This month we are talking about money, and how money connects with our faith and values.

Ok, stay with me here. I'm not going to ask you for money. This isn't a stewardship talk.

Here's the idea: money is a huge piece of our lives. According to the American Psychological Association, money is the number one stressor in our lives, and yet we rarely talk about it, and when we do talk about it in church circles, its usually only to ask people to give—which adds to the stress of it all.

I attended a great conference on this topic this summer and one of the speakers said something that stuck with me, "The choices we make with our money can change the world."

Here's a small example: whenever our kids are invited to a birthday party, we always give the same gift. We give a donation in birthday boy or girl's name to UNICEF. Our feeling is: 1st world kids don't need any more stuff, so let's help 3rd world kids get food, drink, shelter, and support. When I stop to think about it, that little decision we make several years ago has made a pretty big difference and not just in the dollars donated. Every birthday party is a reminder to us and our kids that we have so much, that we should be grateful, and there are people that need our help. And maybe we help the birthday family be mindful of that too.

There are other examples: shopping at a farmer's market to support local sustainable agriculture, investing in social responsible funds, and so on. There are probably lots of ways you already align your money with your values/faith that you don't even think about most of the time. How do you align your values and how you spend/use/give/save your money?

First Drink Free!

If you're still feeling a little trepidation, I'm happy to share that thanks to Anthony Spangler and Tom Gearhart from Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, everyone's first drink at God on Tap this month is free. Sweet! Tom and Anthony are great guys and they think a lot about how we connect money and values. It will be great to have them with us.