Sun. Aug. 9, 2009 (Donna Stewart)

Donna Stewart continued our series on the Timothy letters with an interactive sermon focusing on the temptation to covetousness. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil, says the writer to Timothy. “Show me a person’s checkbook and I can tell you about his faith,” said Donna. Godliness with contentment; being free from the hunger for things is important. In our consumerist society, immersed in a culture of greed - we are encouraged to buy and consume - it is important to distinguish between our wants and our needs. We are the rich and are constantly encouraged to want more. Our governments pursue national policies of growth and greed; after 9-11 Americans were told to get out and shop. Donna noted that it’s an embarrassment to live simply, to have furniture that is worn out. We have unprecedented wealth while many in our world starve. Godliness with contentment should be our goal.(HN) [No audio MP3 file available, sorry; but the CD recording can be borrowed from our library]