Giving Our Best

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to baptize my son, Owen. For anyone who has had the privilege to dunk someone special, you know what an amazing experience this is. So, how do we commemorate this occasion? We’re going camping!

I won’t pass up a nice RV when I have the chance, but this time Owen and I are going to rough it. We’re driving up to a nice, flat campsite, building a tent, and making a fire. Heck, we might even kill a squirrel for dinner! The peace and quiet of camp life will give us plenty of time to talk about what happens next. Baptism is the beginning, and the “what’s next?” conversation is critical to his faith journey.

As his dad, I’ll be walking alongside the relationship between Owen and God for many more years. Far more time will be spent with him after his baptism than before it (Lord willing). We’ll have far more conversations about God, and far more difficult life lessons to be taught. One of the greatest things I can do for my son is to show him what redemptive love looks like, to model the character of Jesus, and to help him continue to die to himself and let Jesus live through him.

Included in those talks will certainly be money. But more than money—sacrifice.

I don’t want my son to give the least amount possible to anything. Who wants that as a virtue? “Give the least that you possibly can… to your marriage… to your work… to your church.” Nobody finds that virtuous, right (unless we’re talking about taxes)?

This Sunday, our guest speaker Damian Boyd will be back with us. He’s going to talk about how the love-God-money-sacrifice combination works together. As always, he’s going to be Gospel-centered and passionate.

I hope you can join us!

Joe Braun

Weekly Giving | 2.19.17

$23,569.00

Weekly Need $39,700.00