Dare to Think Differently…No More Debt and Dis-ease!

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  • You Can’t Stop Now!

    You Can’t Stop Now!

    “You can’t stop now” was my pastor’s reply to my testimony. I was so excited to tell him about the miracles that were taking place in my life since I decided to change some things. That was 27 years ago and looking back now I could never have imagined how prophetic his words would be. What I think he was getting at was that I would not be able to reverse this radical change in direction my life had taken. My 180 degree course correction came as result of him having given me a new way of viewing life and happiness – the Christian stewardship view.

    Very early in my journey stewardship quickly became for me a way to not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of my mind! (Romans 12:2)

    I was introduced to stewardship like most people with the Time Talent and Treasure model, the 3 ‘T’s for short. However, I remember thinking this stewardship is radical stuff. This is a lifestyle that is really about be swimming against the tide of cultural secularism and runaway consumerism and materialism. I was actually attracted by the counter-culture feel of it. My way of life wasn’t working for me so I was ready to risk going against the trend. Very early in my journey in stewardship it quickly became for me a way to not conform to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of my mind! (Romans 12:2)

    I was so excited with the way this renewed way of thinking had so instantly and dramatically transformed my life I was convinced that there was more to this than Time Talent and Treasure.

    The Time, Talent, & Treasure model is tired and quite frankly doesn’t have any lasting impact in people’s lives.

    In my 14 years of promoting stewardship at the Archdiocese of Winnipeg I consistantly would tell church stewardship teams…”Our number one job is to inspire people to change the way they think about who they are and all they possess!”  The Time, Talent, & Treasure model is tired and quite frankly doesn’t have any lasting impact in people’s lives. The three ‘T’s program is tired because it simply places a demand on people the moment they hear it. They think, “Oh, the church wants me to volunteer and give more!”

    “Our number one job is to inspire people to change the way they think about who they are and all they possess!” 

    It’s time we dare to think differently about how we invite people to a greater commitment to this beautiful spirituality and view of life. Hearts and minds are transformed when we think outside the box of time, talent, and treasure.

    There is a better way to stewardship than the annual 3 ‘T’s appeal, a way that is both joyful and sustainable.

    There is no doubt that we need to change what people think about stewardship? We can begin by demonstrating that stewardship is joyful when it is formed, not out of obligation or duty, but gratitude. Over the years I have developed a way to stewardship that includes nine virtues – not 3 ‘T’s.  My experience has been that these virtues, when cultivated in a person’s life, naturally lead people to greater stewardship. Moreover, they inspire stewardship that is sustainable!

    It all begins with the virtue of gratitude. Gratitude is the foundation because, “Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all the others” (Cicero).

    Gratitude, humility, simplicity, discipline, trust and generosity are the hallmark virtues of stewardship. These six virtues when held up by the virtues of perseverance, patience, and prayer build a life of peace, hope and joy. The ways of the world lead to a hopeless end – discipleship and stewardship are the way to endless hope.

    This blog exists to inspire and equip leaders in the stewardship movement. I look forward to exploring the impact of these stewardship virtues, and hearing about how you have dared to think differently about stewardship.

    Always grateful and hopeful in our good and gracious God,

    J. Dan Potvin

  • Beware the evil ‘isms’!

    Beware the evil ‘isms’!

    From the moment we are born we are immersed in a machine that is designed to keep us pursuing instant gratification as opposed to that which will provide sustainable satisfaction. Most North Americans will spend 8 to 9 years of their life in front of a television.

    Toddlers today know what the golden arches ‘M’ stands for before they know their own surname!

    There is a way to be free of the materialism, consumerism, and hedonism that exercise such powerful influences in our lives today.

    Have any of you ever had your car repossessed by the finance company?

    I have!

    Have any of you ever had your phone disconnected by the phone company?

    I have!

    Have any of you ever lost your business and had to declare bankruptcy?

    I have!

    These three events were the perfect storm in my life that motivated me to examine my life, and the choices I was making. Desperately in need of change I took an honest look at how I viewed life and what I was pursuing.

    I had fallen prey to the seemingly attractive ‘isms’.  I was pursuing the ‘good life’ according to what all the images in the media were telling me.

    The financial problems in my life back then were creating a lot of wrong thinking in me and I was headed down a path of destruction. I was carrying a lot of worry and anxiety; I just wanted to be able to provide for my family! But the choices I was making only sabotaged any chance of that. The wrong thinking, worry and anxiety manifested itself in some bad behavior…binge drinking with my buddies!

    Desperately in need of change I took an honest look at how I viewed life and what I was pursuing.

    Fortunately, and providentially I was introduced to a new way of thinking about all that life has to offer. I began to see things differently. When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change. The slow process of taking control of the isms in my life began.

    3 Core Mindsets that have Paved the Way to a Much More Abundant Life!

    # 1 It is all God’s Gift!

    • Everything we accomplish (skills, achievements) or accumulate (possessions / wealth) is not solely of our own doing.
    • God created us and has endowed each of us with particular gifts. It stands to reason then, that everything we have or are able to do as a result of our skills, achievements, and opportunities are a gift from God. It is all God’s gift!

    I never used to think that everything in my life was a gift from God.  Ever since I’ve changed that thinking the pressure is off, I don’t worry as much! God will provide all that I need.

    This leads me to the 2nd core mindset…

    #2 Be grateful always and everywhere!

    • This is particularly helpful in finding balance and control over the ‘isms’.
    • Just think about how much we have to be grateful for in North America. And that is the key – to think about that on a daily basis. It’s too easy to take so much for granted.
    • Don’t get caught up in complaining about your circumstances, or compairing yourself to what others have. (If we are going to compare ourselves, then let’s compare ourselves to the millions of people in the world who struggle every day just to find something to eat and clean water to drink. We best not stay in our own little world view lest we forget just how blessed we are and neglect those in need.) 
    • Gratitude is the ANTIDOTE to complaining and comparing!

    Gratitude silences any complaining voice in my head. Moreover science has proven that gratitude is extremely important in maintaining a healthy and strong mind! I know that when I practice gratitude I make better choices.

    When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at change.

    If we believe #1 and practice #2 God will take care of the rest…the 3rd core mindset!

    #3 Trust in God’s providence!

    • God always provides what we need.
    • We have Jesus’ word on that, see Matthew 6:25-33.
    • When we trust God it not only frees us from worry it also gives us the confidence to step out in faith and do what He wants us to do.

    All good things come from our good and gracious God. Gifts that we should always and everywhere be grateful for. Stewardship of it all calls us to share it and trust God. God’s desire is that we receive His gifts gratefully, use them responsibly, develop them conscientiously, and share them generously with others. That’s the stewardship cycle.

    When we cling to our gifts too tightly it leaves no room to receive, and the cycle closes! 

    Stepping out in faith and trusting God reminds me of another God-incidence…

    One Christmas years ago I had fallen prey to the ‘isms’ and responded to an image of a happy family opening gifts in a direct mail solicitation from a finance co. I got sucked in and borrowed a $1,000 so as to make for a wonderful Christmas for my family. It wasn’t so wonderful after Christmas. It took me 8 months and $150 interest to pay back the loan!

    The next Christmas my thinking had changed. There were two God-incidences that Christmas that I will never forget. The first was when my wife noticed a single mom in line for a Christmas hamper at our church. Lynn knew this woman from the religious education program she coordinated at the church.

    Lynn had an idea. In addition to the Christmas hamper the church community was providing what if we offered to buy her children some Christmas gifts. Lynn contacted the woman and she aggreed to allow us to do that. I’ll never forget the look of joy on those little girls faces when we dropped the gifts off a few days before Christmas – and the the way our own children were filled with joy for doing it.

    The second God-incidence was the result of a prayer request I had been making to God all of December. I was praying that I would be a better steward that Christmas; be grateful for what we had; and, not give into the ads and go into debt again!

    The money we spent on those children was a bit of a sacrifice, however it felt so good. It was part of me being a better steward of our financial blessings that year and it did not go without reward.

    A couple of days before Christmas I was at the post office checking our mail. I was suprised to see a letter from a former employer; the company had gone out of business a couple of years earlier. I opened the letter and found a cheque for $380! It was part of a delayed and totally unexpected severance package.

    I stood there with tears in my eyes, and looking up to heaven, I said, “I get it God…You will not be out done in generosity.” I think it was God’s way of letting me know I was now thinking about things rightly, and to stay the course and trust in Him!

    If any of you reading this post feel like you could do with a change, then I hope you too will dare to think differently!

  • The Chicken Story – Another God-incidence!

    The Chicken Story – Another God-incidence!

    It was no co-incidence that our friends showed up that night. I am convinced it was a God-incidence.

    The chicken story has a back-story that I should begin with to set the stage properly. A few months prior to the chicken event I had returned to the Church after 10 years as a C&E Catholic, (a barely Christmas and Easter only Catholic).

    It was a year into recovering from the loss of my business, which had forced me into personal bankruptcy, when this ‘prodigal son’ decided to give God another chance. My faith was not on solid ground yet, however, praise God, my wife’s certainly was. She never gave up praying for my conversion.

    This ‘prodigal son’ decided to give God another chance!

    After the loss of my business I took a job as a door-to-door salesman. That lasted about nine months. Then I took a job selling life insurance. Both were not reliable sources of a stable income, and we had two young children to feed!

    I was stressing out over paying the bills and keeping food on the table. Lynn knew I was worried and she knew what to do…she always prayed for me.

    While praying for me the Holy Spirit gave Lynn an idea.

    I was out late one night meeting with a life insurance prospect. I came home that night without a sale…nothing unusual about that! It was unusual however to walk into the living room that night and see a bible open on the floor in front of the television. I thought, “That’s odd”. Then I said to myself…

    “No, that’s my little prayer warrior trying to tell me something. I’d better pick it up and check it out because she’s for sure going to ask me about it in the morning”.

    I am so glad I took the time to read what she had selected – Matthew 6:25-33.

    I tell you not to worry about your life. Don’t worry about having something to eat, drink, or wear. Isn’t life more than food or clothing?…

    …But more than anything else, put God’s work first and do what he wants. Then the other things will be yours as well.

    Everything changed for me that night!

    The pastor at our church at the time had been teaching us about stewardship. Jesus telling us not to worry in his sermon on the mount made stewardship crystal clear to me. If we need not worry because God will provide for our needs, then it stands to reason that everything that we have in our lives actually comes from God. I really don’t own anything. It’s all been given to me by our good and gracious God.

    “What is so special about you? What do you have that you were not given? And if it was given to you, how can you brag?”

    1 Corinthians 4:7

    Something else in particular struck me that night. It was verse 33 about putting God first and doing what He wants you to do that really got my attention. I thought, wow, I really have not been putting God first and still he was taking care of us. The last few years had been difficult and we were still going through some very tough times, but we always got through it.

    Imagine what life could be like if I was putting God first I thought! That night I began my journey in stewardship and discipleship with a radical new zeal!

    Now to the ‘Chicken Story’!

    Not long after the Matthew 6 eye-opener we were sitting at the kitchen table one evening having dinner and Lynn looked quite concerned. I asked what was wrong and she asked when my next pay day would be. I had to tell her that I hadn’t sold any insurance policies for weeks and did not expect to be paid any time soon. Lynn then rather emotionally declared,

    “That’s not good, because the kitchen cupboards and fridge are empty and so is our bank account!”

    To which I replied, (not thinking it through), “Why don’t you practice what you preach! Remember Matthew 6, ‘do not worry’!”

    That did not go over well at all. The truth was that we were indeed in a tough spot with no solution in sight any time soon.

    Still, I suggested we pray and trust God.

    Prayer is the foundational virtue of a good steward. In prayer we take time to give thanks to God who is the source of all our gifts. Moreover, it is in prayer that we discern how God wants us to use and share the blessings He bestows on us. Prayer itself is a gift, how are you stewarding this gift? How is your prayer life these days?

    So, we prayed that night after we finished supper and… moments later there was a knock at our back door. It was some friends we had recently met through my life insurance job. They were a beautiful couple, farmers, and Pentecostal Christians with a joy filled faith. We asked them to come in and they carried in with them two large cardboard boxes. They placed the boxes on the kitchen table and said, “We felt like you guys could use this.”

    Those boxes contained six frozen chickens from their farm, some ground beef and lots of fresh vegetables from their garden!  Barely holding the tears back I proclaimed, “See Lynn, do not worry!”

    It was no co-incidence that our friends showed up that night. I am convinced it was a God-incidence. I believe it was a fruit of a decision we had made earlier that year. We had taken a leap of faith and committed to giving $5 a week consistently to our church as a way to say thank you to God. I know, five bucks isn’t much, but is was to us back then! Our giving practice at church had previously been to give whatever change was in my pocket. That was all we could afford, or so I thought. We began to give every week with a consistent sentiment, “Thank you God, you got us through another week!” We still give, and certainly more now as God has enabled us to; and to other charities as well. We give not because the church or other charities need it; stewardship is not about giving to need, it is about needing to give, because it’s one way we can express our gratitude to God.

    The chicken event was God’s way of telling us we were on the right track, and headed in the right direction. Lynn and I will never forget that night, and the countless God-incidences that have occurred since.

    “Stewardship is the right thing to do. Its rewards can’t be kept out!” Bishop Eugene John Gerber (1931 – 2018)

  • A Dangerous Point of View

    A Dangerous Point of View

    “You can’t stop now”, my pastor said, and he was right!

    That was 27 years ago and looking back now I could never have imagined how prophetic his words would become. I haven’t stopped since! I couldn’t stop because of the radical change in my thinking he had invited me to embrace. Moreover, he inspired in me the courage to walk in a totally different direction than the crowd. I had dared to think differently and that opened the door for God to go to work in my life.  

    What had changed in me? What was it that I couldn’t stop? The Christian Stewardship view of life is what happened! Our pastor was on fire for this counter-cultural way of viewing life and happiness and he challenged the entire parish to give it a go. I am forever grateful that he did.

    Before stewardship my attitude was, “What’s mine is mine!”

    Stewardship taught me that “What’s mine is mine” is a dangerous point of view. It’s dangerous because by making that claim I was denying the truth. The truth is that all good things come from our good and gracious God. That is true of everything we human beings have: cherished relationships with a spouse, family or friends; spiritual gifts like our faith and the hope that comes from having faith; our abilities and talents; the income we are able to earn because of our abilities and talents; the material goods we possess because we are able to earn an income; achievements of human genius and skill; our beautiful and life-sustaining planet. It’s all God’s gift. One day God will ask for an accounting of how I stewarded all these things He gave me. And, Jesus tells us there are dire consequences for having the “What’s mine is mine” view and not exercising good stewardship over God’s gifts…

    “And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 25:30)

    I hope when I give my accounting of how I stewarded His gifts to me, God will respond…

    “Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master“ (Matthew 25:21)

    How we view things is how we do things!

    John Maxwell

    Upon hearing the stewardship message I immediately changed how I viewed all the things I possessed. The truth was it’s all God’s doing. I started to do things differently, taking much greater care for all that God gives me, and more importantly I began to share it!

    After stewardship my attitude became, “What’s mine is His!”

    What immediately followed my new view of things was a series totally out of nowhere blessings in my life. These blessings were certainly not of my own doing…I’m not that good. And, neither were they mere co-incidences. It was abundantly obvious to me that they were God-incidences. God was the only possible explanation. I believe they were God’s way of letting me know I was now headed in the right direction. Gone was my dangerous view of things.

    Stay tuned for more on the God-incidences in future posts.