LLMJ

UL

20

12

2 6 13feature bishops world

As a young church planter with little income, I

decided I couldn’t afford to tithe. I was already

sacrificing and serving the church. No need to

give more, right?

My wife and I looked at our bills and our income. Then we

made a decision that changed everything. We ignored the

spreadsheet and trusted God.

We decided to give the first 10 percent in faith and see

what would happen. From that time forward, we never

lacked anything we needed. It was a huge step for our family.

A few years ago, I took my daughter (pictured right) on a

motorcycle trip to Lake Michigan. We got into a discussion

about money.

“What does God need with my money?” she asked.

I took her to the beach and poured sand into her open

hands. Next I had her try to hold on to sand with tight fists

and hands down. The sand fell out of her hands. In which posi-

tion did she have more? She got it.

The harder I work to hold on to my

stuff, the less I wind up with God’s best.

When we approach the Father with an

open heart, everything changes. Stew-

ardship becomes less about tithing

on the net versus the gross and more

about freeing ourselves to be gener-

ous with all we have. [LLM]

Managing Editor Jeff FinleyLead Designer Erin EckbergWriter/Photographer Michael MettsCopy Editor Dawn McIlvain StahlInternal Communications Andrea Anibal Project Manager Julie InnesWeb Architect Peter ShackelfordPublisher Jason ArcherBusiness/Operations Ben Weesies

Spanish TranslationEzequiel Alvarez Joel Guzman Janeth Bustamante Carmen HoseaJoe Castillo Karen KabandamaJennifer Flores Samuel LopezGuillermo Flores Rodrigo Lozano, Coordinator

LLM: Light & Life Magazine (ISSN 0024-3299) was established in 1868 by the Free Methodist Church. Pub-lished monthly by Light & Life Communications. © 2012 Free Methodist Church – USA, 770 N. High School Road, Indianapolis, IN 46214. Views expressed in articles do not necessarily represent the official position of the Free Methodist Church. All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations, no portion of this magazine may be reproduced in any form without written permission of the publisher. All Scripture quotations are from the New International Version unless otherwise indicated.

Whole No. 5241, Vol. 145, No. 7Printed in U.S.A.Member: Evangelical Press Association,Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability

Periodicals postage paid at Indianapolis, IN, and additional mailing offices.

Postmaster, send address changes to:Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd., Indianapolis, IN 46214

1 [openers]

LLML I G H T & L I F E M A G A Z I N E

“In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.” — John 1:4

D e v e l o p i n g E a r n e s t C h r i s t i a n s S i n c e 1 8 6 8

Website: www.llcomm.orgEmail us: www.llcomm.org/staffNews and submissions: jeff.finley@fmcusa.orgAdvertising: ben.weesies@fmcusa.org

Address all correspondence to:Light & Life Magazine, 770 N. High School Rd.,Indianapolis, IN 46214 (317) 244-3660

Stewardship Begins With Giving

To receive Light & Life in Spanish please contact our office: (800) 342-5531 or jeff.finley@fmcusa.org.

EXTRA! EXTRA!

Read more about stewardship at llcomm.org

1] Do you use QR codes?

Scan this box with your smartphone to

read more articles on this issue’s theme.

2] Living Stewardship

Ron Sittig tells how to make stewardship

an action.

3] Expert Advice

Each week in July, read a new discipleship

article from Free Methodist Foundation

staff.

Have Your Say

Vote for future magazine topics at fmcusa.org/llmsurvey.

Jason ArcherExecutive Director of Free Methodist Communications

i

B Y T I M B U R K H A R T

When you take a trip with a friend or a family mem-

ber, you learn a lot about the person.

For some, the journey is all about reaching the

destination. For others, it is all about the plan.

“Are we flying or driving?” “Let’s search the Internet to

see what we are missing.” “There are so many things to see

and do. How can we possibly do them all?” uuu

the

journey

Like preparing for a trip, good

stewardship includes reviewing

priorities and developing a plan. If we

intend to stay together, stewardship

involves relationships and listening to

people around us. We need to be sen-

sitive to people traveling with us. The

plan needs to be flexible enough to

keep everyone together and headed

toward the goal.

Learning and practicing good stew-

ardship improves relationships with a

person’s spouse, children and friends.

Our relationship with God is partly

defined by our careful use of what He

has entrusted to us: time, talent and

treasure.

Golden ParableIn Matthew 25:14–30, Jesus tells

of a man who is going on a journey

and calls his servants together to

delegate responsibilities to them.

“To one he gave five bags of gold,

to another two bags, and to another

one bag, each according to his ability.

Then he went on his journey” (v.15).

The first two ser-

vants doubled the

master’s invest-

ment, but the man

with one bag dug a hole and buried

the master’s gold.

When the master returned, he told

each of the first two servants: “Well

done, good and faithful servant! You

have been faithful with a few things; I

will put you in charge of many things.

Come and share your master’s happi-

ness!” (v.21, 23).

The master, however, said he was

not pleased with the “wicked, lazy

servant” (v.26) who buried the money

when he should have put the “money

on deposit with the bankers, so that

when I returned I would have received

it back with interest” (v.27).

Throughout Scripture, God

teaches us to be good stewards. The

Bible contains four times as many

passages about stewardship and

money as its passages about prayer

and faith combined.

Giving MasterIf we have strength and health,

we should consider these gifts

from the Lord with which we

can work and earn money. The harder

we work, the more we are tempted to

think of the things in our lives as ours,

but we need to remember that God is

the provider of everything good in life.

According to James 1:17, “Every

good and perfect gift is from above,

coming down from the Father of

the heavenly lights, who does not

change like shifting shadows.”

Diversify InvestmentsThe master selected three

servants to care for things while he

was gone. Selecting only one servant

could be risky. What if that servant

failed? It was much less likely that all

three would fail.

Diversification reduced the risk for

failure. From biblical times to today,

diversification remains an important

principal in investing.

“Invest in seven ventures, yes, in

eight; you do not know what disaster

may come upon the land”

(Ecclesiastes 11:2).

3 [feature]

Take Risks In their final years of life, people

often regret not starting more things,

such as going back to school or shar-

ing Christ with a neighbor. People

often avoid risk, yet Scripture encour-

ages us to take risks for Christ.

In Matthew 16:24–27, “Jesus

said to his disciples, ‘Whoever wants

to be my disciple must deny them-

selves and take up their cross and

follow me. For whoever wants to save

their life will lose it, but whoever loses

their life for me will find it. What good

will it be for someone to gain the

whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or

what can anyone give in exchange for

their soul? For the Son of Man is go-

ing to come in his Father’s glory with

his angels, and then he will reward

each person according to what they

have done.’”

Godly GrowthThe Lord brings the increase. We

must simply do our part.

In 1 Corinthians 3:6–8, Paul

writes, “I planted the seed,

Apollos watered it, but God has been

making it grow. So neither the one

who plants nor the one who waters

is anything, but only God, who makes

things grow. The one who plants and

the one who waters have one pur-

pose, and they will each be rewarded

according to their own labor.”

Give BackIf you don’t give back, you could

become prey along the journey.

In Zimbabwe, a hunter cuts a

small hole in a large gourd, hangs

it in a conspicuous location and

places a handful of peanuts inside.

A curious monkey will see what was

left behind, find the peanuts and

try to grab as many as he can get.

Because the monkey’s hand is now

too big to get out of the hole, he falls

prey to the hunter.

“Do not store up for

yourselves trea-

sures on earth, where moths and

vermin destroy, and where thieves

break in and steal” (Matthew 6:19).

Storing up treasures on earth is

like holding on to peanuts. Giving back

is vital to success.

God gives us credit for our gen-

erosity. Paul thanks the Philippians

for the help they have given him, and

he adds, “Not that I desire your gifts;

what I desire is that more be credited

to your account” (Philippians 4:17).

Master’s PartnersWe are partners in God’s work.

This partnership deepens our rela-

tionship with Him. God entrusts us

with His gifts, expecting us to give

[feature] 4

God entrusts us with His gifts, expecting us to give back in the capacity we are given.

back in the capacity we are given.

“For we are co-workers in God’s

service; you are God’s field, God’s

building” (1 Corinthians 3:9).

In Jesus’ NameYour role is to be the trustee,

manager and steward of all God

entrusts to you. Doing nothing could

be the greatest risk of all.

Paul writes: “And whatever you do,

whether in word or deed, do it all in

the name of the Lord Jesus, giving

thanks to God the Father through

him. … Whatever you do, work at it

with all your heart, as working for the

Lord, not for human masters, since

you know that you will receive an

inheritance from the Lord as a

reward. It is the Lord Christ you are

serving” (Colossians 3:17, 23–24).

What are you stewarding today?

Where are your plans taking you?

What does your destination look like?

Your answers matter. Follow Jesus

and get on with your journey. [LLM]

5 [feature]

www.fmfoundation.org

i Tim Burkhart is the vice president of estate and gift planning for the Free Methodist Foundation and the president/chief operating officer of GuideStream Charitable Gift Fund. He also serves as a delegate for his home church, Light & Life FMC in Avon, Ind.

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connection.

Paul warns Timothy, “For the love of money is the root of all evil …”

(1 Timothy 6:10 KJV).

I would have said the love of money is 50 percent of all evil, but that’s

why they didn’t ask me to write the Bible. After money, I would have said pride is the

root of about 30 percent of all evil, and chocolate is the root of about 20 percent.

Maybe Timothy didn’t have chocolate.

I guess it all depends on what you mean by love. When Jesus warned us we

couldn’t have two masters — couldn’t serve both God and mammon

(Matthew 6:24) — maybe He had this kind of love in mind. Maybe He was observing

that we can have broken hearts but not divided hearts, that every heart is “all in”

with something, that you can’t follow God with half your heart.

By the way, I looked up mammon. It just means wealth. Mammon sounds

scarier. There’s a TV channel called WealthTV. The Mammon Channel would have

been cooler.

In 1979, Bob Dylan sang that everybody’s “Gotta Serve Somebody.” Dylan is no

Apostle Paul, but his song is more accurate than the Beatles singing that money

“Can’t Buy Me Love,” a youthful under-calculation that Paul (the bass player, not

the apostle) later discovered in divorce court. In fact, money can buy you love for

several years, especially if there’s no prenup.

But back to Dylan. He’s agreeing with the Apostle Paul that love of something is

going to drive your life. The question is: Love of what? Wealth? Self? Chocolate?

The problem isn’t wealth per se; the problem is loving it, serving it and trusting

in it to supply our needs. The problem becomes real when the roots of wealth get

wound around our hearts, running their invasive tentacles into our ventricles, over-

powering our higher callings. That’s how we know we’re serving the wrong master

— not when evil is nurtured, but when goodness is squelched.

Mammon only buys love for a little while; then it turns and sues you for all you’ve

got. Mammon’s a lousy lover. Self is worse. And chocolate melts in your hand.

You’ll know mammon doesn’t have your ventricles when you can give it away

without freaking, when goodness has access to your credit card. Hate some mam-

mon today: Give it away! [LLM]

Tentacles in Our Ventricles

[bishops] 6

That’s how we know we’re serving the wrong master — not when evil is nurtured, but when goodness is squelched.

i Bishop David Roller

To read more from Bishop Roller, visit fmcusa.org/ davidroller.

Life is a stewardship. It’s a sacred trust.

My wife, Vicki, and I have a little sign above our bedroom door to remind

us: “Every Day Is a Gift From God.” The sign prompts us to remember to use

each day to fulfill the purposes of God in our lives.

In 1 Corinthians 3:10–15, Paul uses the analogy of a construction project to help

us understand the characteristics of a life well spent. Paul says there’s only one foun-

dation on which you can build a successful life: Jesus Christ. All of our plans, achieve-

ments and titles become meaningless if they’re built on the wrong foundation.

When the foundation is laid well, you can build a strong life. But you still have to

decide what kind of life you’re going to build. If you choose the precious things of life,

yours will be a life that’s focused on eternal values, the purposes of God.

But there’s another kind of life, one built out of wood, hay and straw. It’s about self,

about chasing the things of this life that don’t really matter.

Paul says someday our lives, our works — this building that we fash-

ioned — will be shown for what it really is. Insignificant stuff will go up in

flames. A life built on eternal values will remain a rock-solid testimony to

a life of good stewardship. [LLM]

Stephen Macaluso of Syracuse, N.Y., is a Free Methodist elder and a regional vice president of the Free Methodist Foundation.

SCRIPTURE:

1 Corinthians 3:10–15

“By the grace God has given

me, I laid a foundation as a

wise builder, and someone

else is building on it. But

each one should build with

care. For no one can lay any

foundation other than the

one already laid, which is

Jesus Christ.”

(1 Corinthians 3:10–11)

Building a Life of Stewardship

7 [foundation]

B Y S T E P H E N M A C A L U S O

Stewardship of all we own, all we earn and all we are is grounded in

Scripture.

God rooted it in His covenant in the Old Testament. He personi-

fied it in Jesus in the New Testament. In both Testaments, covenant keepers

and followers of Jesus were urged to be generous either in accordance with

their blessings or by virtue of their generosity. Examples include landowners

in the Acts church and, despite their poverty, the Macedonian churches.

The Wesleyan movement is blessed with founders who knew the mean-

ing of stewardship of life and possessions. John Wesley spoke of it often. In

two sermons, Wesley laid a framework for good stewardship. “The Use of

Money” gave us the familiar precepts “gain all you can,” “save all you can”

and “give all you can.” In “The Good Steward,” he holds that all of life is a gift

from God and should be managed to His glory.

Wesley not only preached stewardship, he practiced it. He consistently

lived on less than 10 percent of his earnings, giving the rest away. When he

died, he only had a few coins.

In the book “First Lessons on Money,” Free Methodist founder B.T. Roberts

wrote, “A man is never fully a man till he begins to care for others.”

Roberts practiced what he preached. When a farm became available as a site

for Chili Seminary (now Roberts Wesleyan College), Roberts turned over his house

for the first payment.

Building on the foundation laid by others, we are responsible for the use of all

we earn and own — all that we are. [LLM]

Lee Crist is the pastor of the Holiday (Fla.) FMC and a regional representative for the Free Methodist Foundation.

Gain, Save and Give

[history] 8

B Y L E E C R I S T

All of life is a gift from God and should be managed to His glory.

p John Wesley (Photo courtesy of Marston Memorial Historical Center)

B Y J E F F F I N L E Y

Stewardship has remained

a priority for Pearson and

Jeannine Miller since their

wedding 54 years ago.

During their marriage ceremony,

G.H. Boley — Jeannine’s father, a Free

Methodist pastor and Wabash Confer-

ence superintendent — advised the

couple to follow Matthew 6:33: “But

seek first his kingdom and his righ-

teousness, and all these things will be

given to you as well.”

“From day one with our lives

together, this is how we have

lived,” Pearson said. uuu

“Everything we’ve ever touched or

had belongs to God, and we just man-

age it for Him.”

God’s MoneyThe retired Greenfield, Ind., couple

emphasized the importance of tithing.

Charter members of Aldersgate FMC

in Indianapolis, the Millers believe giv-

ing starts at the local church level.

Jeannine said that even when

family finances were tight during her

childhood, tithing came first.

“I would get an allowance, and I

would put part of the allowance in a

special box — we called it the tithe

box — so I knew that money was

God’s. It wasn’t mine,” she said.

Jeannine completed her Greenville

College education in three years, and

Pearson was a senior at Purdue Uni-

versity when the couple married. They

bought a small trailer that became

their home.

“We didn’t have a lot to start with,”

Pearson said. “It’s been a blessing

to see how God has blessed us, and

we’ve been able to take those bless-

ings and manage them for His work.”

They pursued careers in education

while rearing their two sons, Jon and

Phil. Pearson worked as a teacher,

a principal, a school superintendent,

the state of Indiana’s director of

school finance and an education con-

sultant. Jeannine worked as a junior

high school guidance counselor for

39 years. Both are now retired, but

they stay busy.

Time for OthersThe Millers’ generosity includes

giving their time to many charities and

the Free Methodist Church – USA.

Pearson is a member of the

denomination’s Board of Administra-

tion and the chairman of its Benefits

Committee, which works with the

Free Methodist Foundation to man-

age the pension funds for pastors

and denominational employees. He

also served for 30 years as a Green-

ville College trustee and currently

serves as the board chairman of the

Wabash Park Campground, where

Jeannine also is an active volunteer.

The Millers are also active in their

community. Jeannine served for

years on the board of the Hancock

Hope House, a homeless shelter in

Greenfield. She currently volunteers

for Indianapolis-based Families First.

“They provide counseling for

families who are in various types of

trouble,” Jeannine said.

Foundation FansThe Millers credit the Free Meth-

odist Foundation with expanding

their stewardship opportunities. The

couple, who worked with the founda-

tion to establish a charitable trust,

appreciate the accessibility of the

foundation and the resources it pro-

vides for financial and legal matters.

“The Free Methodist Foundation

has been a real help to us and a

guide to us,” Pearson said. [LLM]

[action] 10Ph

oto

by P

eter

Sha

ckel

ford

“It’s been a blessing to see how God has blessed us, and we’ve been able to take those blessings and manage them for His work.”

11 [news]

This year’s Continental Urban

Exchange (CUE) attracted

Free Methodists with the

common goal of “Longing Forward”

as they reach cities for Jesus Christ.

New Hope FMC in Rochester, N.Y.,

hosted this year’s CUE April 25–27.

Elizabeth Gerhardt, a professor

at Northeastern Seminary, gave the

opening address, which looked at

issues related to the abuse of women

and girls.

“Peacemaking does not begin with

programs or politics, but begins on

our knees confessing our collusion

with evil,” she said.

On April 26, Kaela Sittig of New

Hope shared devotions. The 15-year-

old presented a clear idea of what

“Longing Forward” looks like in the

Bible and today.

Northeast Region Superintendent

Mitch Pierce provided devo-

tions April 27. Several pastors

shared ministry reports, and

the attendees appreciated

the two workshops, “Color,

Caste and Culture” by Pastor

Bruce N. G. Cromwell of Cen-

tral FMC in Lansing,

Mich., and “When

Helping Hurts” by

Pastor Greg Coates

of Indy First FMC.

A special pre-

sentation honored

U. Milo and Helen

Kaufmann, who have

served on the coor-

dinating council and

in various volunteer

positions with CUE

for more than 30

years.

Pastor Michael

Traylor of New Hope preached

on “From Babylon to Jerusalem,”

encouraging listeners to be a church

for the city, not just in the city.

Marvin McMickle, the president

of Colgate Rochester Crozer Divin-

ity School, gave the final address.

McMickle quoted W.E.B. DuBois, sug-

gesting we must learn to finish things,

and Harriet Tubman, telling escaping

slaves to keep going.

“CUE 2012 was like the Roches-

ter gold rush. With the opportunity

to sift through all that was said,

there were far more nuggets than

sand,” said B. Elliott Renfroe, the

president of the Free Methodist

Urban Fellowship. “The nuggets were

visible and very valuable. I realized by

the end of the week that my com-

plaints had been changed to convic-

tions, and God’s voice was increas-

ingly clearer.” [LLM]

CUE Encourages Urban Free MethodistsB Y K A T H Y C A L L A H A N - H O W E L L

For more CUE coverage, visit fmcusa.org/ ?p=492112.

New Hope FMC Pastor Michael Traylor speaks at the Continental Urban Exchange hosted by his congregation. (Photo courtesy of the Free Methodist Urban Fellowship)

[news] 12

JOURNALISTS HONOR LLCOMMColorado Springs, Colo.

The Evangelical Press Association honored Light & Life Communications during

the EPA 2012 convention. Light & Life Magazine [LLM] received the Award of

Excellence in the Most Improved category and an Award of Merit in the Denomi-

national category. LLM won fourth place for Publication Redesign, and llcomm.org received fifth place for Website Design.

THA MYX FLIES HIGHDenver

Jeff Puckett is a helicopter pilot who likes to share his love of flying

with others. Puckett regularly gives rides to pastors such as Age

Sandoval of Tha Myx, a Free Methodist Church in Denver’s Sun

Valley neighborhood. Read more about how the flights are chang-

ing Denver residents’ perspectives, and watch an ABC News video

report at fmcusa.org/?p=492172.

POLICE, FIRE CHAPLAIN NOW ELDER Wilmore, Ky.

Bishop David Roller ordained Arthur Lee Twombly as a Free Methodist elder May

18 during the New South Annual Conference. Twombly, 67, a retired engineer,

serves as the fire and police chaplain for the city of Shively, Ky. “It’s never too late. If

God’s got a use for us, He’ll use us,” Twombly said. For more coverage, visit

fmcusa.org/news-and-events.

AGAPEFEST WEATHERS STORMGreenville, Ill.

Stormy weather on May 4 cut short the opening-night performance

of AgapeFest headliner TobyMac, but he and his band later played an

acoustic set for fans remaining at the Bond County Fairgrounds. For

more coverage of the Greenville College-sponsored festival and pho-

tos by GC student Logan Shaw, visit fmcusa.org/news-and-events.

The Rest of the Story

Want to find in-depth stories of remarkable Free Methodists? Visit fmcusa.org.

We want to hear from you!

Tell us what your church is doing to impact lives in the United States and around the world. Submit your story at fmcusa.org/ yourstory.

i

13 [world]

B Y J O H N F R A N K L I N H A Y

When I pedaled past a herd of zebras and then

watched a giraffe lumber across the road

in front my bicycle, I knew I wasn’t in Indiana

anymore.

The Great Rift Valley — seemingly spreading into infinity

— reminded me. Endless tea plantations testified. Chil-

dren confirmed it as they ran excitedly toward our cycling

entourage, yelling “Jambo! How are you?” I was definitely

in Kenya.

Eight friends from North America had accepted Free

Methodist Bishop Nixon Dingili’s invitation to join him in

May for a 600-mile bike ride through his East African

nation. Our primary purpose: to raise funds to purchase

land and materi-

als to build the

first phase of

an International

Child Care Minis-

tries (ICCM) high

school in Kenya.

More than

1,000 sponsored children attend the seven ICCM primary

schools currently thriving in Kenya, but there is no second-

ary school. When children who have been nurtured in

ICCM schools finish eighth grade, they disperse to public

and private schools (if they qualify or can afford it). Too

often, contact and influence is thereafter diminished or

lost along with an important link in developing leaders for

the Kenyan church’s future.

Dingili envisions an ICCM boarding school that contin-

ues sponsored children’s advanced studies within the care

and fellowship of the church. He also

wants the school to offer vocational and

sustainability-based skill development.

Paying our own expenses and travel-

ing as a VISA team, we asked family,

friends and congregations to support

this cause with a donation. Some gave

5 cents for every mile we pedaled in

Kenya ($30); some gave much more.

More than 140 households or groups

have contributed most of the $40,000

goal. We hope others will join the effort

to reach the goal.

Believing in this cause and realizing

the confidence others placed in us

made our biking in Kenya all the more

beautiful. [LLM]

Cyclists Bike Across Kenya for ICCM School

To contribute to the ICCM high school or to view video and more photos and stories, visit fmcusa.org/ bike-kenya-2012.

To sponsor a child for $25 per month or learn more about ICCM’s work in 30 countries, visit childcareministries.org.

t The North Ameri-can cyclists are joined by missionaries Vickie Reynen and Ken Myers, Bishop Nixon Dingili, and ICCM National Coordina-tor Daniel Shanzuh. (Photo courtesy of John Franklin Hay)

I grew up on a small farm in the Midwest. We were tenant farmers —

the land my dad farmed did not belong to us.

My dad and the landlord, who lived a two-hour drive away, had a

crop-share arrangement. My dad contributed the labor, he and the landlord

split the cost of the seed, and then they split the harvest 50/50.

Dad showed me what it meant to be a steward, to be a

caretaker of something valuable that belonged to some-

one else.

Psalm 24:1 begins: “The earth is the Lord’s, and every-

thing in it.”

Dad understood that the earth he farmed belonged to another. To be

a good steward of that land, my dad had to plan. To raise a good crop, he

couldn’t just throw seed into a field. The ground had to be prepared by plow-

ing and discing. He had to select the best seed. Fertilizer, herbicides and

pesticides were often needed to produce the highest yield, and my dad had

to harvest the crop at the right time.

Today’s environmental movement raises our awareness that we are

stewards of the earth. Interest is high in conservation, but to what end?

The secular response is often “to make sure what we have is here for our

children and grandchildren.”

But, for the Christian, everything belongs to the Lord — not just the earth’s

natural resources, but also our time, talents and treasure. To maximize the

return for the Owner, we need to plan. By developing stewardship plans, we

can increase the yield for our families and for kingdom ministries. [LLM]

Cary Holman, Ph.D., is an associate professor of communication at Greenville College, the manager of WGRN-FM and a regional representative for the Free Methodist Foundation.

GROUP DISCUSSION:

[1] Do we live out our

belief that everything

belongs to God?

[2] Do we plan how to

spend our time, talents and

treasure effectively?

Stewards of God’s Property

[discipleship] 14

B Y C A R Y H O L M A N

Did you know a new disciple-ship article is posted to our website each week? The four monthly arti-cles are perfect for use in your small group or as a weekly supplement to individual study.

Cary Holman (left) u and his father spend time together on the farm in 1996. (Photo courtesy of Cary Holman)

INVESTMENTThe Free Methodist Investment &

Loan Fund provides investment options

that earn interest and loans that help

churches grow: fmlf.org.

GUIDESTREAMGuideStream Financial provides finan-

cial planning and investment manage-

ment from a Christian stewardship

perspective: guidestreamfinancial.com.

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Visit these Free Methodist websites for help being a good steward of the money and possessions with which you have been blessed.

PLANNED GIVING Create a legacy that protects your

family, provides income and advances

the kingdom of God: fmfgiftplan.org.

FIRST LESSONS Download a PDF of Free Methodist

founder B.T. Roberts’ “First Lessons on

Money”: fmcusa.org/btroberts-writings.

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[resources]

LLML I G H T & L I F E M A G A Z I N E

770 N. High School RoadIndianapolis, IN 46214

PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT INDIANAPOLIS, IN, AND AT ADDITIONAL MAILING OFFICES

PUBLICATIONS AGREEMENT NO. 40716549

STATION A P.O. BOX 54 WINDSOR, ON N9A 6J5 CANADA

E-MAIL: CPCRETURNS@WDSMAIL.COM

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