5.14.2024 PBPC Family Bulletin
PBPC Family,
As I said on Sunday during the worship service, early Saturday morning, an individual climbed into our Finance Office through an unlocked window. The individual broke into a locked desk drawer and stole checks we had received in the mail for deposit and $1500 cash. They also stole a block of blank checks.
We were able to quickly put a freeze on our bank account and open a new checking account - a huge thanks to Roland W. and Sue G. for opening up our new account to ensure that no unauthorized checks were cashed. We also found out that it's been two weeks since we cleared out the offering box - praise God! If you have left a check in the offering box the last few Sundays, they were not stolen. If you have any questions on whether a check you mailed or gave to PBPC was taken, you can contact Ginnie Daniel.
Years ago a friend of mine introduced me to the idea of a "Generosity Tax." When we are generous, open, and welcoming to others, most people will be receptive. But about 10% of the time, people may be ungrateful or even take advantage of us because of our generosity. When that happens, we are tempted to be less generous and more suspicious of others and their motivations.
This is where the Generosity Tax comes in; rather thinking we've been taken advantage of and reining in our generosity, we mark this moment as the cost of being generous. Sometimes others will take advantage of us. That happened to us on Saturday. But we will not let that moment of theft keep us from being generous. We have paid our generosity tax, which, true to the idea of paying taxes, was an unpleasant experience.
If I could take it one step further, nothing was taken from us because nothing truly belongs to us. Everything is the Lord's - we claim no ownership over this building, the furnishings within it, or the cash in our deposit envelope. All of it belongs to God. God gives and God takes away. I'd like to think that nothing was stolen from us but instead, God allowed us to make an unplanned and unknown donation to an anonymous individual. And we pray God's blessing over that person and that God's Spirit would lead them into paths of righteousness.
Two weeks ago, I preached on what it means for Christians to conquer the world. We conquer by rising above the ways of the world. On Saturday, we experienced how the "world" works. May our response be marked by an abiding trust in God's presence, provision, and providential care over us and all creation.
Looking forward to worshipping with you all on Sunday!
Grace and Peace,
Pastor Calvin
"Can These Bones Live?
Ezekiel 37:1-14
Calvin Sodestrom
Pentecost Sunday: Wear red!
