Estimate of Giving Card
We invite you to complete the 2024 Estimate of Giving Card using the online form. Please contact Amy in the church office if you have any questions or problems. Thank you.
9818*_*2024 Estimate of Giving Card
Week #1 - Leaving a Legacy
“God has a plan for your life, and part of this plan is that you are fruitful, that you have a chance to do his kingdom work, and that you live into his will for your life. But our spiritual lives remain immature and unfruitful as long as we’re pursuing the American Dream as the culture tells us to.” - Adam Hamilton.
Lord, we confess that in many ways, we have bought into the lie of the "American Dream,” which says that success is defined by profits, portfolios, possessions, prestige, and pleasure. We struggle with the yearning for more, and often, we try to satisfy this yearning by pursuing material things rather than pursuing you. Forgive us, Lord. Change our hearts and correct our vision. Give us your perspective on money and possessions. Help us not to focus on all the things we wish we had but to be grateful for what we do have. Teach us to wisely manage the resources you have given us so that when you prompt us to help those in need, we are free to do it. Enable us to live simply, to be content, and to give generously. Amen.
Week #2 - Wisdom & Finance
“To be a Christian is to follow Jesus Christ and to seek to do his will in our lives. It is to say, ‘Here I am, all of me. I’m yours. Put me to work, help me to serve, use me to accomplish your work.’ Now, if this is our life purpose, then our money and possessions should be devoted to helping us fulfill this calling...We are blessed to be a blessing.” - Adam Hamilton.
Gracious God, all that we have comes from you, yet we are not always wise stewards of what you have so graciously given us. We have listened to the lure of the world, buying and consuming compulsively and excessively. Forgive us for being wasteful like the prodigal son. Forgive us for leveraging our future in order to have pleasure in the present. Help us to begin to put into practice the biblical and practical wisdom we have discussed so that we may become good managers of all you have given us. Teach us to be generous and willing to share – to be Kingdom-minded people who are focused on accomplishing your purposes for our lives. Amen.
Week #3 - Cultivating Contentment
“Contentment is found in our relationship with God and our relationships with others. This is why Jesus said the two most important things we must do are to ‘love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,’ and to ‘love your neighbor as yourself’ (Matthew 22:37, 39). If we keep our focus on these two things, we will find satisfaction for our souls and lasting contentment.” – Adam Hamilton
Lord, cure us of restless heart syndrome. We are truly sorry for the times when we have been ungrateful for the gifts you have given us – unsatisfied with our spouse, unsatisfied with our children or our parents, unsatisfied with our homes or our cars or our healthcare or our jobs. Forgive us for offending you with our discontent, and forgive us for being content with things we are not supposed to be content with. Help us to have a deep longing for you and your will for our lives. Give us the desire to pursue righteousness, holiness, justice, and love. Help us to simplify our lives and to find our peace in you. We ask these mercies in your holy name. Amen.
Week #4 - Defined by Generosity/Wrapping Up
“As the Holy Spirit continues to work in our lives, we begin to think less about ourselves and more about others. We begin to see the needs of others and wonder. If I don’t do something, who will? As this change takes place with us, we experience real joy. We discover that we find more joy in doing things for other people and for God than we ever did in doing things for ourselves.” – Adam Hamilton.
O God, we thank you for life. You walk with us every moment of every day. You stand with us when we go through hard times. You fill our hearts with peace and joy when otherwise we would be afraid. Everything we are and everything we have comes from you. Please help us to remember what really matters. Help us to be grateful for what we have. Help us to find your purpose for us and try to live it. Help us to take seriously our relationships with our family and friends and to invest in them so that we might be used by you to make this world a better place. Help us to trust in you and to love you with all that we are and all that we have. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
