This week we will "finish up" a very light 4 week study of Stewardship that was to include NERF(Nutrition, Exercise, Rest & Fun).  I hadn't planned for it to be so light, but God kept giving  us some "divine interruptions and appointments" in the past month that has made it hard to keep on schedule. 

We read through some great books on food and nutrition, took a field trip to the Pumpkin Patch(see below) where we learned about how different foods are grown(how some foods we eat the roots and others we eat the tops), we took a field trip to Whole Foods Market where we learned about organic vs. non-organic and where different foods come from, we learned about the food groups, food nutrients(carbs, protein, fats, etc) and the food pyramid.  We learned the names of different muscles in our bodies.  We completed the Presidential fitness test with our PE group.  But we learned more about Stewardship through some real life experiences God provided us with.

We had the opportunity to minister to a family who came to our church one Sunday morning with a 10 mth old, a 2 year old and the wife was 2 days overdue who had no money left and no place to stay.  My kids got a crash course in being a pastor's family as we hurriedly made preparations to give them lunch before BW helped them find a place to stay for the night and arranged an appointment with the local Pregnancy Resource Center.  Unfortunately, we later found out that they have been living in hotels for months through donations of various churches in our valley and they lied to us that the husband had a job as well as other things ( We are thankful that we did what we know God would have wanted us do, even though we later found out that they were "scamming" us as we are accountable to God for how we treat others.  Unfortunately for them, they will be accountable too for what they have done with what they've been given.  Please pray for them that God would help them to see their sin and be merciful as they are taking advantage of God's people - a matter God will not take lightly.)  But I had a real life chance to talk about nutrition as the 10 mth old had been fed cow's milk instead of formula and was very constipated, to talk about being good stewards of the things we are given and that we need to be ready always to serve and share the blessings God has given us.

This week, we were blessed to share our home with a fellow seminary family who was evacuated due to the California fires(Praise God that their home was spared).  What a lesson in stewardship as we explained to the kids that one of the reasons they have chores and we need to keep the house clean is that we never know when there will be a "divine appointment" for us to share our home with someone and we want them to feel welcome and at home rather than sitting in a messy house.   

But, if I am honest, I was the one who was most convicted as we read the verses about Stewardship.  Am I treating my body as a temple of the Holy Spirit in what I put into it?  Do I behave as if my body is a living sacrifice at all times?  Do I put God to the test by putting unhealthy food into my body and then expecting Him to protect me when my body has a bad reaction to it? (i.e. one cannot live on peanut butter & jelly crusts and a coke until dinner)  Do I offer my family a wide variety of healthy foods and stand firm that they must eat it because I know what they need better than they do or do I just offer them something that I know they like so I don't have a battle?   Am I a good steward of the time God gives me in my day?  Are my priorities His priorities?  Am I willing to freely share what I have been given it or do I tend to hoard things "just in case" I might need them someday?

So although according to my checklist of what I had planned to complete in this unit study has fewer check marks than I would like, I can't say that it wasn't beneficial to my family.  I pray that I will make the changes that I've been convicted of - the very fact that I shared them with BW and now with you all will hopefully keep me accountable as we head into the next study of Stewardship of Careers & Money that we will be starting next week.

Blessings!

-J