NLP

I am listening to a book on tape - about Neuro Linguistic Programming. The fact that we can program our brains to think a thought and our actions will come from that.

I believe this - and so did Paul. In Romans 12 he writes about being transformed by the renewing of our minds. And I believe that what we put in our heads and keep putting in our heads can affect everything about our lives.

So when we read the Bible we are hopefully hearing something that will change our understanding about ourselves and the world. We are loved. We are called. God is good and faithful. God provides. And the more we operate out of those thoughts, the less anxiety and the more peace.

I ruminate on that thought in many ways. We are going to be looking into Stewardship campaign in the next few months and always there is the question of how do we present that issue. We are in a deficit situation right now (always have been) and do the people of the church know that? We need to keep telling them that we need more money. And the suggestion has been to say - if we don't give more, then we have to cut back on something. Which I find very uncomfortable.

And my internal programming (core belief) is that there will be enough money from somewhere. We can trust in God's abundance. I have never served a church where the pledges matched the estimated expenses and so I never expect that they will. If our pledges matched our budget, we should increase the budget so that we always have to trust God. And that while it is good to be transparent in all that we do - make sure people know the financial situation - the decision to give is spiritual and needs to come out of that relaitonship with God.

Thursday I was at a meeting with several other clergy who are in churches that are in the midst of transformation. At my request we had a conversation about stewardship and I heard the same thing from all those ministers. And for all of them there was the same understanding that I have. Giving is a spiritual issue and that it is not about budgets or deficits - but about the question: "What is God calling you to give to God?" One of the ministers who has served his church for 20 plus years said - that some years there has been a deficit ($30,000) and other years they collected more money than they needed and that the church goes on and on.

What I believe is that God has given us a vision and that God will give us what we need to fulfill that vision. And honestly, there is a part of me that is wondering how this is going to happen. But I trust that it will. God is so Good.

It starts with what you think (believe). And I think that God will provide. Wish I knew how.