Setting the Table - An Urban Abbey Stewardship Devotional

DAY 1  
We are working to make room for everyone to have a place at our table of God’s love. Everyone has unique gifts and precious resources. Giving as a spiritual practice is not about zeros and commas but percentages and intention. Every gift will be a different number, but I hope that every gift shares the same purpose, passion, and love. I hope every gift is significant to the giver and offered in gratitude as a sign of God’s love flowing through us.

So please, join me in prayer and meditation as you consider how to support our mission and ministry in downtown Omaha.  How will God’s love flow through me to set the table and throw the door of welcome open wide? 

There is a short devotional, scripture, poem or prayer for each of the days ahead to undergird all that we do in intentional reflection and discernment.  In addition to these communal readings and reflections, I invite you to share in our Guiding Prayer each day as well.  

Space for a Crowded table …… 

Loving God,

You set the table for us in the presence of our anxieties and enemies, 

Our noisy narratives and preference for instant and cheep,

Our insecurities and worries that we are too much—or not enough.

You set the table and it’s hard to show up.

We filled up on stuff and craved the validation from digital ‘friends’

We said, ‘yes’ to too many things, double-booked, needed a nap, and flaked—again.

You set the table and we would show up 

BUT… there are messages unread and we’re super behind,

Chasing down productivity like it’s our one true salvation. 

You bid us feast on food that is more than fast and practices that nourish the soul.

You feed us with rhythms older than hurry—sabbath and silence, song and story.

You fill us with good things - abundance and gratitude; connection and generosity.

And so we take our seat

with all our being, perfectly-imperfect, 

wonderfully and beautifully made,

and we feast.

We take this nourishment in and then offer it out

not because we have to 

but because we are so deeply loved.

We loosen our grasp,

silence the noise and set some new norms.

We take this nourishment in and 

then offer it out as

your hands and feet, your eyes and ears

setting the table, grabbing more chairs, adding the leaf 

and throwing the doors of welcome open wide.

May we have the courage. Amen

DAY 2 
John 8:32 
To pray is to desire to know more fully the truth that sets us free.  Prayer uncovered the hidden motives and unacknowledged wounds that shape our relationships. Prayer allows us to see ourselves and others as God sees us.  Prayer is radical because it uncovers the deepest roots of our identity in God.  In prayer we seek God’s voice and allow God’s word to penetrate our fear and resistance so that we can begin to hear what God wants us to know.  And what God wants us to know is that before we think or do or accomplish anything, before we have much money or little money, the deepest truth of our human identity is this:”You are my beloved son. You are my beloved daughter. With you, I am well pleased” (Luke 3:22). When we can claim this truth as true for us, then we also see that it is true for all other people.  God is well pleased with us, and so we are free to approach all people, the rich or the poor, in the freedom of God’s love. In prayer, therefore, we learn to trust that God can work fruitfully through us no matter where we are or who we are with. 

As our prayer deepens into a constant awareness of God’s goodness, the spirit of gratitude grows within us. Gratitude flows from the recognition that who we are and what we have are gifts to be received and shared. Gratitude releases us from the bonds of obligation and prepares us to offer ourselves freely and fully for the work of the kingdom. 

– Henri J.M Nouwen

For your reflection: 
How does claiming your true identity as God’s beloved free you from the false identity imposed by culture, money or possessions?      

DAY 3
Count your many blessings
As you begin or end your day, take time for a Gratitude Prayer: 

body scan 
Start at your toes and move up your body naming gratitude for every bone, muscle, organ, and system of your body that functions. 

shelter, food, clothing
Thank who/what has contributed to provision of your basic needs.
Think of all who helped with your vocation, education, employment, intellect, skills you were given that provide your shelter and clothes.  
Think of all the farm laborers, truckers, production and manufacturing laborers, utility workers, garbage collectors, public servants who bring necessities to your home.

friends, family, community
Give thanks for people and groups by name who offer you love, support, a safe space to become you. 

faith, spirituality, religion 
Give thanks for all who have instilled awe and wonder to inspire your  spiritual journey.

the earth and all that dwells upon her and all that reaches beyond this planet  notice your interconnectedness to all animals, plants, trees, people, to the air, water, soil, to the galaxy, star, sun and moon  
-Rev. Dr. Jane Florence

For your reflection: 
Journal about all the gratitudes that you identified in your prayer time. For what are you most grateful?  

DAY 4
Matthew 6:28-30
Robin Wall Kimmerer speaks about a gift economy in her writings and the danger of greed that can never be satisfied. She speaks as a mother, scientist, professor and enrolled member of the Citizen Potawatomi nation and she gives a beautiful road map for us to follow. 

“The Serviceberries show us another model, one based upon reciprocity rather than accumulation, where wealth and security come from the quality of our relationships , not from the illusion of self-sufficiency. Without gift relationships with bees and birds, the Serviceberries would disappear from the planet. Even if they hoarded abundance, perching atop the wealth ladder, they would not save themselves from the fate of extinction if their partners did not share in that abundance. Hoarding won’t save us either. All flourishing is mutual.” - Robin Wall Kimmerer, The Serviceberry: Abundance and Reciprocity in the Natural World, p 72 

Nature teaches abundance. Nature teaches reciprocity and connection if we are wise enough to learn and listen.  

For your reflection:
If possible, spend a few moments in nature. If you cannot go outside, step to a window to view the outdoors, or look at a photograph of a favorite nature scene: mountains, oceans, prairie, beach, or forest. Where do you spot nature’s display of abundance? Where do you see reciprocity? Where do you become part of the awe and wonder? 

DAY 5
BORN TO BE GENEROUS
The journey home—the journey to discovering your best self—begins with this fundamental truth: we are created in the image of a loving and generous God.

The very essence of God is loving and giving. Because we are born in the image of God, we are born to be generous.In Generosity Rising, Scott McKenzie rewrites the opening words of the Declaration of Independence. He writes:

We hold these truths to be self-evident that all people are created in the image of a loving, giving, and generous God. We believe real life, true liberty, and eternal joy are only realized when we live lives of abundant generosity and sacrificial love. Eugene Peterson in Run with the Horses says it this way: Giving is what we do best. It is the air into which we were born. It is the action that was designed into us before our birth.

Can you believe this fundamental truth? Can you look in the mirror and say, “I am born in the image of a loving and generous God. I am born to be generous”? Perhaps your answer is no—that’s fine. Perhaps you aren’t quite sure—that’s fine too. Sometimes we struggle with this truth because we know in our hearts that we do not always reflect this fundamental truth. Often, we choose to live by the motto “The person who dies with the most stuff wins.” We choose stuff over generosity. How many times have we said to ourselves, “If only I had [blank], then I would be happy”? But when we finally get [blank], some other thing or need rises up and becomes the next “if only.” A friend of mine once told his wife, “If you will let me buy this motorcycle, I just know I’ll be happy and won’t ask for anything else.” However, the following year they came out with a new model with new features that he just knew he couldn’t live without. 

For your reflection: 
When have you experienced the pursuit of stuff for happiness being unending and unfulfilling? Remember a time when you really wanted something, and shortly after you got it, you were disappointed or no longer cared about it. 
What would it mean if you lived according to the statement, “we were born to be generous”?

DAY 6 
Hello, my dear Abbey friend. I’m so happy and proud of you for taking the time to read this devotional. You are awesome! As you are aware, we are currently in the midst of a campaign for a new building for the Abbey. (Yay!) Our song for this campaign is The Highwomen’s “Crowded Table.” If you’ve attended the Abbey at least three times, you’ve sung this song with us on a Sunday morning. You’re probably familiar with the lyrics. My favorite words are, “If we want a garden, we're gonna have to sow the seed. Plant a little happiness; let the roots run deep. If it's love that we give; then it's love that we reap.” My husband, Jackson, and I planted a garden this past spring. We built the fence, the beds, and landscaped a little bit (in freezing rain but who cares). As of today, while I’m writing this, our garden has exploded. We have more vegetables and herbs than we know what to do with! (You yourself might have even been a lucky recipient of a Martin veggie recently).

While it’s super fun to go out and harvest a particular veggie or herbs for that week’s recipes, building a garden is challenging. As I said, it was raining and very cold the day we decided to build the garden fence, beds, and landscape the area (it was Jackson’s only day off for that rotation, don’t question us). At one point, I stopped drilling the wood posts and looked up at Jackson and whined, “I’m tired of this! I want to be done!” And you would have, too, if you were on hour one thousand in the cold with wet tennis shoes covered in mud and insta-concrete. However, we have continued to cultivate this precious plot of land since its inception. With constant watering, weeding, harvesting, and little yelps from myself when a bug gets me, we have grown a beautiful and practical garden. Much like the fun yet tedious work required for our garden, creating a new space for every person to enjoy is hard work. An understatement, but nevertheless true. 

This work costs money, takes up time, and incorporates many different people collaborating. But this work is not impossible. With all of you, and our Abbey staff, we will create a beautiful, nurturing, and safe space for all people to thrive in their spirituality. It is imperative to have a place that people are not scared to enter, be that for reasons like religious trauma, fear surrounding their sexuality, or social anxiety. If we want a place that feeds our souls, we are going to have to plant some goodness now; whatever that looks like for you. The Highwomen say, “Everyone’s a little broken, and everyone belongs,” and I believe this line engenders a sense of camaraderie amongst people. Especially in a church, where typically you’re told to hide your brokenness, the Abbey is one place I have never felt the need to hide myself or my struggles with mental health. And knowing how impactful the Abbey has been for myself encourages me to offer what I can to make this place as wonderful for others. “If it's love that we give; then it's love that we reap. If we want a garden, we’re gonna have to sow the seed.” Continuing to grow this place for ourselves and others is invaluable work. Planting love, time, effort, finances, and more now will result in us reaping a safe, inclusive, and loving home for all peoples. So, go forth and plant something good, friend!   — Tori Martin

For your reflection: 
What do you want to plant at the Urban Abbey that will grow a crowded table? 

DAY 7
Lynne Twist, in her book The Soul of Money, reminds us we live in a culture held hostage by the myth of scarcity. She describes that when we wake up in the morning, our first thought is, “I didn’t get enough sleep.” When we crawl into bed at night, our last thought is, “I didn’t get enough done today,” and everything in between is a litany of scarcity. She points out that the antidote to scarcity is not abundance as we might assume. In our desire for abundance, we find ourselves captive to a constant cycle of needing more. The antidote for scarcity? Sufficiency. Isn’t that what we find in God’s abundance? God who provides enough . . . enough manna, enough grace, enough blessings . . . enough of everything so that we may share abundantly.

For your reflection: 
Do you ever approach life with a scarcity mind-set, “as if I might run out of ______ (fill in the blank: time, money, ideas, energy, love)”? How does this mind-set affect your spiritual life, connection, relationship with God, the earth and all others? How do you demonstrate the myth of scarcity in your life? In what ways have you experienced God’s sufficient blessings?

DAY 8 
GROUNDED IN GRATITUDE
Expressing gratitude is the foundation upon which generosity is grounded and where the journey begins. Gratitude flows from an understanding that who we are and what we have are blessings given to us by our Creator. A grateful heart overflows with a desire to share God’s gifts in order to be a blessing to others.

You may know someone who embodies a spirit of gratitude. These are the people who smile despite inclement weather, health issues, or financial circumstances. These are the people who always seem to remain upbeat and positive even during difficult times. Grateful people focus on the blessings in life and are filled with appreciation. What do these people have that we don’t? An attitude of gratitude!

The church is blessed with many whose spirits are overflowing with gratitude and thanksgiving. Born in God’s image, we are born to enter into the flow of gratitude and giving. Everything we are and everything we have is a gift from our Creator. Even our relationship with God is a gift! When we truly grasp the enormity of God’s blessings in our lives, our hearts are filled with gratitude. Expressing our gratitude to God is the beginning of our journey toward living into the generous people God made us to be.

– A Generous Gratitude, Horizons Stewardship 

For your reflection:  
Who do you know whose spirits are ‘overflowing with gratitude’?
How do you see gratitude in their lives?  

DAY 9
More from Rev. Debra reflecting on ‘John Wesley’s Sermon: The Use of Money Earn All You Can’
First, Gain all you can or earn all you can.  This does not sound particularly revolutionary.  He urged the early Methodists to work hard without delay and to avoid being idle.  But he had some clear parameters on what work should look like.  Work should not forfeit your body or soul. He named some working conditions that were dangerous, like those that work with toxic chemicals such as arsenic or melted lead. He even named folks that sit and write for most of their day as people that need to get up and move in an act of self-care. Working should not steal your well-being. His second rule is that working should not steal your neighbors well-being. Gain all you can, but don’t steal it from the people around you. Wesley names those industries like distillation that produced a high percent per volume “fire water” which took a lot of a man’s paycheck and impacted a family. He named pawn-brokers and even medical professionals that could stretch out the cure to make more money in the process. Gain all you can, work hard but gain all you can in a way that gives life.
Or as Leslie Knope says; “The best prize that life has to offer is to work hard at work worth doing.”

For your reflection:
What does “earn all you can” mean to you? 
How does your work measure against Wesley’s expectations for work?

DAY 10
We know the manipulations and the millions that are extracted from the wellbeing of people, especially vulnerable people through scams of all sorts, including religion. Faith and spirituality are powerful and people can exploit anything that is powerful. Churches have funded excessive lifestyles for church leaders - mansion, jets and more. The Roman Catholic church has funded lobbyests to prevent accountability and lawyers to defend clerics in cases of sexual abuse.  

Some churches manipulate with a theology called Prosperity Gospel, asking people to give with the promise that they will receive. It is particularly ugly and dangerous as they make “God’s blessing” a part of this scam. For these and many reasons, people can be leery when a church talks about giving.  

However the biblical message has been distorted, stewardship remains a faithful response of spiritual gratitude.     – Debra McKnight

For your reflection: 
Have you been wounded by a church through giving? Have you been manipulated to give in order to receive a blessing or a need? Where did this happen and when?
Have you overcome the reluctance or skepticism that arose from past experiences? 
How have you experienced giving at Urban Abbey differently? Where does your giving to the Abbey bring you the most joy?

DAY 11
John Wesley’s Giving Story
“You see the nature and extent of truly Christian prudence so far as it relates to the use of that great talent-money. Gain all you can, without hurting either yourself or your neighbor, in soul or body, by applying hereto with unintermitted diligence, and with all the understanding which God has given you. Save all you can, by cutting off every expense which serves only to indulge foolish desire, to gratify either the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life. Waste nothing, living or dying, on sin or folly, whether for yourself or your children. And then, Give all you can, or in other words give all you have to God. Do not stint yourself, to this or that proportion. ‘Render unto God’, not a tenth, not a third, not half, but ‘all that is God’s be it more or less, by employing all on yourself, your household, the household of faith, and all mankind, in such a manner that you may give a good account of your stewardship when ye can be no longer stewards.... Then why delay? Why should we confer any longer with flesh and blood, or men of this world? Our kingdom, our wisdom ‘is not of this world’. Hea- then custom is nothing to us. We follow no men any farther than they are followers of Christ.”

Gain all you can – without hurting yourself, others or the earth.
Save (from spending) all you can – live simply.
Give all you can – and know the joy of Abundant Generosity.

For your reflection:
In what ways are you a spender? A saver?
In what ways are you generous? Or not generous?
What do you like best about money? What do you like least about money?
What things in life are worth more than money?
In what ways does your lifestyle reflect the relative importance of these things to money?

DAY 12
Cooking, eating at a table, sharing that time of relaxation and nourishment are acts of serious, unconditional love. Nothing unites us more than sitting at a table with others. It is one of those funny things that’s taken for grant- ed, that we sometimes don’t appreciate enough. Life, like cooking food, is made of little parts, different items or ingredients that you put together because you think they will get along great. Then something happens, and you shift your gears and go in a different direc- tion. Finally, the dish is so good, so memorable, that you need to write it down, like a story, because you want to cook it again. You want to be able to relive that moment and savor it forever. – Gaby Melian

For your reflection:
Have you ever felt like you have so much to share, so much to give, so much to say that your head and your heart were going to burst?
What is your favorite table memory you would like to relive and savor forever?

DAY 13
Who Will Sit At My Table Today?
Will it be a stranger?
Will it be someone I know?
Will it be more than one?
Will they look like me?
Will they believe like me?
What I Know!
I know that I need to be open to whomever!
I know that I need to be accepting and welcoming!
I know that I need to show compassion and kindness!
I know that it is not about what they wear or how they look!
I know that it is not about how long they stay, or what they say!
What Matters:
It matters that I pull up an extra chair or add another leaf to the table when necessary.
It matters that I give of my abundance however great or small that is.
It matters that I help keep the doors of welcome open.
It matters that I am joyful.
It matters that I show love, respect and inclusion.
It matters that they are fed.
Above all, I know that my Divine Beloved will always be present at my table if I but ask!
– Avery Loschen

For your reflection:
When was a time that you were the stranger at a table? Did someone welcome you? How did it feel to be the stranger? What would have made you feel more welcome there?

DAY 14
Desire for discernment, wisdom, transformation, evolution
Give thanks for the growth process and open heart to discern your path for living

Begin by taking a few deep breaths, and then enter the inner sanctuary of stillness. Imagine a great start of light above you and slightly in front of you, pouring a waterfall of live and light over you. Let the Light enter the top of your head and wash through you, revealing the purity of your own heart, which expands and extends beyond you merging with the Divine Light. See yourself totally enclosed in the egg of light, and then repeat these lovingkindness blessings:
May I be at peace
May my heart remain open
May I awaken to the light of my own true nature
May I be healed,
May I be a source of healing

Next bring a loved one to mind. See them in as much detail as possible imagining the loving light shining down on them and washing through them, revealing the light within their own heart. Imagine the light growing brighter, merging with the Divine light and enclosing them in the egg of light. Then bless them:
May you be at peace
May your heart remain open
May You awaken to the light of your own true nature
May You be healed,
May you be a source of healing

Repeat this as many times as you wish. Think of all those for whom you have named in gratitude and offer blessing to them. During this season, we are asking you to hold the Urban Abbey leadership, mission and community in your prayers as well. Bring to your minds eye the members of Urban Abbey that gathers with you round our table of grace, bring to your minds eye the community that we serve who are marginalized and downtrodden, bring to your minds eye the table of God’s love we wish to open wide so that all may find space for healing, love and growth. Hold each of these images in the egg of light and offer blessing:
May all be at peace
May all hearts remain open
May all be awakened to the light of our own true nature
May we be healed.
May we be a source of healing
May we create a place for all at the table of God’s love.
May we live our gratitude in generosity and abundance.
May it be so.

DAY 15
Stewardship as a Spiritual Practice
A spacious heart. A spirit of joy, love and commitment to that which is greater than ourselves. An opportunity to grow and stretch your soul in ways you could have never imagined without the safety of a place that literally holds you in God’s love. A place that stretches you, challenges you, makes you laugh, maybe makes you cry and engages you so that yourexpansive heart can make an even bigger difference on this planet. A place that is literally larger than the sum of its parts because you help make that possible. Stewardship supports the Greater Good by giving all we can in all the ways we can....including a meaningful percentage of our money and gifts, our prayers, our presence and our service. This generosity grows and expands our hearts and creates a collective of Good. It requires us to pause and ask big questions like: What do I value? We are what we worship...so what do I worship? What is my purpose on this planet? How can stewarding my money and time help tend my soul? And how does that then ripple out to make a difference in a hurting world? Urban Abbey is a place where I have made new friends that I value and love. It is a place that holds a mirror of self awareness that I believe makes me a better person and strengthens my spiritual core. I want to help support a place like this because I have never experienced anything like it anywhere else. We literally are a one-of-a-kind coffee shop, bookstore, church...foundationed in strong Wesleyan values along with a dedicated, passion- ate, well educated and truly amazing pastor and team. It takes us all to keep it alive and to help it thrive. Won’t you prayerfully discern your contribution in terms of prayers, presence, gifts and service? You are invited to the table.
“Blessed is the one who trusts in Spirit. They are like a tree planted by water
that sends out its roots by the stream and does not fear when the heat comes,
for its leaves remain green, and it is not anxious in the year of the drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
- Jeremiah 17:8
Seanne Emerton

DAY 16
Setting the Table
As I lay the fork near the plate,
Let me remember this is Your table, not mine.
As I set the water glasses down
And fold the napkins, let me be reminded
that every setting at this table
is Yours, not mine.

Each one who will partake of this meal
is a particular someone You love, a someone
You have made and whom You sustain.
In You nothing and no one is forgotten.
How vast and providential is the memory
with which You keep us all.

It is only we who forget You
and then one another.
It is we who starve each other
and exclude each other.
Give me new eyes.
When the glass is raised by my friend
let me see You drinking.
When the fork is lifted by my child,
Let me recognize You eating.
You are the hidden joy which feeds
and keeps everything. You are the table,
The guest, the meal, and the commemoration.

Make in my person a place setting for you.
Remind me of my true nature
Which is recalled only in You.
– Gunilla Norris

DAY 17
“Dear God,
I am so afraid to open my clenched fists!
Who will I be when I have nothing left to hold on to?
Who will I be when I stand before you with empty hands?
Please help me to gradually open my hands
and to discover that I am not what I own,
but what you want to give me.”
– Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Only Necessary Thing: Living a Prayerful Life

Luke 19:1-10
The one time Jesus says, “Salvation has come to this house” it was not when Zacchaeus (the wee little man and very big tax collector) confessed him as his Lord and Savior. Rather salvation was announced when Zacchaeus decided to give half of his wealth away and right all the financial wrongs he had committed as a tax collector. He was converted from living in the Emperor’s scarcity to acknowledging God’s abundance. He left the commodification of people, places, and plants and joined the gift economy. An economy built on relationship, abundance and generosity is not the kind of economy anybody in power at any time in history seems to be a real fan of implementing or maintaining.
– Rev. Debra McKnight

For your reflection:
What does it feel like when you live in a mindset of Scarcity?
Can you imagine a world of Abundance? What does it look like and feel like?

DAY 18
Grace After Meals

We end this meal with grace
For the joy and nourishment of food,
The slowed time away from the world
To come into presence with each other
And sense the subtle lives behind our faces,
The different colors of our voices,
The edges of hungers we keep private,
The circle of love that unites us.
We pray the wise spirit who keep us
To change the structures that make others hunger
And that after such grace we might now go forth
And impart dignity wherever we partake. – John O’Donohue

For your reflection:
Do you (your family) have a table grace that you repeat routinely? Where did you learn it?
What meaning does it hold for you?
Consider writing a table grace that expresses your desires for Urban Abbey’s crowded table.

DAY 19
Matt 6:19-21

Talking about money is one of the greatest taboos around. Money conversations are a greater taboo than conversations about sex or religion. The reason for the taboo is that money has something to do with that intimate place in our heart where we need security, and we do not want to reveal our need or give away our security to someone who, maybe only accidentally, might betray us. Many voices around and within us warn us of the danger of dependence. We fear being dependent on others because of the idea that dependence is a threat to our security. The pressure in our culture to secure our own future and to control our lives as much as possible does not find support in the Bible. Jesus knows our need for security. He is concerned that because security is such a deep human need, we do not misplace our trust in things or people that cannot offer us real security.

“What is our security base? God or manmon? That is what Jesus would ask”. – Henri J.M Nouwen

Matthew 25: 35-40

The “Crowded Table” song by The Highwomen makes me think not only of family gatherings, but more importantly it makes me think of so many moments at the Abbey, or at Abbey events. The “Crowded Table” has themes of inclusivity, support and belonging, unity over competition, activism and connection. The “crowded table” offers a space for people to come together, offer a space to someone who wanders in, no matter where they lay their head at night or what they wear or who they love. The “crowded table” is a space of belonging during good times and during “valley-lows”. The “crowded table” in the song also encourages collaboration instead of rivalry. The “crowded table” is coming together and giving each other strength to go out into the world and support each other. The Abbey has become a wonderful “crowded table”. As we consider our part in continuing to support and welcome all to our crowded table, I think of all we have welcomed and those we have yet to reach and serve during these coming months, and years. And continuing to have a crowded, but room for everyone table within Urban Abbey. For Urban Abbey is the growing community.
– Angel Peterson

DAY 20
– Rev. Debra McKnight on John Wesley’s Sermon: The Use of Money

Wesley’s second rule was save all you can. He is not talking about saving plans, 401K’s or anything else that might come to mind for us He is talking about stepping towards careful use of money. He is talking about a deep mindfulness about what you really need to buy...or don’t need to buy. He is talking about not wasting money on a bunch of stuff. Guided art, books, fine furniture, decadent meals, fine clothing and jewelry...etc that are not truly needed and push us on a cycle of wanting more things. Personally, I have long found this a challenge. It is so easy to be at Target and think oh that would be great to have. It is easy to mindlessly consume and I have often been really good at it, and it is easy to see how much stuff we gain when we have to move and start packing all of it up. would like to say in recent years that I have slowed down and that it has been an act of faithful-ness. But I cannot. I can say I have been more mindful because of my partnership with a frugal accountant, that poses the question of do we really need that? Usually, we do not. I recently learned about a woman who took a break from buying and when she saw something she wanted, she went home and drew a picture instead. This inspired her to pause and be mindful about her spending, her consumption and her most authentic needs.
For your reflection:
What does “save all you can” mean to you?
Do you find this a challenge?
Do you have ways of thinking through your purchases?

DAY 21
My parents taught me at an early age to budget my money. Pay my bills – 10¢ (weekly dues to my Bluebird troop). Donate – 10¢ to my Sunday school class.
To myself, a treat of a package of gum or a Three Musketeers bar – 5¢. Yes, I’m that old that my allowance was only 25¢ a week. To be fair to my parents, my allowance didn’t pay for anything I couldn’t live without, but my allowance was only to teach me how to manage my money.
Other adults that I trusted and admired shared their money. My dad put a $20 bill in the church envelope each week. My mom was a leader in the Community Chest drive. I admired the Amends. I don’t know the amount of their monetary gift, but I remember our discussions about pledging to the church. Mrs. Amend made an off-hand comment that the IRS audited their income tax return because of the amount of their giving to the church. I thought that was something to aspire to. In my family,

I’m the bill payer, with input from others in the family. Juggling the mortgage, the car payments, the electric bills, the grocery bills. Can we afford the prom dress? The orthodontics? The summer camp? The piano lessons? The family camping trip? Oh dear! The furnace died. How do we pay for a new one? We were lucky enough to have jobs where the income was not terrific, but it was consistent. Churches need that too. I give because I’ve been on the leadership side of a church planning a budget. It’s hard to know how much to pay the pastor, the musicians, the custodian if you don’t know how much you’re going to receive in pledges. It’s hard to commit to supporting mission work. And those are the places where the church wants to spend its money. But whether you like to think about it or not, the church still needs to pay the utility bills and the building maintenance. The church needs to be able to predict its income so that it can responsibly pay its bills.

I give because I’ve been asked. I’ve been in church all my life and I know that October is Pledge Drive month. When I first pledged as an adult, it was a small pledge because it was kinda scary to make that commitment. Over the years, I was asked each year to increase my pledge. Sometimes a percentage increase was suggested, sometimes Rand and I would come up with our own. One of the best at asking (and thanking) is public tv. At the end of each program, the announcement is made : “This program is made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, by This&That oundation and by people like you. If you want to see more programs like this, give to your local station by calling 800-728-2828.” PBS asks and thanks repeatedly.

I give because of Matthew 6:19-21: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal, but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal.” And especially because of Matthew 6:21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” My treasure includes far too many doo-dad and what’s-it’s. My kids look at my treasures and see moth eaten stuff and rusted thingamajigs. They don’t want to deal with the 5 sets of dishes or the tea cup and saucer sets my grandmother gave me. They definitely don’t want to deal with Rand’s record albums or CD collection, but they might look through the books before sending them off to the Goodwill or the library books sale. I give because Jesus tells me how to store my treasures and what’s important. (Just some nonsense – I think Jesus and Heloise would have been great friends – and maybe they were. When I was a kid, I read the newspaper column, “Heloise’s Helpful Household Hints” and she was always telling how to get rid of mold and rust.) – Nancy Brookhart

For your reflection:
What is your story of money and giving? Who shaped your relationship to money?
Are you happy with that relationship? Would you like it to change? If so, how?

DAY 22
Urban Abbey’s Giving Story
Our first gift was from the United Methodist Church in 2011. I think about how people from every corner of Nebraska gave to make this ministry possible. In 2014, it looked like we could close. Projections showed us running out of that starter capital with nothing to save the day behind it. So we made some hard decisions that year, splitting from FUMC Omaha, adding campus ministry, and I went part-time to see if we could make this go. We had enough money to make it a year. Then I imagined we would beg the Bishop (the most conservative bishop) to re-start our grant just like they had done for so many other new church starts. Things were tight and we thought about stopping our community partnerships, keeping all of the sales we make at the coffee bar rather than giving them to our partners.
Coaches and consultants thought this was a good idea. But our board decided to go down giving. It was part of the practice, and we were going to keep practicing. That first year our congregational giving doubled. The next year it doubled again, and the third year it grew by 60% from the year before. It was incredible! I never had to beg the Bishop to re-start our grant. I think people knew that if they wanted this place to exist, if it mattered, they had to invest in it. Our growth has been measured and steady. The Abbey exists today because people chose to give. Folks made hard choic- es and decided to invest in this work and this place and this team.

– Rev. Debra McKnight

DAY 23
Top Reasons People Give to an Organization

1. Belief in the mission. Believe it Makes a Difference and changes lives.

2. Regard for staff and fiscal responsibility of organization.

3. Involvement in and Relationship with the institution.

4. Belief that together we can do more.

Additional Reasons People Give to Church

As a spiritual practice affirming that we worship God not money

As an expression of our gratitude for all that we have is from God

As a statement in a God of Abundance counter to a world of scarcity

As a statement of resistance to a culture of consumption

A desire to maintain the church as a spiritual center for future generations

A desire to support this church as an alternative voice for Christianity

of inclusion

A desire to be a partner of our ministry and connected to all others

For your reflection:

Which of these reasons to give resonates with you most?

Why do you give?

DAY 24
As a child raised in the UMC, I remember Trick-or-Treating for UNICEF every Halloween. The Sunday before Halloween we would dress up in costume and “Trick-or-Treat” throughout the pews in lieu of a typical offering; then on actual Halloween, we were encouraged to, on top of getting candy and other treats, to ask the homes for any spare change to go towards UNICEF. As a child, I was never a great sales person from selling Girl Scout cookies to asking for money for UNICEF on a night when people are already expecting a knock on their door.
As I’ve grown, I still struggle to ask people for money that goes towards a cause, but I’m getting better! I remind myself that if the roles were reversed and someone asked me to donate for UNICEF, mutual aid, or social causes, I would. While giving time and reposting on social media are sometimes all we can physically give, many organizations like the Urban Abbey also rely on monetary support.
The Urban Abbey has grown so much in the last several years that they are now the little kids in costumes asking the congregation for monetary support. I remind myself as I give to the Abbey, UNICEF Trick-or-Treaters, or NPR that my money is going to support programs, people, and buildings that I love and want to succeed. In this season of change (both literal money change and a change of location), consider giving to the Urban Abbey to continue to support it’s mission of coffee, communion, and community. – Isabel Bousson-Halling

DAY 25
I believe in the Holy Spirit. I believe it guides me in my life, pointing me in directions to go, but also helping lead me away from paths I ought not take. I believe God works with me, and for me, in this way. In thinking about where to give our family’s finite resource of money each year, I invite the Holy Spirit’s help. Some may call it their heart, or their conscience, or their gut.
For me God is there. Decisions on financial giving, in my view, should not be made in haste, not made out of guilt, and not in comparison with others. Instead, I feel it’s our call to prayerfully center in, ask the Holy Spirit to guide us, and then let the head and the heart come up with a figure over a period of days to weeks.

From there we must trust that those dollars, whatever the amount, will help make the world just a little bit more like God would have it.
– Joel Walker

For your reflection:
How easy/hard is it for you to ‘trust’ in God’s guidance and provision?
When have you experienced a leap of faith that confirmed for you God’s presence?
Have you pondered the question, “How will God’s love flow through me?”

DAY 26
– More from Debra on John Wesley’s Sermon: The Use of Money

As the early Methodists started gaining and saving, they became people with some means. They were a movement largely of poor people and through their personal transformation and through their work together, sometimes giving or receiving micro-loans, sometimes teaching people to read, sometimes offering health care or shared meals, they moved up the socio-economic ladder. They did not mind Wesley’s comments about earning all you can or save all you can but when Wesley said give all you can...that turned into a challenge they did not appreciate.
Some complained that Wesley was “excessively generous.’ They complained and raged against the movement and community that helped them out of poverty. Wesley knew what it was like to grow up in poverty, his father entered debtors prison when a church member called in a debt. He knew what wealth was as well, given his vocation and the status it afforded. He asked wealthy folks to give a lot and he advocated for new tax codes and challenged the greed of the wealthy. He also asked the poor, who participated in the Methodist Movement, to participate fully by giving what is the equivalent today of something like a dollar or two a week.
Wesley desired each of us to experience the power of generosity just like he asked people to take communion, read scripture, visit prisons or pray. Giving is, I think, the most challenging spiritual practice. It is a challenge to everything every other voice says we should do.

For your reflection:
What does “give all you can” mean to you?
What kind of practice have you had with giving?
Do you give occasionally, regularly, pledge a percentage or income or give sacrificially?
What would be the next step to try in your life?

DAY 27
Mark 12: 41-44 The Widow’s Gift

So many stories in the Christian gospels offer images that reverse our expectations of how the world should work given the cultural patterns we live in. Western culture magnifies wealth and idolizes the accumulation of goods and resources as a sign of success. In the gospel story, Jesus shows the opposite. The widow in her poverty who has given two copper coins is more generous than all those who hoard their wealth and give a fraction of it.
It can be hard to trust in this abundance in a world that tells us everything is scarce, and we have to compete with one another or be left wanting. This is not a prosperity gospel message where Jesus wants those of us who are poor or struggling to give away all of our funds in the hopes of some bigger financial payoff. But it is an invitation to the practice of generosity, which is its own form of abundance. To love freely, to give of one’s time lavishly, to practice compassion without bounds. We are called to do this for ourselves as well as for others.
– A Different Kind of Fast

For your reflection:
Different numbers with the same passion.
Not equal giving, but equal sacrifice.
Is your charitable giving in line with your desire and your intent? Many people have financial obligations such that personal spending changes need to be eased into existing patterns. What would be a next step in giving that aligns your intent with your practice?

DAY 28
Measuring, pouring, stirring, folding,
shaping, baking, peeling, cutting,
frying, turning, slicing, serving.
These are words I cook with.
They are all motion, all process.

I know as I create this meal
there is another cooking going on.
It, too, is all motion, all process -
an inner transformation.

Help me to give myself away
as easily as this carrot, this new potato.
I want my layers to peel away like the onion’s.
I want to be as empty and clean
as the universe in a sweet green pepper
with its white star seeds.

I want. I want. In the heat of Your will
help me to give up wanting!
I am so full of urgency, expectation, image,
I make myself spiritually hungry. You are here,
therefore, there is everything to receive.
with this daily bread I am fed.

– Gunilla Norris