I was blessed to be able to preach yesterday at Orchard Path UMC, one of our new church starts.  Reverend David Rittgers is leading a great group in suburban Cleveland and asked if I would talk stewardship with his people. Having been part of a new church start years ago, I have great empathy for […]

When my daughter was younger we bought her a traffic jam game.  It was a puzzle that had a red car that you needed to get out of a parking lot by moving other cars forward and back so the red car could get to the exit.  (I know that was the worst description in […]

If you started the year with a new financial secretary he or she is probably pretty depressed seven Sundays into the new year.  He or she may have taken the total amount pledged, divided it by 52 and figured that was what you would receive each Sunday. Or you may a pastor who, while, new […]

When I was growing up you didn’t get braces until your teeth had all come in.  But today the approach is to do braces much younger, often at age 8 or so.  That way they come in straight rather than trying to correct them later.  Many churches equate stewardship with dentistry (getting our members to […]