Finances

Renovation Church – Year End Letter!

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This is a letter that will be going out to all the people who have given to Renovation Church over the past year. I also wanted to share it on my blog and thank all of you for your prayer and support!

P.S. – If you would like to give to Renovation Church, you can give online easily and securely!

Dear Renovation Church Family,

I want to take a minute to thank you for your incredible generosity. Renovation Church officially launched in the beginning of October with exactly zero dollars. We were truly uncertain on whether or not we would be able to pay expenses – let alone have resources set aside for outreach. Although we did not have the answer, we continued to take the steps that we felt God was leading us to take.

The Apostle Paul, in his short letter to the church in Ephesus, says it this way – “Now to him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us—to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”

Friends, we serve a God who is more than able to provide for our needs – both as a church and as individuals. In November, only the second month of Renovation Church, we were able to give over $1,300 back to our community through a turkey giveaway and angel tree program. This was only possible through YOUR incredible generosity!

As we continue to grow, God continues to provide for our needs through the giving of His people. We currently have over $14,000 saved so that we can quickly mobilize for outreach and benevolence in our community and beyond. On Sunday, February 4^th we will be meeting the first missionary organization that we will support as a church – Simba Educational Ministries. Simba Ministries has a mission “to further the Kingdom of God by equipping and empowering Kenyan children with the boldness of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the Gospel, through a Christ-centered education.” On Sunday, February 4^th, Chase Ward (a local Garretson resident) will be coming to our service to share more about the vision of Simba Educational Ministries and give us an opportunity to support the people of Kenya through prayer, giving, and serving.

I seriously cannot wait to see what God is going to do in 2018 through our church and other churches in the area. I really believe the best is yet to come. It is an absolute honor to be one of the leaders of Renovation Church – thank you for allowing God to use you through your prayer, serving, and giving so that we can fulfill the mission God has given us of making disciples of all the nations.

In Christ,

Tyler Ramsbey

Immediate Obedience

As I was meditating upon the Gospel of Matthew this morning, I was struck by the reaction of two disciples to Jesus when he called for them. Jesus, who at this time did not have any disciples, was taking a stroll beside the Sea of Galilee. This body of water is a popular and busy workplace for commercial fishermen. All around him, Jesus can hear the rough talk of men and the distinct sound of fishing nets crashing into the water.

Into this scene, Jesus sets his eyes upon two brothers – Simon and Andrew. Similar to any other day, Simon and Andrew are laboring to catch fish. This is not a vacation for them, this is their livelihood which they have trained many hours for.

Boldly, this itinerant preacher calls to them from the shore: “Follow Me,” He told them, “and I will make you fish for people!” (Matt. 4:19)

In essence, Jesus is calling them to sacrifice their comfort and financial security to follow an unknown rabbi. What would you have done? I would have ignored this preacher in order to provide for myself and my family. I have a tendency to worship security rather than God. Instead of stepping into the unknown, I would have held onto my current condition of life and disregarded the Son of God.

How do Simon and Andrew react?

Immediately they left their nets and followed Him. (Matt. 4:20)

They left their sense of comfort. They left their financial security. They left their friends and family. They did all of this to attain a greater prize – following Jesus. Instead of hesitating and worrying themselves out of obedience, they listened immediately.

God wants to use you and I today to accomplish his purposes but we often rationalize our disobedience.

My challenge for YOU today is to obey immediately as soon as you hear the whisper of the Holy Spirit prompting you for action.

Three Reasons Why YOU Need a Budget!

In a couple of weeks, Ashley and I will be celebrating our one-year anniversary! Today I was thinking about some of the practical things that made our first year together a success. One of the many tools we implemented was a budget that we actually use.

YOU NEED A BUDGET!!!!!

I cannot overemphasize that point. Whether you are in high school, college, a 9 to 5 (or more than one of those) you NEED to be following a functional budget. Below are three reasons why.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty.” – Proverbs 21:5

A budget helps maximize your giving.

One of the pushbacks I hear about sticking strictly to a budget is that it overemphasizes money. Honestly, I think this is just an excuse for lazy and foolish people to not properly manage their finances (before you get mad that I called you lazy and foolish, go read Proverbs and you’ll find out it’s true). I have found that keeping a budget does not decrease your giving, it actually INCREASES it.

When you form a budget you are able to create certain categories that have set amounts. When you spend out of these categories, you do not have to feel guilty or worried about your monthly bills because you know you can afford to spend money in that area (as long as your budget is actually functional of course).

Practically, I highly recommend having at LEAST two areas for giving in your budget. The first one being tithing to your local church (yup, that DOES mean at least 10% of your income). Second, I would recommend setting apart an amount that you can give to other people. This amount can be used for any type of giving – from charity to taking a friend out to eat. This will make you much more generous AND give you confidence that you won’t go broke.

A budget destroys the power of money.

If you have never used a budget, you probably think this point is counterintuitive. You may be asking, “How does spending time managing my money help remove its power? Wouldn’t that put a greater focus on cash?” The keyword to that question is MANAGING.

Either YOU will manage money or MONEY will manage you.

If you are going through life without a budget (especially if you are on a fixed income) you will constantly be attacked with thoughts of anxiety and stress over your finances. You will buy a gift for someone or have to repair your car and then spend the next two weeks worrying about whether or not you will be able to pay your rent and electricity bill.

If you manage your money properly, money will serve you. If you do not manage it properly, you will serve money.

A budget increases your income.

Okay, not technically. If you stick to a budget I cannot promise that your income will go from $30,000 to $60,000 but it WILL increase your savings and your overall wealth. Sticking to a budget is not a “get rich quick” scheme. It takes many years of discipline. Yet the time will come when you will look back and are grateful you heeded the advice of being strict with your spending habits.

“If you live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.”

Above is a quote by Dave Ramsey. If you live and are strict on your budget now, you will reap the rewards later. This should not be your sole reason for sticking to a budget but it is the eventual outcome. I would like to take some liberty and change Dave Ramsey’s saying slightly… If you live like no one else, later you can GIVE like no one else.

Sticking to a budget will maximize your giving, destroy the power of money, and increase your income! So why not give it a shot?

Do you use a budget? What are some of the advantages that you have noticed when it comes to properly managing your finances?

By the way, I highly recommend checking out the ministry of Dave Ramsey. His website can be found at www.daveramsey.com – He has loads of Biblical wisdom when it comes to managing finances.