Some zany ideas

What, two blogs in one night...why yes it is my friends. Just like the double features of the bygone days.
While I was sitting in church on Sunday at Mars Hill listening to another fine sermon by Mark Driscoll, a Wu-Tang Clan song came to mind. The title of the song was entitled C.R.E.A.M. and the course went a little something like this, "Cash, Rules, Everything, Around, Me. /C.R.E.A.M./Get the money/Dollar, dollar bill, ya'll." And before everyone blows me up for the Wu-Tang Clan for popping into my head during church let me explain a little further. The sermon was on God gives, and Driscoll was detailing how we as Christians have become poor stewards of God's possessions. Instead of serving the Jesus, we takes jobs that give us a little extra "breathing" room. For what...a new car... a member ship to the health club....new carpet....a redone kitchen...a new tv(that is something I am guilty of)...fancy new clothes...name brand groceries...Truth be told we are guilty, one time or another, living by Wu-Tang's Clan credo of C.R.E.A.M. Though none of the above mentioned things are in of themselves wrong, I am issuing a challenge to detail your budgets and try and document everything you spend. And see if you are being a good steward. Stewardship is not about just tithing, it is about using everything God gave you for His glory. I myself have fallen way short in this area. I buy mt. dew like I'm preparing for the decimation of the world. I treat Christmas, as though the stores are going to suddenly run out of toys. I fill my kids closets as though I was preparing on becoming a Mormon. Boys and Girls, take inventory and see if you are being a good steward.

On a long side note, during the sermon a couple of other ideas popped into my head. I will relay them. They are need of some serious fine tuning. Here they are any rate.
One idea is to implement as soon as possible a ministry where the people of the church, give(with a gracious heart of course:) $10-$25 or more a week, bi-weekly, monthly,etc. to a ministry that would be involved in helping out the community. Some facets of this ministry would include, at the beginning stages: Providing thanksgiving meals to families in need, providing a "good" Xmas for the single-moms with kids or families who are in dire straits, putting jackets on kids during the cold Philly winters, etc. As the ministry grows, I would like to see it include chipping in on the bill on those with medical needs, taking some stress off the single moms by taking/giving her a day at the spa(or whatever she likes to do) and taking the kids to theme park, a museum, etc.

The second idea involved challenging the church members to go through possessions and see what they don't use from toys to clothes to tools to cribs and gather them up and starting up a thrift type of store for the needy. The only catch is I want this store not look like your typical musty, thrift. I would like to see clothes clean and on hangars or folded nicely. I would like the toys in working order and not beat up. Though people can donate what they want I would like to this the person "in-charge" sifting through the stuff to make sure it works, it clean, etc. And best of all everything is going to be free.

Anyway, those were just a couple of random thoughts, if you have any suggestion throw them my way. Or if you know someone who does this type of ministry throw them my way.