Dear Café,
I have another resource for your very fine list! “Our Lives Are Not Our Own: Saying Yes to God” (Augsburg, 2003) by Rochelle Melander and Harold Eppley makes the case for accountability in our lives as Christians. It addresses many topics including how we spend our time to how we spend our money. Take a look at what people are saying about it at LutheranVoices.com. Many thanks,
Rev. Rochelle M.

Dear Rev. Rochelle M.,
Thanks for the tip! We are happy to share it with Café readers.

I have been tithing for over a year. I am in a very low income bracket— I can only work part-time due to Fibromyalgia. In the past year I finally paid off a large hospital bill and was also making a car payment. I had very little to live on. I began tithing for a number of reasons.

People I considered to be spiritual mentors were tithing and shared their stories with me (how much of a blessing it is).
I made a promise to God. I thought it would be a hard promise to keep, but it has been easy. The first check I make out when I get paid, is to my church. I don't even miss the money.

I was suffering from spiritual (church) burn-out. I had spent years on the church council and had been church treasurer. I had no more time to give to God, so I decided to give more of my small income.

Through it all, God has provided and has taken care of me. I have an old car that runs, I am living with my aging parents that need me. God provides what I need. I live simply and am happy.
Please give tithing a try, you will be blessed. Believe me, you will think very differently about your financial situation and will begin to think of all possessions as gifts from God.
Blessings,
Carol O.

Do you know what Lutherans give away on average, relative to percentage of income? I would be interested in knowing what Lutherans give to their congregation on average, and what they give away to all charities, as a percentage of income. Do you know?
Anonymous

Dear Café Reader,
I do not know the answer to that question. I will see if someone can enlighten me on that topic and then share what we find out.
The ed.

I really liked the part about managing one's money, how it's a matter of how we manage what we do have. I also really liked the brief challenge to build a relationship with your money. By being responsible to some type of ministry at church to watch how your contribution does make a difference. Thanks.
Pastor Janelle, Chicago, IL

I am impressed and pleased! with this new e-zine! So glad to see responses from women 20-35 regarding the topics! As a woman who has been active in LCW and Women of the ELCA for many, many years, my vision is to have intergenerational communication of mentors and first-timers, plus all of us in between! How we could be blessed with warmth and growth from our loving Lord!
Anonymous

I found the Hot Topic, “Faith & Money: Why We Give Back, How We Make it Happen,” interesting and thought provoking. The topic isn’t covered often or even very well, but I believe Café did a good job breaking this down for readers, particularly twenty- and thirty-somethings. I particularly appreciated that the writer quickly identified some of the financial issues facing those of us who are in our first or second jobs out of college. The article doesn’t diminish the value of “small” financial gifts or the gifts of time and talent. I must also say that I greatly appreciate the clean look of your Web site. Visually, this is a great site, and it’s also rich in content. The Café site is user friendly, easy to navigate, and uncluttered—three musts for any e-zine!
Karris G., Waterloo, IA

I felt the articles concerning giving and sharing were excellent. It reminds some of us that giving is not only monetary, but also giving of ourselves. For those who are fearful of the organized church and tithing practices, the ideas presented about growing in your giving and sharing are particularly important.
Sue S., Sheboygan, WI

This issue offers a well-rounded and thought-provoking discussion on giving back to God what God has first given us. Percentage giving to the church is a concept yet unfamiliar to many Christians. Café has presented it in a way that offers common sense solutions to our financial concerns, yet emphasizes that it is our heart attitude that should govern our giving. A word of caution on the links to the other side of the coin: while these articles provided interesting and rather extensive studies on Scriptural passages referring to tithing, they presented very slanted conclusions designed solely to rail against greedy televangelists. To take them at face value would be hazardous to the financial health and support of our local congregations as well as any legitimate Christian ministries.
Bonnie P., Temple, PA

Dear Bonnie,
Thanks for your comments. We kept vacillating on whether or not to include the links of which you speak. However, in the end we decided to include them to present some of the other thoughts that are out there. Your reflections point out that we need to take these (and a lot of what one might find on the Internet) with a grain of salt. Thanks for writing.

I really enjoyed the sneak peek at the next issue. I think that money is something at all women deal (and struggle) with. Being a college student and preparing for the "real world" is hard, especially on the purse. You gave some great ideas to think about money and help us to remember to give to God first, which can be very hard. I think it all comes down to being able to live a simplified lifestyle. Personally, I wish I could do this or knew how to do this. So here is my suggestion for future articles: how to live a simplified lifestyle in your 20's, 30's, and so on. Thanks for the great job! Keep up the good work! God's peace,
Virginia L. K., Rock Hill, SC