Two weeks ago, the question was posed to the BLOGFORCE:
“How has financial giving affected your spiritual life?“
We received several responses, which are listed in the order received
Steve Pankey  “Contentment”:
In the New Testament lesson for Proper 21c, the author of 1 Timothy tells the young leader that there is great gain in godliness combined with contentment. He warns Timothy of the trap of riches. The temptation that comes with a lack of contentment takes our attention away from God. Envy leads to ruin and destruction. As I rode through my neighborhood that afternoon, those empty TV boxes pulled me to the edge of the root of all evil: the love of money. Thanks be to God, the temptation of a shiny new TV for the big game didn’t win out. In coming to grips with the opportunity cost of tithing, I realized that sacrificing for the Kingdom is something that should bring joy.
Megan Castellan  “Stewardship and Anxiety”:
Coming to see money and my material possessions as belonging to God, and not to me was a radical shift in my understanding and comfort level with money. It empowered me to be bolder with my resources, more able to see at work in everything around me–even the things which scare me most.
Alberto Moreno blogged “Como a afectado tu vida espiritual el donar económicamente?”:
El dar económicamente es una realidad que no he terminado de aprender y que siempre me desafÃa a salir de mi “zona de confort” para ir a los demás en necesidad.
Brendan O’Sullivan-Hale  “5 Ways My Spiritual Life Changed When I Got Serious About My Pledge”:
Much as I remember exactly where I was when I made the decision (or was called, whatever) to become a Christian, I can also name the precise moment I decided to become serious about giving to the church. In a nondescript ballroom in the basement of the Sheraton in downtown Indianapolis, Walter Brueggeman was giving the keynote address at the conference for The Episcopal Network for Stewardship.
Holli Powell  “Six Stories of Stewardship”:
Sometimes giving to the church can feel a little bit nebulous. It’s not like giving to a food bank or a homeless shelter, an organization with one sole purpose. The money I give to my congregation might go to pay our staff, to heat the building, to fund the youth group, or to do something I don’t even know about. That’s tough for me, and it’s needed. I don’t always get to direct God’s actions. Actually, I don’t ever get to direct God’s actions, and that is the hardest thing for a control freak like me. I have to let the money go and trust that God will do with it what God will.
Adam Trambley  “How Has Financial Giving Affected My Spiritual Life?”:
Adam Trambley describes the effects of tithing on his faith and his marriage. “We came to realize just how much we were united “for richer or for poorerâ€, and the blessing that could be, even when things felt a bit more on the “for poorer†side. Tithing the firstfruits of our finances together meant that we were obedient to God together, and it drove us to prayer together which has significantly deepened our spiritual life together.”
Susan Snook  “Putting our Trust in God, Not Money”:
But the thing is, for us, sitting there in church, we heard the voice of God at the same time, calling us to do this absurd thing. And God showed us that he was there, blessing us right through it. In fact, in writing that check, we made the decision that our money was not going to be our savior. Against all our training, against all our professional backgrounds, against common sense, we determined that we would put our trust in God instead. And we’ve never looked back.
Respectfully Submitted,
David Simmons, BLOGFORCE Wing Commander