What's Your Motive In Giving To God?

Rush hour commutes, soccer practice for the kids, extra work from the office and the everyday demands of live in a culture awash in activities and time demands is posing a serious dilemma for churches across the country.

People are so busy that they simply don't have time to serve on church committees or work in church service projects.

How much do you care about the church?

About Gods people? How much of your time is spent helping givingpraying for your church? A lot of people give money to the church but much less give themselves.

There are a lot of reasons that move people to give to the church. I know that some people give as a write-off so that they will get a break on the taxes they pay to the government. If that is your only motive for giving, it is not a proper one.

A tax write-off is just not enough. That is not going to help you any with God.

Some people give to the church to gain a reputation for giving.

The Bible truth of the matter is that God really isn't interested in our money. Oh, don't get me wrong. The Bible says we are supposed to give. But it's our heart condition that God is most interested in.

In fact, even more than money, he wants us to give our time, our prayers and our service to the institution he's created to be his hands and feet on this earth: The church.

There are Bible stories galore about the consequences of not supporting the church.

It is striking that the very first death recorded in the church occurred when a couple, Ananias and Sapphira, decided they would gain a reputation for giving that they did not really deserve.

In the fifth chapter of Acts we read that other people were giving property. This couple thought they would get in on the honor and prestige that was being heaped on those who generously gave, so they gave some of the proceeds from tome land they sold. But they pretended that they gave all of it when they really did not.

When the Holy Spirit dealt with that hypocritical kind of giving he dealt very severely with it.

Some people give because they were afraid of dying and they want to make Brownie points with God.

There have been people who give hundreds of thousands of dollars because they felt it would help them in their standing before God at the judgment seat. But they were not giving to help the cause of God or the church. They gave because they thought they could buy Gods favor.

All these are wrong motives.

When it comes to giving, motive is more important than the amount.

God is not so interested in how much you give the church, but why you give. Do you love the church? Thats the example we have from Christ.

More than 24 million seniors collectively volunteer 6 billion hours each year in the United States. Researchers at the University of Michigan recently discovered that the survival rate of seniors who volunteered 40 or more hours a year for a single cause was 40 percent greater than that of non-volunteers.

"Seniors who volunteer say it improves their health, life satisfaction, and social well-being," says Donna Thurmond, director of Senior Services for Volunteers of America.

So helping others and serving as Jesus commands us to do is not only a good thing to do, it's good for us.

In fact, we were all created with a desire to serve. That's why it feels so good when we do so, because it's what we were made to do.

But the real reason we serve is because that is what Jesus did. that's the example he lefty us in the Bible.

We know it as the Golden Rule: Do unto others as you'd have them do to you.

Mike Fletcher publishes the Online Christian Shopper (http://www/onlinechristianshopper.com) Christian clothing and jewelry Web site

Pregnancy Due Date Brings On Bills With Due Dates, Be Ready

There is nothing quite like the joy of motherhood or parenthood. The birthing of a new life into the world is a wonderfully joyous occasion. That being said, lets get to the heart of the matter.

With a new infant come new bills and new expenses. Medical bills, formula, baby clothes, diapers, cribs, blankets, strollers, car seats, day care, school supplies, toys etc. and that is just the beginning. Unless your baby is born at home and you are somehow fortunate enough to have a special nanny with money , extra expenditures are in your future. Many women are single mothers. Some are unemployed and some are just not making enough money to afford the expense of motherhood. So many expenditures accompany the birth of a child that many mothers are required to leave their children in day care for long periods of time just so they can go to a second or third job.

This lack of necessary funding is widespread to say the least. With teen pregnancy and unemployment being two of the significant contributors to this trend, children having to do without and parents having to struggle is common. I am a single mother. says Janice Augusta, It is difficult to pay for the necessary items that my daughter needs on my current salary. This toolbar really helps to have a way to fill the gap between paychecks. I am sold. The most common strategy utilized to lessen the effects of single parenthood, and lower income parenthood is to get a second or third job. This method is a tiresome one and deprives the parent of treasured bonding and teaching time with the child. Not to mention the parents potentially not experiencing the irreplaceable firsts of the childs life such as first steps, first words etc.

Many times, job related issues take far too much away from parent child relationships. Nine out ten mothers polled would choose to spend more time with their children rather than work. 5out of 10 admitted taking more time off from work for their child than they had available as vacation days. In an effort to overcome the discrepancy between what they want to do and what they need to do, many mothers have turned to the internet to earn additional money . There are multiple online means to earn money. However, many dont provide much income for the amount of work required. Other detractors from some services is that they cost money to join and use.

One method that mothers are using in increasing numbers is the free Baby Names It Toolbar" at the dot com of the same name. The internet is riddle with errors, and the Baby Names It Toolbar allows mothers and fathers to earn money to pay for their childrens needs by finding and reporting the errors they notice online. With an average price being paid for locating and reporting errors hovering around $2.00 per valid reported error, it is extremely easy to see why it is an attractive method of making ends meet.

Most web surfers are put off by errors on websites and web documents anyway. They just seam to interrupt the natural flow of a document. Did you see that? I wrote seam instead of seem in the sentence just before this one. Most people see errors like that but never report them. This has led to an internet with substantially lower standards than the average document.

Now reporting an error like the seam instead of seem error above, can be money in a young mothers pocket

There are trillions of errors on the internet. Errors such as misspelled words, incorrect punctuation, poor grammar, missing graphics, broken links and many more types of errors are just waiting for someone to report them and at an average price of $2.00 per find, it is relatively easy for moms and dads to make a difference in their financial situations. Now, with the help of the Baby Names It Toolbar errors on websites are worth money to the person that reports them. Help clean up the internet.

John Reed a father with 15 years business experience, has had the opportunity to use and review multiple online businesses. You can read more about moms and dad's making ends meet in the internet age by visiting http://www.babynamesittoolbar.com

What Are The Characteristics Of A Doberman Pincher?

In the movies, the Doberman is portrayed as an aggressive dog that lunges at people with vicious eyes. In truth, Dobermans are loyal, intelligent family pets.

The American Kennel Club places the breed in the working group class along with dogs such as the Great Dane and the Boxer. They were originally bred for police work and even used in the German military (which is not surprising since the sight of these powerful dogs could make a person anxious.)

Physically, the Doberman is square with a strong chest and a bullet shaped head. It can weight around 55 to 90 pounds with a height of 24 to 28 inches. The coat is black, red or fawn with tan markings. Some Dobermans have a small section of white fur on their chest. The eyes are almond shaped and dark and most owners dock the tail to prevent painful accidents in the future.

The Doberman is a very energetic dog. They do need a lot of exercise so an apartment setting is not suitable. Even if you do have a yard, Dobermans enjoy time with their owners and need to be walked daily.

This breed is a family dog. They are eager to please and can be trained successfully. If you have a puppy in the same house as a small child, you might want to be a little more vigilant because the puppy doesnt know its own strength yet and can knock the child down.

Begin training as soon as you bring the dog home. Dobermans are smart. They can get into trouble if left alone. If you have a puppy, enroll it in puppy obedience class while still young and easy to control.

Nutritionally speaking, the Doberman pincher needs plenty of food and the food must be specially formulated for large dogs to ensure it gets the desirable nutrients.

As a breed the Doberman are prone to becoming overweight when they get older. Check with the doctor to ensure your dog is on the right track. Other possible afflictions are heart disease, hypothyroidism and a hereditary disease called Von Willenbrands disease.

It is relatively easy to groom your dog. All that is required is to brush the it once a week to remove dirt and cut their nails when they get too long.

In truth a Doberman Pincher is a pleasure to have in the family. If you want a dog that can guard the home and still be loyal and loving then you should definitely consider the Doberman.

George Adams is a staff writer at http://www.pets-digest.com and is an occasional contributor to several other websites, including http://www.recreation-digest.com..