Jun ’09
30
What can you be the very best at?
This is short and very sweeeeet…
Jun ’09
26
Jun ’09
17
Are we a Christian Nation?
Sorry to be so serious these days, but this is crazy interesting… What do you think?
Jun ’09
15
So, what about online giving?
In recording tithes and offerings for churches (I’m a bookkeeper), I’ve started to ponder the whole giving electronically thing (or e-tithing). I thought I’d bring the discussion to the Ps20 world in hopes that some pastor or wise lay man or woman could settle the issue and I can go on my merry way.
In the spirit of full disclosure (yes, I know I am supposed to give in secret), I tithe electronically. I like the ease of it, the convenience, the consistency, the no-brainer aspect. I don’t have to wriggle in my seat as the offering plate (or bucket in my case) approaches and think about the clothing purchase I made earlier this week and start bargaining, “God, how about $50 less for your Kingdom?” (In case there was any doubt, I am not a saint and still need to practice the Give-Save-Spend mantra.) The tithing exercise has turned into an annuity, coming straight out of the bank account, as any other bill would, before I get my oftentimes greedy hands on it. Obviously, churches aren’t complaining about this. Churches love consistent giving, without which forecasting is nearly impossible. When church attenders go out of town on a summer vacation, for example, roughly forty percent of those contributions missed are not made up. So giving through systematic electronic withdrawals appears to be the solution from the church’s perspective.
But what about from the heart of the giver? Does giving my first fruits offering electronically impact my heart the same way? After all, if I give without love, “it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13:13). Does electronic giving depersonalize tithing the same way an email letter depersonalizes a hand-written one? Am I bringing my tithe and offering to the church as an act of worship and obedience or is this just Old Testament rigmarole (I love that word, regardless of whether I am using it correctly)? Crown Ministries teaches that giving should be premeditated, that to know the full joy and reap the blessing of giving, it must not be done carelessly. Does e-tithing lead to careless giving more so than writing a manual check? When the offering plate goes by and I physically place something in it, do I more consciously remember that I am giving back to the Lord Himself? An electronic debit on my bank statement doesn’t seem to move my spirit in the same way. Is there a conscious (or subconscious) surrender of possessions when I participate in the Sunday offering or snail mail a check in to my church? Or am I missing the point altogether?
In wrestling with this whole thing, I am coming to understand that giving (whether it’s time or money) boils down to a heart issue. Am I giving, electronically or otherwise, with a heart of love? Am I positioned to reap the benefits and blessings that the Lord wants to bestow on me as the giver? Am I being stretched beyond my tithe? Is the tithe the starting point of my giving and not the limit? These are the questions that impact my selfish heart and more closely align it with Christ. Perhaps for me, a manual check would be better, but for others, giving electronically accomplishes the same mission in self and Christ-awareness: my heart follows my treasure (Matt. 6:21).
So, any thoughts out there? Should I buck the modernized e-tithe system and return to a pen and checkbook like my grandmother? Does it matter or am I splitting hairs? Is ‘obedience’ obedience regardless of how I arrive there, emotionless or not? Feedback, anyone?
~ Zoie (One of Ps20’s bookkeeper extraordinaire)
Jun ’09
08
Meet Brandon!
My name is Brandon and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work alongside such dedicated people here at PS20! I don’t know that communicating is my strongest point, but Ben asked me to write this bio and when the boss asks, well you know. JK.
I have always had an aggressive and sometimes polarizing; “type-A” personality. A person with naturally diverse talents and driven by an insatiable curiosity to learn new skill-sets. (Basically they now call it ADD but I think it sounds better the way I describe it.) For much of my adult life I have worked multiple jobs at any given time and have been quickly successful in several career fields including Construction, Graphic Design and Interior Design/Sales. I have also started a few businesses over the years, of which all are still successful today. Much of the experience I have obtained in the accounting field can be attributed to those ventures, in which I spent most of my time learning the “hard way” from people much wiser than me. I have always been a true work-a-holic, so it is no stretch of the imagination to say my journey to becoming part of this team has not been necessarily in a straight line. I am also a pastor’s kid and third generation ministry brat, so my entire life has been all about the local church. I have had to define my own path over the years, but there is no greater passion for me than to see God’s people work together to lead others into a tangible, personal relationship with Christ.
I found my soul mate and the love of my life, Sarah, when I was just 13. We were best friends through school, we dated through high school and we married at 18. (And yes, our parents freaked out!) We have been married for 8 years now and are expecting our first child on July 6th, a baby girl we have already named Hannah Riley. We just moved back to Phoenix, Arizona in February to be near our parents and family, and we are anxiously awaiting all the changes having a baby will bring to our lives.
In October of 2007 Sarah and I were living in Charlotte, NC when a small church plant called Ridge Church began their journey, and ours would never be the same either. We quickly became deeply connected with the leadership there and last fall I was brought in to help Ridge improve their accounting infrastructure and develop more efficient administrative systems and processes internally. Ridge Church came online with PS20 last month, so as a bookkeeper for PS20, I still have the opportunity to support them long distance. Because Ridge was a North Point Partnership, I worked closely with North Point’s staff as well, and through that connection, I met Ben. Ben and I connected in several ways because of our passion for the local church and our experience in supporting North Point’s Strategic Partnerships. And the rest as they say, is history.
It has been an amazing journey for me so far and I am blown away by the level of professionalism within PS20. But I am far more excited to know that all of us are so passionately invested in more than just counting and tallying. It feels awesome to be a part of furthering Christ’s renown by supporting churches in this way.
Thanks for welcoming me to the team – I am praying for all of you!
- Brandon