Story Telling

Donald Miller writes one of my favorite blogs. I will add it to the blog roll to the right when I get the chance. This is what he wrote today that I thought was great, and I'd love for you to read it.

Words fail me

I promised you some trivial stuff yesterday so check out this video. There are so many things that could be said about this, but I am speechless.

The blog isn't dead.

I'm sure all seven of my faithful readers (that number includes Sherry and my parents by the way) want some explanation as to why there has been no activity here for the past couple of weeks. There is really no reason other than the fact that most of my attention has been focused on Easter. Also, many of the things I think about writing are pretty trivial, and I'm not sure if you as a reader actually want to spend time reading what my thoughts are on American Idol, pizza toppings, or new movies. Of course, there are times when I have something of importance to say that involves Freedom Fellowship, and the blog is a great way to get those messages out as well. That's a long way of saying, "I don't really have an explanation for why there has been no activity on this blog, but beginning today I will write my thoughts both significant and trivial here for your perusal." Is perusal really a word?

You know I love bullet points, so here goes:

- The worship service on Easter was amazing! Being able to be there as 5 people were given new life by Jesus was the coolest thing ever. There is no better way to celebrate the resurrection than to be a part of people being resurrected from their sins into new life in Jesus. As if what happened Sunday morning wasn't enough, I got a Facebook message late Sunday night from a Mom telling me how her and her husband had the opportunity to pray with their daughter to accept Jesus at home that night! Like I say all the time, the pastor doesn't have to be present for you to have your life changed by Jesus.

- New message series begins this Sunday. This Sunday we will kick off "The Gospel" series, and it will last for three weeks. We will cover the very basic truths about our need to be saved and how God does the saving.

- I think creativity in Hollywood is dying. I saw an ad the other night for a new movie called "A Nightmare on Elm Street". It looked really scary. It's about an evil man named Freddy who shows up in people's dreams. It's a great idea for a scary movie. In fact it's such a great idea that someone else thought of it 25 years ago when the original movie came out. It seems like at least half of the movies that are released now are remakes of old movies, t.v. shows, or comic books. I love a lot of those remakes (I'm looking forward to the A-Team movie), but it seems like the big movie studios have gotten lazy about developing new stories and characters.

- Ipod for sale. I've got a 16 GB ipod Nano for sale. If you are interested just leave me a comment or send me a Facebook message.

Wearing Green and Pinching People

March 17: The life of Saint Patrick is remembered today not because March 17 is the day he was born, rather it is the date of his death. So, who was Saint Patrick? I think his story is pretty awesome. Patrick was born in England and was the grandson of a priest. When he was 16 years old he was taken captive and carried off to Ireland as a slave. He served as a herdsman during his slavery in Ireland, and after six years he heard a voice telling him he would soon be free. He responded to the voice by fleeing from his master and finding a ship in port over 200 miles away that would take him home to England. For most people in that situation that would be where the story ended, but for Patrick it was only the beginning.

A few years after returning home he had a vision where a man handed him a letter which read "The Voice of the Irish" across the top. The body of the letter contained a plea for him to return to Ireland in order to preach the gospel. Responding to this vision from God, Patrick soon returned to the land where he once had been enslaved. He spent the rest of his life in a place where he once had no freedom, so he could tell the Irish people how to be free in Christ. I've always thought that the story of Patrick is a pretty cool example of how God can take what could be the worst part of our life and use it for His glory. Who was better qualified to carry the gospel to Ireland than a man who had lived there for six years as a slave? What a great reminder that whatever situation you find yourself in today, even if it is not what you had planned, God can use you there to do something amazing.

While people celebrate Saint Patrick today by wearing green shirts, drinking green beer, putting goofy clover leaf hats on their heads, and then pinching anyone not wearing green, remember that the real story of Patrick the slave boy means so much more.

Stuff on my mind

It's been awhile since I wrote a post of random thoughts. I'm sure you have felt there was something significant missing from your life because of this. Here are some important thoughts along with some not-so-important ones.

- I'm asking God for big things to happen at Freedom on Easter. Whether you realize it or not, Easter is only three weeks away. Join me in asking God to make this Easter the most significant Sunday in the history of Freedom. Go ahead and begin inviting your friends who don't know Jesus to join you that Sunday.

- I'm looking forward to this weekend's time change. I always love the "spring forward" time change because it means we are closer to warm weather. I also love the fact that there will be more daylight after work everyday.

- I came up with what I think is a great name for a store that sells hot tea: Teayouwanna. If I could find the right investor, and if I knew anything about tea, I believe that name could become as common as Starbucks.

- I've been reading straight through the bible this year, and I've been in Psalms for a couple of weeks. Here are some Psalms that have really spoken to me this week: 84, 91, 101, 103.

- I'm looking forward to hearing Liz Wood play Saturday night at Cafe Mundo. Liz has made it to the semi-finals of the battle of the bands that Cafe Mundo is sponsoring. Liz plays guitar and sings in the Freedom band, and Saturday she will be playing all original songs. It starts at 7:00. I'd love to see you there.

- I saw a commercial for Iron Man 2 the other night. It looks awesome. Emily and I will most certainly check it out the weekend it opens.

See you Sunday!

The Return of Tiger

There's a lot of talk in the sports world about when Tiger Woods will return to the golf course. I'd be surprised if he wasn't at the Master's next month. Until he returns, enjoy this video of him accepting an ESPY award a couple of years ago.

What's that you're wearing?

Michael Hyatt is the CEO of Thomas Nelson Publishers and a very influential Christian businessman. I follow him on Twitter, and unlike me he writes something on his blog almost daily. His content is always very good, and today he wrote something I thought all of you should read. For those of you who don't normally click on the lincs I include here, be sure you check this one out. It will be worth your time. The subject matter is something I feel very strongly about. For years as a youth minister I would talk with teenage girls about this subject, and as a Father of two daughters it hits very close to home. By the way, I think the four rules he lists are good for grown women as well as teenage girls.

Read it here.

I'd love to hear you thoughts. Just leave a comment.

I've Been Waiting All Day To See You!

Several weeks ago I took Grace to a friend's house on a Saturday afternoon to play. When we arrived at the house, Grace's friend was in her front yard talking to the man who lives next door. I pulled up to the house with the window rolled down, and when Grace got out of the car I heard Grace greeted with these words: "Grace! I've been waiting all day to see you!" What a cool way to be greeted by someone. I think everyone likes to feel that someone is glad to see them. In fact I would say not only does everyone like it, I believe we all need it. I believe that's why dogs are so loved by their owners. A good dog will always make you feel like they have been waiting all day to see you.

After I dropped Grace off that day I started thinking about how people who visit Freedom on a Sunday morning are greeted. We have a great team of greeters who have the official job of saying hello to folks and to help them get any info they need, but I believe that all of us at Freedom have the opportunity and the ability to make people feel welcome. When someone shows up at Greer High School on a Sunday morning I want them to feel like there are people there who have been waiting all day for them to arrive. Even if they aren't impressed with my teaching, or the music, or the facility, I want them to walk away remembering that they were warmly greeted.

I've said this before and I'll probably say it again, if you are a regular Freedom attender, you are a key part of the greeting team. Put those skills to work this Sunday!

A Psalm for Today

My journey of reading straight through the Bible has landed me in Psalms for awhile. I read Psalm 19 this morning and was encouraged about the fact that in the midst of a world where truth seems to be hard to find, and the lines between right and wrong are always blurred, if not non-existent, the unchanging law of God still reigns supreme. Read it for yourself and let it encourage you:

Psalm 19
For the director of music. A psalm of David.

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.

3 There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

4 Their voice goes out into all the earth,
their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun,

5 which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion,
like a champion rejoicing to run his course.

6 It rises at one end of the heavens
and makes its circuit to the other;
nothing is hidden from its heat.

7 The law of the LORD is perfect,
reviving the soul.
The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy,
making wise the simple.

8 The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart.
The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

9 The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever.
The ordinances of the LORD are sure
and altogether righteous.

10 They are more precious than gold,
than much pure gold;
they are sweeter than honey,
than honey from the comb.

11 By them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

12 Who can discern his errors?
Forgive my hidden faults.

13 Keep your servant also from willful sins;
may they not rule over me.
Then will I be blameless,
innocent of great transgression.

14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be pleasing in your sight,
O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.

That's good stuff. Enjoy your Monday!

What I'm Thinking Today

I haven't done a bullet-point random thought blog in awhile. I know all of you have missed those so here goes:

- I love the Winter Olympics. Any Olympics is good, and two summers ago I was big-time into the whole Michael Phelps story, but when it comes to awesomeness the winter games come out on top. Short track speed skating, snow board cross and half-pipe, luge, and even curling are all cooler than anything in the summer games. I think I feel that way because all of the winter sports are more unique. The summer games feature lots of swimming, running, and basketball, all things I have done before, and that makes them a little less intriguing. On the other hand, when I see a dude lying face down on a tiny sled the size of a cookie sheet and hurtling 90 miles per hour down an icy track, I am aware that not only have I never done that, but I don't even know anyone who has ever done that. Maybe if I grew up in Canada or Minnesota I would be less impressed, but I doubt it.

- ESPN has gone crazy with the whole Tiger Woods thing. This morning on both ESPN channels that was all that was being discussed. He hasn't made his public statement yet, and I'm already tired of hearing about it. I feel sorry for Tiger's wife. It's bad enough that she has to deal with her tomcat of a husband, but she has to deal with him in front of the whole world. This whole story should serve as a huge warning to anyone who desires great fame. The more famous you become the more famous your mistakes become as well, and we are all going to make mistakes.

- Donny is preaching for the next four weeks. It has been a long time since I took a break from the Sunday morning teaching schedule. I will still be working on messages during the break, and my plan is to be four weeks ahead when it's over. On Sunday Donny will be continuing the "Heroes" series with the first of two powerful messages about Moses.

- No rain of snow is in the forecast for this weekend! I am really looking forward to a dry warmer weekend. There are lots of outdoor projects to be done around the house and I plan on jumping on some of them starting this afternoon.

Lessons From a Facebook Fast

Exactly one week ago I began a seven day fast. This was not a traditional fast where I didn't eat food. I went on a social network website fast. Like many of you for the past couple of years now I have used Facebook and Twitter almost daily. The reasons I went on the fast were all personal. It had to do with me feeling that I was spending way too much time surfing those sites for one thing, and by eliminating them for a few days I figured I would find out if there was any real benefit to me using them at all. Here are a few things I discovered during my time away:

- Social networking sites really do help me stay connected with people. Other than all of the useless stuff on Facebook (i.e. Farmville, Mafia Wars, etc.) the other elements (status updates, photos, private messages) have helped me know what's going on in the lives of people I care about. It took less than 48 hrs. away for me to feel disconnected. Facebook and Twitter should never replace actual connections with people such as talking on the phone or going to lunch, but it does allow me to stay connected with a larger group of people more efficiently. There's no way I can know that a friend from out of town's kid made honor roll, or that someone at Freedom needs prayer unless I am talking to those people everyday. In reality, I can only keep up with a handful of people at a time if I am required to daily talk with them, but with Facebook it allows me to know what's happening with hundreds of people.

- I need to set times when I will check Twitter and Facebook. One of the reasons I felt so addicted to these sites was that every time I passed a computer I felt a need to quickly log on and see what I was missing. It was like I had to know right away if I had a new friend request or if someone had written on my wall. I haven't yet figured out how it will work, but in the next day or two I am going to set times that I will check the sites, and also set times where the sites are off-limits. Also, as a Pastor there is an added dimension that I need to protect myself from. I have to make decisions on a daily basis about the direction of Freedom, and often those decisions make people upset. Some of the folks who get upset with me like to talk about how upset they are, and how I should be doing things the way they would like for them to be done. Every now and then those type of comments end up in a status update, in a veiled non-specific way of course. The other limit I will set for myself is that if I know someone is talking about me or the church then I don't need to look at their Facebook profile to see what they are saying. All it does is make me want cuss people out. Which I generally try to not do. When I figure out what my self-imposed limitations will be as far as times are concerned I will let you know.

- The best way to get the word out about this blog is through Twitter and Facebook. I didn't blog last week after I made the decision to fast. This wasn't really by design, I just realized that I couldn't list in my status update that I had written a new blog. Other than the handful of folks who subscribe, the large majority of folks who read this here blog find out that I have posted something new when I alert them to it on Facebook. Again, these sites help keep us connected.

So there it is, it seems that I am in this whole e-networking thing for good now. My advice to you would be, don't let anything other than Jesus take over your life and that includes the internet.

Reality Check

One thing no one wants their pastor to talk about is money. I once heard someone refuse to go back to a church he had visited because the first Sunday he was there the pastor taught about tithing. According to this guy, "I just don't think it's right for a preacher to talk about money". I found that comment funny since the Bible has a lot to say about money.

Well, whether you like it or not I have to address the topic of money here today. In order for Freedom to operate on a daily basis money is required for things like utilities, supplies, missions, technical equipment, staff salaries, age-graded ministries, etc. The list is long and expensive. Those things are funded through the weekly offerings that are collected in the two black boxes in the atrium each week.

January of 2010 was a great beginning to the year as far as attendance is concerned (over 350) but not good as far as giving goes. In fact, the third week of January was one of the lowest offerings collected in the history of Freedom. (Christmas credit card bills coming in?) That brings us to the snow / ice storm of last weekend. As a result of the weather, we were forced to cancel the worship service, therefor no offering was collected. Missing a Sunday offering has the same effect on the finances of the church as missing a paycheck has on our personal finances. It might not make us go bankrupt, but it sure is difficult. Since we missed an opportunity to give last Sunday that means that everyone who couldn't give last week will double their offering this Sunday right? I wished it worked out like that, but history tells me that the majority of folks only give to church when they come. If they miss a Sunday they don't normally make-up for it later on.

Here's what I am asking you to do: tithe, give 10% of what you earned this week to the offering. I don't expect you to do anything more than what God has already asked us to give in scripture. I guarantee you that if everyone who attends Freedom this Sunday were to tithe, the offering would be the largest we've ever collected.

I know this is not the most enjoyable thing to read on the blog, but I want to be sure that we all do what's best for Freedom. If you read this blog and you attend another church be sure and give to that ministry. Thanks for understanding.

Sunday Preview

I guess the preview word for this Sunday is "might", as in we might have worship at GHS or we might not. Right now the weather report looks pretty nasty, but as I stated yesterday, I will believe it when I see it. Here's what you need to know as far as how to find out if the service has been cancelled or not. Sometime tomorrow, Donny, John Cessarich, Jim Cantore, and myself will make a decision on whether or not the service will be cancelled. After that decision is made there will be an announcement on the church website, on WYFF 4, and I along with several others will begin spreading the word through facebook.

If the service happens as usual we will continue our "House" series by talking about the Bedroom. The music will feature selections from Barry White and Marvin Gaye. Just kidding about the music, but we will talk about the bedroom. Two passages of scripture you can read to be prepared ahead of time are: Genesis 2:18-25 and
1 Corinthians 7:3-5.

I'm really looking forward to seeing you then! I'm praying for clear roads so we don't miss an opportunity to worship together!

Scattered Thoughts

I was out of the office on Monday and Tuesday, so that means message prep got pushed back to Wednesday and today. As a result, this is the first chance I've had to think about blogging. That's probably o.k. since most of the stuff I'm wanting to write about is silly and/or irrelevant. Here's the silly stuff I'm thinking about today:

- Avatar will win Best Picture Oscar this year, and it shouldn't. Yes, I know that what I just typed is heresy to some people, after all this is a movie that recently had a mountain named after it! Avatar winning all of these awards is proof that style wins out over substance all too often. Visually Avatar is the best movie I have ever seen, but I don't judge a film just on what it looked like. The story was a rip-off of Dances With Wolves, and the large majority of the characters are very one dimensional. The main villain (ripped marine with scar on head) is a character I've been seen in tons of action films over the years. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Avatar was a bad movie. It was visually stunning and very entertaining, and I left feeling that I got my money's worth. I'm just saying it's not Best Picture worthy.

- I saw a dude on Wade Hampton today who was dressed like the Statue of Liberty. I'm sure you have seen these folks. They are advertising for Liberty Tax service. The thing that made this guy different was that he was talking junk to a man stopped at a red light. I'm no expert, but I bet the folks who are paying him to stand by the road and wave would frown on this behavior. I can't say that I blame the guy too much. Roadside Statue of Liberty has got to be one the worst jobs in America, plus being a male dressed as the Statue of Liberty would make it worse.

- I hope some of the folks who are hosting Super Bowl parties at Freedom have invited you to join them at their home. I got lots of good reports on Sunday from some of the newer families at Freedom that have already been invited. The whole reason we promote these parties is so folks will take the opportunity to get to know one another better. I hope you will take advantage of it.

- People are looking forward to snow here in the next couple of days. My official snow policy is that I don't believe it will snow until I see it on the ground.

- I'm seriously considering an internet fast. Well not the entire internet, more like Facebook and Twitter. I couldn't go completely internet free since we use gmail and google calendar at the office. I haven't thought too much about what that would mean for this wildly popular blog. I purposely did not look at Facebook and Twitter until 3:30 today, and I was more productive. Plus, I just felt better. If I decide to fast from these sites for a period of time I will let you know how it goes.

Sunday preview

This Sunday we will continue the "House" series, and we will focus on the kitchen. Here's some scripture you can read before you arrive: Hebrews 5:11-14.

Also, remember to come prepared to give to the special offering for relief in Haiti. The envelopes will be on the regular giving table. You can put the Haiti envelope in the black box with your regular offering envelope.

By the way, it has been brought to my attention that I have been pronouncing the word Haiti like a redneck. I have been saying, Haytee with the emphasis on the last syllable. I'm pretty sure the correct pronunciation is Haydee, with the emphasis on the first syllable. I can't help it that I am 100% southern, and it really comes out in my speech. Just know that this Sunday as I am talking about the offering I will be making an effort to pronounce Haiti correctly. Let's hope I can do it.

Haiti needs your help

By now, you know of the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. As I announced last Sunday, we will have envelopes available this week for you to give to the relief work being done there. We will be giving this money through Samaritan's Purse because, we know they are a reputable charity with a proven system of getting aid in the hands of the people that need it. Pray about what you should give to this need. Notice I didn't say for you to pray about if you should give. I believe that all of us have the ability to give some amount.

The envelopes for Haiti relief will have a label on them that simply reads, "Haiti", and 100% of the cash or checks placed in them will be sent to Samaritan's Purse. Remember to give your regular offering in one of the normal envelopes available on the giving tables this Sunday as well. As the situation in Haiti begins to become a little less chaotic there may be other things we can do (such as collect shoes, school supplies, etc.) but for the time being it seems that giving money is the best way to help. Give this week and you will be glad you did!

Pants on the Ground

Funniest thing I've seen on TV in awhile. Just what we need for a Monday. Maybe we can get this guy to come do a live performance at Freedom one week.

Sunday preview

I am really looking forward to this Sunday's worship service. If you haven't already planned to be there, make that plan now. (Greer High School 10:30 a.m.) We will continue the "House" series of messages, and this week we will be talking about one of the most frightening parts of the house (no, not the bathroom) the closet. I want to encourage you to go ahead and begin praying now for what God might want to deal with you about as we worship together Sunday. Also, I will take a few minutes at the beginning of the message to address Pat Robertson's comment concerning the earthquake in Haiti, as well as let you know about a way you can help with the recovery. If you would like to preview some of the scripture we will be reading on Sunday check out Joshua 6 & 7.

The first round of the NFL playoffs are over. I was glad to see the Patriots lose (if you're reading this Bruce I'm sorry), and disappointed that the Cowboys won. I actually like Tony Romo, but I can't ever pull for a team owned by Jerry Jones. The team I want to see win it all are the Saints. Sherry and I lived in New Orleans from Jan of 1992 - August of 1994 while I was in seminary, and I'm telling you from experience that there's not much that the folks of that city love more than their Saints. If they win it all it will be bedlam down there. Other than the Saints I can't really get excited over any of the teams left. It would be cool for Favre to win with the Vikings, and if the Jets won with a rookie QB that might be fun as well, but the team to get behind this year plays in New Orleans! Go Saints!

A few thoughts...

I am enjoying the heat wave we are experiencing today. If we keep having highs in the 40's I might have to turn on the AC. Here's a few quick bullet points for you to look at. Some are important, some are not. I'll let you be the judge of which is which.

- Botswana t-shirts are still on sale each Sunday in the atrium. It's a cool design, and all of the profit from the $15 cost per shirt goes directly to help our brothers and sisters in Africa.

- Does the Slap Chop commercial get on your nerves as bad as it gets on mine? "Linguine, fettuccine, martini, bikini"? What does a martini and bikini have to do with grating cheese? Never mind. Don't answer that last question. I really don't need to know.

- I hope you shared the post about last year's stats with your Freedom connections. One other thing I thought about after I typed that was this: a 9% increase in giving over 2008 was particularly amazing with the state of the economy in 09. Just further proof that God will provide for His church.

- Last night was weird without any Monday Night Football on the air. We are now only weeks away from February, the absolute worst sports month of the year. This year however, the Winter Olympics will air in February. Other than the figure skating, I love the Winter Olympics.

- I've gotten tons of positive feedback from folks about the current series of messages. It seems like we all have some part of our spiritual house that could use a little refurbishing. This week we'll talk about The Closet.

- Mark McGwire finally admits that his cartoon sized arms were the result of steroids. In my mind the single season HR record is 61, and it's still held by Roger Maris. The career mark is Hammerin' Hank's 755. I don't care what the record book says.

2009: A Year of Growth

This past year at Freedom has been an interesting one. Without a doubt 2009 was the most challenging year I have experienced in my short time as a pastor. Last week Donny spent some time looking over the numbers for 2009. This is always helpful when evaluating where things are heading and what possible changes need to be made. I was encouraged by what he shared with me, and I thought you might find them encouraging as well.

In 2009 attendance increased 7% and giving increased 9% from 2008. Since our first month of worshipping together back in 2005 attendance has increased by 78%. Also, as we broke the 2009 attendance numbers down we found that weekly average attendance from January-May was 350, while the weekly average attendance from June - December was 359.

What does this mean? Freedom is attracting new folks each and every week to worship with us. In fact, attendance increased by a larger percentage in 2009 than it did in 2008. We are seeing a growing trend that we need to be ready to embrace. Now more than ever we need to be inviting our un-churched friends to join us each week. Now more than ever we need to build relationships with new people that we meet at worship. Now more than ever we need to focus on the positive things God is doing in our midst, and of course we also need to pray daily for Freedom to make an earth shattering impact on the Greer-Taylors community.

Now if you are a partner or regular attender at Freedom I want to ask you to do me a favor concerning this blog. Notify everyone you know who is connected with Freedom and ask them to read this. You can send them an e-mail with a linc, put it on your Facebook page, tweet about it on Twitter, but do something to let them know they need to read this. Each and every week God is sending new people through the doors at Greer High School to worship, and we need to be focused on that opportunity. Spread the word!

I am second

Tomorrow night Texas and Alabama will square off to determine who will win the national championship of college football. I watch the national championship game every year despite the fact that my favorite team never even gets within shouting distance of playing in it, and tomorrow night will be no different. In the media there has been much made off the fact that Tim Tebow (quarterback for Florida) is a follower of Jesus. As you will see in the video below Colt McCoy, who is the quarterback for Texas, is very vocal about his faith in Christ as well. I don't really care who wins the game tomorrow night, but after watching this I do hope Colt has a great game. Thanks to David Pollock for sending me a linc to this video earlier today on Facebook. I love the way the video ends, with a simple proclamation about where we stand in relation to who Jesus is. Very cool.

Sunday Follow-up

After the service on Sunday I talked with several you who said that the topic of the message was something you really needed to hear. It seems that lots of us struggle with being possessed by our possessions. At the end of the message I asked a few questions designed to make us think about our own situations. Here they are again for you to read and think about. Perhaps as you answer these you will get an understanding of whether or not you have a healthy or unhealthy relationship with possessions.

- Have you already picked out the next thing you will purchase?
(not including groceries, gas for the car, etc.)

- When you get extra money that you weren't expecting what is your first inclination of how to use it.

- In the past what have you been willing to go into debt for?

- Do you have storage issues at your home?

- Do your plans for the future revolve around what you can buy or what you can do for the Kingdom of God?

Sunday's message and the questions above were both based on two passages of scripture: 1 Timothy 6:6-10 and Luke 12:22-31
Be sure and read both of those when you get a chance.