Scary!

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Like the storm the disciples encounterd when crossing the Sea of Galilee was scary, living Stewardship can be scary. Putting God first in every

area of your life – every facet of your life – includinging in your spending can seem terrifying? But that is what we as disciples are called to do. Hesitant? Afraid? Jesus admonishes us, “Oh you of little faith.” (Mt 8:26) Mark’s Gospel in Chapter 4 verse 40 has Jesus asking us, “Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?”

Being obedient to God’s will can seem intimidating. Of course, even knowing God’s will can seem confusing. But we can be sure that in God’s will is for us to acknowledge that He is the source of all we are and all we have. Another part of His will surely is to respond to all of His gifts and blessings with humility, gratitude, and generosity. We are to detach from our comforts and desires, and trust that He will provide. And that certainly can be scary.  Delaying gratification and relying on anyone other than ourselves goes against cultural norms. But it is only when we put God first that we find the peace and happiness that we seek. 

How do we do this? The key is to start small. Take that first small step of faith. Because that’s what it takes – faith. Living a Stewardship way of life demands that you have faith. Putting God first in everything and giving courageously and sacrificially requires you to trust God. Trust that He knows you, He loves you, He wants the best for you, and He will provide. This comes of faith. 

Faith is a gift. Pray for the gift of faith to trust God and give. Give courageously in response to all the blessings He gives to you. 

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Who Are My Mother and Brothers?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Mark 3:33-35   But he said to them in reply, “Who are my mother and [my] brothers?” And looking around at those seated in the circle he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers.[For] whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

This Gospel might seem a little strange. It kind of sounds like Jesus kicked his family to the curb, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” Huh?

But think of it this way – Jesus expands family beyond any bloodline connection. He considers us family when we do the will of God. This is great news! All we have to do to be a part of His family is know the will of God and do it. How? St. Luke put it this way, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8:21)  So, doing the will of God is being obedient to His word. And what does His word tell us to do?

  • Love God above all else, and love our neighbor as ourselves.
  • Give God praise and thanksgiving always and everywhere.
  • Give back to God from our entire selves – Time, Talents, and Treasure, in humble gratitude for all of His blessings. 

In this, let’s look to Matthew 25 and find the works of mercy: feeding, clothing, providing shelter, visiting the sick, the shut- in, and those in prison. To this I add, educating kids from poor families, and providing real solutions for young pregnant women to choose life.  Being obedient to God’s word, putting God first in every area of our lives, and giving to the needs of the poor – to me, this is doing God’s will. This is living stewardship.

So – be obedient to God’s word. Give in response to God’s blessings!

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How Blessed are You?

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Take a moment and think of how blessed you are. When I ask people to share their blessings, the most common responses are family, job, house, and health. Yes of course, thank you Lord. But do you also think about God’s unconditional love for you? Do you think of His unmerited grace? His mercy and forgiveness? Do you think about His suffering on the cross, and His dying for us so that by our faith in Him, we can have eternal life with God in heaven forever!! Oh My Goodness! How blessed are we, truly?

How do we respond to God for all of His blessings? The Psalmist asks the question for us in 116:12,  How can we repay the Lord for all the great good He does for us? 

  • How about a heartfelt, humble “Thank you, Lord?”
  • How about genuine praise and thanksgiving? Yes
  • And how about by putting God first in your life? First in every area of your life – including in your financial life. 

That is what good disciples do. In imitation of Jesus, we put God first in every facet of our lives, including with our money. Giving is the first category of spending in our budgets. When we do this, we admit the truth that all is gift from God. And in all humility, we give back to God – first. 

Put God first in your life. Put God first in your spending. Give to God first in thanksgiving for all of his blessings. 

Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Go and Make Disciples

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

This Holy Trinity Sunday we hear Jesus give us His great commision in Matthew 28:19, “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit.” 

Being a disciple is living a life of Stewardship. We become better disciples when we embrace and practice stewardship every day. As stewards, we acknowledge that God gives us everything. Everything is gift from God: every moment of Time, every ounce of Talent, every dime of Treasure. We gratefully receive and cultivate these gifts from God. And we share them out of love for others. When we do, these gifts then come with the fruits of the Spirit: Love, Joy, Peace. They manifest themselves in how we speak and act. This very way of living Stewardship evangelizes others. Our joy exudes. Peace emanates. Others see this and are attracted to us. They want to know our “secret”.  

The secret is that good stewards are so confident in God’s love that they can’t help but share His love with others. Good stewards trust God to provide and so give of their entire self – Time, Talent, and Treasure – for the good of others. Living stewardship allows us to be a part of something big, something more majestic than our own selfish drives and desires. Live stewardship and be a part of the Church’s mission to evangelize, to make disciples of everyone you encounter.

            Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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Pentecost: To each the Spirit is Given for some Benefit

Published on: by Joe Galloway Comment

Pentecost: 1 Corinthians 12:7   To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.

We are all, each of us, filled with the Holy Spirit by virtue of our Baptism, and sealed with the Spirit at our Confirmation. It is given to us for some benefit for the good of others. What would your life look like if you embraced that truth and surrendered to the Holy Spirit with boldness and courage? Your life would be so filled with joy that you couldn’t help but praise God and love your neighbor.

A couple of the fruits of the Spirit are generosity and kindness (Gal 5:22). An attitude of generosity is the heart of stewardship. We gratefully receive God’s gifts. We manage them faithfully. And out of kindness, we care about what is best for our neighbor. Our trust in God to provide and our obedience to His word drives us to generously and courageously share our material resources to make sure our most vulnerable neighbors are fed, clothed, housed, educated – in other words – loved. Their lives change for the good. The health of our cities is improved. Our world becomes a better place. If all of us would respond to God’s love, heed the promptings of the Holy Spirit, step out in faith and give to the needs of the poor, we would change the world. We would literally renew the face of the earth (Ps. 104:30). 

                                                                                                                                                              Photo Credit: Robert Davis

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