Posts by Betsy Schwarzentraub
Epiphany — God Beyond the Boundaries
Most of us really like our comfort zones: the settings and situations in which we can feel confident in certain roles, know our neighbors or coworkers, and trust that nothing too unexpected and dangerous will catch us by surprise. But those Magi – the wise ones who followed that odd star to the Jesus’ birthplace…
Read MoreEpiphany — Stewards of the Light
January 6, this Saturday, is Epiphany: the day Christians around the globe celebrate the coming of the Magi from faraway lands, to give gifts to the Christ child in Bethlehem. It occurs to me that those Magi were the ultimate outsiders. To begin with, they were not Jews but Gentiles, coming from Egypt or the…
Read MoreWonder All Around
“Wonder all around” is the favorite phrase of Kathryn Shields, a friend and writer. She produces beautiful videos filled with her poetry alongside photographs of God’s intricate creation. This wonder-filled phrase has kept swirling in my head ever since she first shared it with me. – And especially this Advent/Christmas season, as we hear about…
Read MoreBeating the Midas Curse
Remember the story of King Midas, who wished that everything he touched would turn to gold? It was a blessing – until his daughter greeted him with a hug, and turned to gold, as well. In Beating the Midas Curse, two planned-giving professionals, Perry Cochell and Rodney Zeeb, say that the most important legacy people…
Read MoreMustard Seed Giving
Are you looking for that just-right Christmas gift for a woman who already has plenty of stuff? Giving a micro-loan to another woman in her name can be exciting and empowering to the women on both ends! I’ve put Women for Women International on my Christmas list. For twenty-four years, it has helped women survivors…
Read MoreDec. 3 Global Migration Sunday
This Sunday, December 3, will be a special Global Migration Sunday, to raise awareness, give support, and pray for refugees and migrants around the world. Whether due to human conflict, persecution, or natural disasters, more than 65 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes. The United Nations Refugee Agency says that over 21…
Read MoreFaith-Based Budgeting, Part 2
“Faith-based budgeting” does not mean simply guessing at a projected income for our congregation next year, and then hoping to reach it! It involves two dimensions: Spending the church’s money according to priorities that model First Fruits Living and using the rest of the income in a specific order (see Faith-Based Budgeting, Part 1), and…
Read MoreFaith-Based Budgeting, Part 1
Many churches are confirming their budgets now for the year ahead, using the term “faith budget.” In my congregation that means the leaders include a percentage of projected income beyond pledges, to allow for loose-plate offerings, new givers, or second-mile giving. In most situations, it’s a realistic and encouraging thing to do. “Faith-based budgeting” is…
Read MoreFor All the Saints
I tend to feel at home in worship at any church, whatever its denomination, but particularly so on All Saints Sunday. On that day we thank God for the faithful mentors and models who have gone before us. But yesterday I was especially grateful to be invited to my friends’ Episcopal church. Some aspects of…
Read MoreMove Over Millennials: The iGens Are Here
That’s right: move over, Millennials! Teens and their younger siblings (born between 1995 and 2012) are showing some very different attitudes and behaviors from their slightly older cousins.1 Psychologist Jean Twenge has analyzed four national mega-data surveys of 11 million teens since the 1960s, comparing this generation with the responses of Millennials, GenXers and older…
Read MoreGratitude at Work
Thanks in large part to University of California at Davis professor Robert Emmons, the field of “Positive Psychology” has grown by leaps and bounds since the early 2000s.1 Positive Psychology is the scientific study of gratitude and its benefits, in fields ranging from anatomy to sociology, affecting both the quality and the length of a…
Read MoreWildfire Rescuers
There have been so many natural disasters these recent months that it’s hard not to lose hope, even as we pray for the people and animals in harm’s way from fires, hurricanes, and floods. But I do see hope, in the response of so many rescuers – many of them strangers – who are coming…
Read MoreAsking for a Clean Heart
Individual, arbitrary violence has been mounting increasingly in random settings across the United States. The massacre in Las Vegas last week seems like the culmination, where the shooter had a whole line of automatic weapons set up and trained on an outdoor concert crowd, and set them off, one after another. All these events couldn’t…
Read MoreCare for the Land
Preparing for coming rains involves a lot on a farm or ranch, even when we don’t have to be useful harvesting crops. Dead limbs need to be taken down before winds allow them to fall on our animals or buildings; scattered branches should be picked up and gathered under tarps before rain or snow –…
Read MoreHelping Children to Forgive
Forgiving someone can be one of the greatest forms of giving. Writing about it in my new book, Growing Generous Souls, I’m reminded of how difficult it can be, but also how life-changing and rewarding it is for both the receiver and the giver. Above all, forgiveness is a process, and loads of studies have…
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