In this third post on giving and prayer, I have eight words of stewardship advice:

Pray

Say thank-you

Tell stories

Pay attention

Pray. (This is one worth repeating. We’ll talk about the Holy Spirit and pre-authorized giving!)

Clergy and Christian leaders can act on this simple counsel immediately.

Prayer and giving are both spiritual disciplines - ways of following Jesus. This post looks at the when of giving and prayer: steady giving, spontaneous giving, steady prayer and spontaneous prayer.

Starting a four-part series on the spiritual disciplines of prayer and giving. Together and Apart looks at how we give - in worship and individually.

How can a shrinking church increase generosity? Generosity is a spiritual discipline, part of following Jesus. Reducing expenses doesn’t increase generosity.

What if a church wrote into a newspaper for financial advice? Part 1 of a series

Stepping into the church, I was overcome by hopefulness. They had taken risks to serve their community well and it showed.

Gratitude is an entry-level spiritual discipline. Anyone can start without waiting for a shiny, perfect life.

When we are scared, we hold on to what we have too tightly. Sort of a death grip, which is ironic because none of the things we are squeezing are ours to keep. As I’ve said before, dying with a big pile of money under the bed is the same as dying with a big pile of zucchini under the bed….Like an angel’s visit, gratitude interrupts our fear and reminds us of God’s faithfulness.

Encouraging ways to nurture generosity for churches who are worried about keeping the lights on

A blessing for church people who work behind the scenes. The lingo varies, but if you work for the diocese, denomination, national church, synod etc., this one’s for you!