To Give or Not to Give... That is the Question

Mose and I were asked to pray over the tithes and offerings at our church on Sunday.  It was such an honor to be asked to do it. However, I immediately felt a little nervous and knew that I needed to prepare what I wanted to say.  I knew I needed to ask God what I should say and how I should pray.  It was a big responsibility, and I did not want to mess it up.

Giving has always been a touchy subject for Christians.  Do we still tithe 10% as the word says in the Old Testament, even though we are living under the new covenant?  The concept of tithing and pastors asking for money have even turned many away from the church. We are sensitive about our money, to be sure!  How dare anyone tell us what to do with it?  Unless, of course, it’s our financial advisors… But, I digress…

After I asked the Lord to show me what he wanted me to say and what to pray for, he directed me to read 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9.  We often hear 2 Corinthians 9:7 quoted in the church, which talks about the importance of giving cheerfully and not because of feeling forced into it.  However, have you personally read both of these chapters in their entirety?  Paul is encouraging the church to give in these chapters and outlines the importance of it.  If you read them in their entirety and they do not convince you to give, I don’t know what will.

I grew up with parents who do not believe we should tithe to a particular church.  They believe we should give to “the church” which is believers, but also to the poor and needy in our community.  I would say I have adopted the same mentality, pretty much, as it is biblically sound.  However, for the last few years, my husband and I have steadily tithed and given it to a specific church.  I would say this comes from us trusting the church leadership to carefully steward it on our behalf.  They can make the money work for the community in a bigger way than we can.  It is important to watch and see what your church does with their money.  I know that’s blunt, and possibly a little painful for some of you churchy people to hear, but it’s the truth.  In our church, we see the leadership helping members in our congregation who need help, as well as helping out other churches in need, such as a church that sustained a building fire, for example.

Giving to others is essentially the premise of our faith- or religion- if you will. How do I know? James 1:27 says that pure religion in God’s eyes is caring for widows and orphans and refusing to let the world corrupt you (NLT).  I won’t get into the second point in that verse right now, but, we need to focus on the caring for widows and orphans part.  What does this look like?  In my mind, widows and orphans are some of the most vulnerable in our population.  They especially need our help.  When I think of this group, I also put single moms and their children in the same boat.  Paul told the church that, when we care for others by giving, we will lead them to God because they will be thankful to him (my paraphrasing and I am by far not a theologian!).  How much would we change the world if we cared for our vulnerable populations, such as single mothers?  If we help them financially and tell them it comes from the Lord, how could they not turn to him or at the very least be a little curious and possibly get one step closer to knowing God?  I was a single mom for a few years before I met Mose, and they were some of the toughest years of my life.  I was working full-time, going to school full-time, and raising my daughter.  I had many scary nights where I wanted to give up.  Had my church helped me out financially during that time, I likely would have leaned more on God and would have made smarter lifestyle choices!  I am just saying…

I love that my church gives to single mothers in our congregation. I’ve seen it happen a few times now, and it’s so beautiful.  It’s as it should be, and it honestly helps me to feel comfortable to continue to give directly to the church because I know they are stewarding it well.  If we do not have a church that is taking care of the community and the church members in such a way, then we need to take the extra step with our giving and directly support other ministries or organizations that are caring for the vulnerable people in our community.  In that way, we are fulfilling James 1:27. 

Since Mose and I have been tithing, we have not lacked.  We have even been generously blessed by God and many doors have opened to us in the last few years that I believe are in direct correlation.  I share this not to brag, but to encourage you to consider giving if you are not already doing so.  Pray and ask God what you should give and who you should give it to and be obedient.  When we give big, we are rewarded big.  I am not saying that means we’ll all become wealthy because that’s not what the word is saying.  Our rewards are mostly spiritual and therefore invaluable.

As Paul told the church, search your heart, and give what you believe you can give.  Don’t give so that you will suffer, and others will gain, but give so that we can have more equality amongst us.  Uh oh… that’s something a lot of Christians don’t want to hear- that whole equality piece.  That is the opposite of the old “pick yourself up by your bootstraps” mentality.  But, you didn’t hear it from me… Paul said it first and it’s in God’s word, which means it comes directly from God.  Read the chapters and you’ll see.

With all my love,

Lyrica

Run Your Race

Hebrews 12:1 (NLT): “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.”

I jogged through my neighborhood at 5 a.m. this morning with my lovely neighbor and friend, Amy.  It was a pain to get up that early.  It was very cold, as it was 35 degrees.  I also went to bed too late last night, so I did not get a full night of rest. I had every reason to decide not to go but I made myself do it because I knew she was counting on me, and I knew I needed it.  I have been working at getting back into running regularly, so when she invited me to run with her a few mornings a week, I was excited to accept the offer.  The holidays and the weather have resulted in some breaks for us, but, overall, we have been getting after it and it has felt really good. This morning, I am feeling so energized! I need to remember this feeling the next time I feel unmotivated to run.

But, I digress.  The point of this post is not to guilt-shame you for not working out. Lord knows I have my many moments of not wanting to exercise and have kept my butt right on the couch or in bed. Running is such a metaphor for life. I have mentioned this before on my blog and I continue to feel this way.  Each of us is on our own path.  We are the main actors in our own production and everyone else is the supporting actors.  We each have our own race that God has set before us, as the verse mentions.  We live in a time where we are so overly focused on others’ lives by way of watching their stories on various social media platforms that we often forget to live out our own lives.  For instance, there have been many times when I planned to workout, write, or read a book that I’ve been meaning to read, only to start scrolling on my phone.  I become so enveloped in what is happening in my friends’ lives that I forget that I wanted to enrich my own life and I miss out on that.  I’m not running my race because I’m too busy watching everyone else’s.

Of course, we want to support and encourage others and we should not be selfish.  We should always have a mindset of ministry and of being a servant.  That is our primary race and it requires great endurance.  It is difficult to be a servant and to constantly work on being unselfish.  How can we serve others if we are always distracted?  I am certainly guilty, as I’ve mentioned several times on my blog, so I am lovingly sharing my thoughts on this for both of our benefits.  I encourage you today to run your race.  What does your specific, individual race look like?  What were you placed on this earth to do?  It’s time to pray and ask God to show you what that is – and listen to what he says.  If you are not in his word, and not praying and sitting in his presence often, you will have a hard time hearing his answer, by the way.  

When I run full marathons (that is 26.2 miles for those that don’t know and think any race is called a marathon- it’s not!), I stop and take photos, I meet new friends, and it’s a whole experience for me.  That’s the race I choose to run.  When we are running our “race” of life, we similarly need to take the time to enjoy it in such a way.  Take the time to capture the special moments and invest in others.  Take the time to hear God’s voice and enjoy his friendship.  Don’t run so hard and stay so focused that you miss out on the little things that make life so precious.   We can run with endurance and enjoy the race at the same time, so we need to remember that.  As the verse mentions, staying away from sin is going to help us run the race that God meant for us.  It will also help us enjoy it.  I could write a whole book on this, but I’ll keep it brief for those of you that are like me and have a short attention span.  God didn’t give us rules to follow in order to make our lives boring. It is the opposite, actually. If we stay away from sin (we can never be perfect, of course!), we can live the fullest lives possible and enjoy all that he intended for us to enjoy.  It’s really that simple. 

Let’s run our own races, friends, and be the best we can be – for ourselves and others.  Don’t let life pass by and miss out on all that God intended for you.  The path for your race is open and ready for you to get on it.  What are you waiting for?

With all my love,

Lyrica 

Daniel Fast 2024

 Every January for the past three years or so, my husband and I have done the Daniel Fast. This is a corporate fast that people typically do with their church. It’s a 21-day fast that traditionally starts on Jan 1^st.  It’s a reset for the new year, focusing on spiritual and physical health. It derives from the scripture, Daniel 10:3, where Daniel went on a no meat, bread, wine, or “rich foods” (depending on the translation you read) fast while he was praying for his people and about all of the sinfulness that was going on.  What this has translated to in modern times is a fast from all white flour, meat/animal products, alcohol, and added/refined sugar.  We only eat brown rice, legumes/beans, vegetables, and fruits.  The first few times I participated in this fast were tough.

Let me tell you, the first time I gave up caffeine as a part of this fast, I went through major withdrawal. I had horrible headaches and even experienced leg cramping! I was like a zombie walking around for a few days.  My caffeine-addicted self didn’t know what to do.

 I am in a different place spiritually this time around, I think, because it has not been too terrible.  It is tough, but I feel so good and healthy that it is difficult to feel like I’m missing out most of the time.  I do kind of miss bread right now, as we’ve just started the last full week of the fast. 

Throughout the fast so far this time, I’ve enjoyed making healthy, plant-based dishes, such as all veggie lasagna, where you make the sauce from scratch, the “meat” is the mushrooms, you use thinly sliced zucchini as your “noodles” and the “ricotta” is made out of cashews, spices, lemon juice, and nutritional yeast.  It is seriously yummy- even my family loves it.

Our prayers have had a different focus each year with the Daniel Fast.  This time around, my husband and I have been praying for a strengthened marriage, a stronger relationship with the Lord, and for strengthened relationships with our children.  I do feel at this moment that our prayers are being answered.  There is always room for growth, but our marriage is getting stronger.  Our communication is improving, which is the key to a healthy relationship.   I feel like the Lord is preparing us for ministry. 

There are many reasons to fast, and fasting in general has become a popular trend in American life.   We have apps on our phones to help track certain fasts, and we are doing juice cleanses, and resets with our bodies to get back on the right track physically.  What we need to realize is that we are also spiritually connected to food.  Ever heard the term you are what you eat? There’s a reason that saying came about.  When we are eating whole foods and primarily eating a plant-based diet, we are healthier and more in tune with how God created us to be.  We are more like God, which is what he intended when he created us (Gen 1:26-27).

The fast this year has inspired me to primarily remain on a vegan diet going forward, as I feel better and as I know this will ultimately help me live a longer life and live the life God intended for me.   I know that our relationship with food in general is a struggle.  My prayer is that we focus on living the healthiest life we can so that we can live out the life God meant for us.  He never wanted us to die early because of heart disease or a diet-related cancer.  If this is a struggle for you and you’d like me to pray for you about this, please let me know in the comments.

I love you, all, and hope you have a great week!