My friends over at the SBC Executive Committee are releasing a new resource and you can have a copy! The resources are based on a message series I did at my church earlier this year. I hope they can help you and your church people be better financial stewards with God's money.

If you are a church that loves the Word and wants to help people deal with their finances, they will send you a free copy (a gift from us to the Body of Christ). Go to the It's a New Day website and click on "contact us" to request one. (Please order only one per church, preferably from the pastor or someone who helps the church with stewardship issues.)

At my church, we recently completed a 4 week message series called "The Road to Financial Freedom." Our platform was covered with road signs that related to different parts of the message (see below).

You can learn more here. Ashley Clayton is the brains beyond the operation.

Ashley asked me to write and deliver a series of four messages that they would videotape and outline to use in future iterations of the message series. So, since they are using the outlines, I won't put them here... but I will tell you a little about the emphasis.

The web site explains:

"It's A New Day�? is about stewardship! It's about the lordship of Christ over everything in our lives! It's about getting out of debt! It's about being ready to fulfill God's call upon our lives!

And there is a good reason for helping your church to encourage people toward financial freedom:

Imagine what churches could do for the kingdom if their members were not burdened with debt. Imagine what could be accomplished if church members were free to fulfill God's call of ministry. There has never been a better time than NOW to experience true joy and liberty that comes through financial freedom!

I built some of the series around a symbolic metaphor related to an earlier argument with my middle daughter. One day she complained that I had eaten all the Cheese-Its and she became obsessed with getting her own Cheese-Its.

I showed this photo in church to introduce the issue of fear and greed.

She did not know that her father could provide more... and would meet all her needs. When you really want something, your greed becomes idolatry and then it becomes an idol in your life. Then, you get trapped by your stuff.

On the week we talked about greed becoming an idol, and your stuff taking over your life, we illustrated with a big box:

For many (most?), money is an idol:

"Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to... greed, which amounts to idolatry" (Colossians 3:5, HCSB)

In other words:
• Fear leads to greed
• Greed creates idolatry
• Idolatry leads to bondage

(The final message had a prison of the Cheese-Its.)

Admittedly, it was a bit "cheesy," but it seemed that everyone "got" the metaphor.

The message series can be found at the church website. They were:

1. God's Ownership
2. Debt's Dangers
3. Greed's Antidote
4. Money and Work's Purpose

Since the message series was for Crown Financial Ministries, we did not use much from other organizations in the presentations. However, Michael Edwards, occasional blog commenter and regular church attendee, put up a Dave Ramsey video on-line that relates well. It was played at the Catalyst Conference and it is worth taking a look.

And here is Dave Ramsey speaking on finances (if you listen be sure to go to the end):

This is an important issue and one we frequently overlook... and it requires sensitivity and honesty to address the topic.