The Secret of a Healthy, Happy Life

You probably know the story that goes with this picture. A man sees an old lady sitting by the side of the street looking very bright and happy.
“What is the secret of your long and happy life?” he asks
“Well, I smoke ten of these big cigars a day. I drink two pints of good rum, and I always have a boyfriend who is half my age.”
Man: “Wow! That’s amazing. How old are you?”
Woman: “Forty-two.”

A more serious answer to the question of how to live a healthy and happy life is to give to others.
An article in Ode magazine describes the work of Paul Wink of Wellesley College, (Click Here) who did a comprehensive study of what brings health and happiness to the lives of people. He quickly discovered that “generativity” (the ability to give to others) ranked high on the list.

According to Wink, the protective effect of giving on mental and physical health buffers an entire lifetime. Wink found that teens who scored high on generativity in high school were healthier and happier half a century later. “There was a strong correlation with mental health in particular,” he says.

Wink also sees “generativity” as strongly linked to faith. “Religious individuals see giving and altruism as the natural outpouring of their faith.”

A March, 2008, report in Science magazine, “Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness,” (Click Here) found that, "spending more of one's income on others predicted greater happiness both cross-sectionally (in a nationally representative survey study) and longitudinally (in a field study of windfall spending)."

Of course, giving does not have to be just financial giving. Below are 10 low-cost ways to give from consultant Britt Bravo. What would you add to the list?

• Volunteer in your community, or virtually.
• Listen to someone who needs an ear.
• Visit someone who needs company.
• Give away stuff (i.e. clothes, books, CDs, DVDs, furniture).
• Double a recipe, put half in a tupperware, and share it.
• Share the skills you get usually get paid to use for free.
• Recommend someone on LinkedIn.
• Send a card or letter to someone who would love to hear from you.
• Give a loved one a shoulder or foot rub
• Show appreciation for the people you love.

Planning a Ministry Fair

Consecrated Stewards latest offering, “Consecrated, Lord, to Thee,” provides resources for congregations that want to move beyond financial stewardship to whole life, year-round stewardship. One of those is a Ministry Opportunity Fair held on the week before Consecration Sunday. The Ministry Opportunity Fair enables the congregation to promote ministries within the congregation and the community and give members opportunity to pledge support for these ministries through prayer and participation.

Some good additional resources for planning and organizing a ministry fair may be found by clicking here.

Money Speaks??

The following devotional message was posted by Pastor Martin Schultheis, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Catonsville, MD, on his blog, "Wonderings Along the Way" (CLICK HERE to visit the blog.) It is used with his permission.

Money Speaks?

If you have enough time read Acts 20.

‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Acts 20:35

The mere “coincidence” that a feeling of uncomfortableness comes up when someone talks about how we should spend our money – and especially “the church” – in many ways bears witness to the hold we seem to let finances have on our lives.

A devotion about the “need to give” just doesn’t seem to ring as spiritual or even as practical as so many other possible topics for meditation. On the contrary many of us might like to try to read through such a devotion quickly (if at all), convince ourselves that no behavior change is necessary (or desired), and look forward to next week’s devotion about something more worth wrestling with – like, maybe, judging others.

Add on to this the fact that for married people the “need to give” is usually a joint decision and “since I’m already convinced that even if I wanted to change in this area my spouse would never go for it” a devotion on giving might seem to have as much hope as an electronic slice of canned ham (that would be spam for those who didn’t get my attempt at humor).

Nonetheless – here goes – and here goes bluntly:

For those of us who are waiting for our money to tell us it is okay to be generous – both in our giving of at least a tithe (10%) back to the Lord as well as our giving to others – it simply will never, ever, EVER happen.

Wait, wait, wait as we may, our money will NEVER (guaranteed!) say it is okay to give it away.

Why is this, you ask? Is it because our money always wants more, is never satisfied, always wanting to grow, grow, grow? Absolutely NOT! Not even close.

Rather the reason why our money will never give us the okay to let go of it is simply this: our money can’t talk. It has no mouth, no mind, no will.

Another attempt at corny humor you ask? Maybe, but not without pointing out an extremely important truth.

The truth is that the decision to give or not give cannot be blamed on our money. The Lord doesn’t call our money to be generous; He calls US.

If we are not giving, it would seem lunacy to turn to our money and blame it.

I share this not to shame us into generosity – for each one must give as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7) and shame rarely if ever brings forth cheerfulness.

But rather the knowledge of this point is important so that we can recognize that if a change is to occur that change will not happen in our money, but in us.

WE are the ones He has come to change – and may we be ever changed until the image of the perfect God (the perfect Giver, Lover, Friend) is made perfect in us.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, you died and rose for me – not for my money or my stuff – but for me. May your death and resurrection put the old me to death and rise me up anew in You – always. In your name. Amen.

Recruiting and Equipping Saints for Service

Are you interested in involving more people in God’s mission and ministry for your congregation? Karen Kogler, Director of Volunteer Equipping at St. Peter Lutheran Church (LCMS), Arlington Heights, Ill., has a resource-packed web site titled “The Equipper” that provides resources for the following areas:

• Why equipping?
• Assessing church volunteerism
• Job descriptions
• Training
• Making the Match
• Recruitment
• Record keeping
• Communication
• Supporting
• Dealing with difficult volunteers
• Educating for ministry
• Leadership

Check out the web site by clicking HERE.