Dear New McKendree Church Family,

Stewardship is one of those “churchy” words that gets kicked around quite a bit but is seldom uttered or heard outside the context of our faith community.  That being the case, let me ask you: have you ever stopped to think about what the word means?  More specifically, have you ever thought about what stewardship means to you?  For most of my life, stewardship was a concept I’d never thought much about.  I’ve given to the mission and ministry of the church for as long as I can remember, but I did so out of a sense of duty and without giving it much thought.  Looking back, I supported the church because it was the right thing to do but never stopped to consider why it was the right thing to do.  But I’m here to tell you, when it comes to the financial stewardship aspect of our Christian discipleship, “why” we give is equally essential to our spiritual growth as the “what” we give. 

Each of us has a unique journey in understanding what Christian stewardship means. Let me share with you my process.  In essence, my understanding was shaped by two key influences: the Bible and french fries.

First, investigating what the Bible had to say about stewardship and the call to give generously yielded numerous results, too numerous to list here.  Some of my favorite biblical references are Malachi 3:10, Luke 6:38, 2 Corinthians 8:1-4, and 2 Corinthians 9:7.  While these verses, along with the many others I found, were very helpful in my quest for understanding, it was the french fry that brought it all together for me.  Allow me to explain. 

Picture this: a father and son go to their neighborhood McDonalds for lunch.  The father buys the little boy some french fries, and then, doing what all of us red-blooded dads do, he reaches across the table in hopes of snagging one of his little boy’s “fresh out of the fryer” fries.  The little boy slaps his father’s hand and says, “Don’t touch my french fries!  They’re mine!”

Although the father complies, he’s saddened by his son’s selfishness.  After all, the father knows that he bought the french fries, which, technically, belong to him.  Moreover, the father also knows that his little boy belongs to him.  As he watches his little boy devour the french fries, the father thinks, “I’ve provided my son with a whole package of fries.  I only want one.  Why’s my son so selfish?”

That’s when it hit me.  God is like a macro version of the french fry boy’s dad.  God blesses each of us with a complete package of life.  Just like the french fry-denied dad, God provides us with everything we have and, therefore, owns everything we have, including our very lives.  When God asks for us to give back to him a portion of our many blessings, too often, we figuratively slap his hand and say, “Keep your hands off my blessings!  They’re mine!”  But, unlike the selfish little boy, we Christians know that God has every right to expect us to be good stewards—i.e., managers—of all he provides us: our time, talents, and resources.  What’s more, God has every right to expect us to give back a portion of what he has given us to provide for the needs of others in his name.

While each of you has to figure out for yourselves—through prayer and study—what stewardship means to you personally, for me, it's all about the Word of God and french fries.  Your results may vary.