"...Use the gift(s) that God has given you to serve others." 1 Peter 4:10

I usually write about how to save, save and save some more.  How to save money on groceries and gifts, how to save time by making lists and staying organized, however...tonight I want to talk about something entirely different.

As I sit here, next to my husband with our girlies tucked sweetly into their beds, watching the Bills play tonights "Hall of Fame" game, I can not help but feel overwhelmed by joy.  The joy of GIVING!

For several weeks I've felt the desire to write about stewardship.  God confirmed this idea in a conversation I had with my dad, over coffee at Burger King this past Friday, about the passage in 1 Chronicles 29 where King David says that all (yes, ALL) we have comes from the Lord, and should be given back to Him.  

There are two aspects of this that have had an amazing impact on our family that I am compelled to share with you.  The first is giving with our finances.  It was a mind opening experience when Dave and I first sat down, almost 10 years ago, as a newly married couple to set aside 10% of our budget and dedicate it to our church.  We found it easy to say "we could really use that money for other things", but still stuck with our decision to give it back to God as He commands.  I can truthfully say we have been blessed beyond words with this decision and, as our financial situation has changed over the years, we've been able to give more to help, not only our church, but other ministries as well.  While saving money is important to us we are also not blind to the fact that, when we're no longer on this earth, our bank accounts will not enter eternity with us.  Donating our money to help further God's kingdom does, in fact, make an eternal difference in the life of others.  It's a blessing to be a cheerful giver.

The second thing our family has been tremendously blessed by is in the giving of our time.  We all have gifts; leadership, teaching, evangelism, music, hospitality, etc.  Over the course of our relationship, Dave and I have experienced personal gratification in using our personal gifts to serve others.  It's an honor to have volunteered in several ministries throughout my life, however this year has been especially remarkable!  In these past 12 months I have had the privilege of; teaching a Good News Club at Freewill Elementary, co-leading our Community Group at Northridge, coordinating the Mom's & Me group (along with my mom) at New Life, and being a volunteer with Foodlink at Covenant Life Fellowship.  However, perhaps the most exciting since it's one of the things I feel most passionate about, is becoming an official member of the Northridge Webster worship team. 

It's been almost 3.5 years since Dave and I last played music with Paid In Full, and exactly 2.5 years since we stepped down as worship team members at New Life.  Both of those decisions were heartbreaking to make and (to this day) I still miss the family and friends we're not longer regularly spending time with.  However, God has used these years to grow our family, strengthen our relationships, and prepare our hearts for (once again) leading others in praising God through music.  My heart is rejoicing tonight!

I would personally like to thank...

• My dad who, after attending the Acts 16:5 conference at Northridge, gently nudged me to seriously pray about how God may want to use us in this capacity.  
• My husband for going through each step of the audition process standing by my side offering his encouragement, criticism and advice. 
• Our girls, Isabella and Abigail, for spending over 8 hours at church (and getting up at 5:45am this morning) to sit through our practices.
• Our families for their kind words and excitement.
• Our friends for both your verbal and physical support.  

"Serve the Lord with gladness; come before His presence with singing."

Psalm 100:2