Stewardship: noun; the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one’s care.

Stewardship is the theme of the texts that make up this week’s reading in the Uncommon Truth for Common People project. Following is the schedule we’ll use in our reading this week.

• Sat., Jan. 30 – What is Stewardship? – Gen. 1-2; Luke 12:35-48; 1 Cor. 3
• Sun., Jan. 31 – Multiply Your Gifts – Luke 19:1-28
• Mon., Feb. 1 – Take Advantage – Eph. 4:11-5:21
• Tues., Feb. 2 – Time Management – Psalm 90; Heb. 3
• Wed., Feb. 3 – Simplicity & Stewardship – Matt. 6:9-14; 11:25-30

The verse of Scripture to memorize and make your own this week is Psalm 90:12, which reads:

Teach us to number our days so we can have a wise heart. (Psalm 90:12 CEB)

Even though you scrub yourself with soap or strong powder, the stain of your sin is still before me, declares the LORD God. (Jeremiah 2:22 CEB)

20-Somethings: The Religious Views of 20-Somethings (parts one, two, and three) by Brandon J. O’Brien

“… those students who do consider themselves religious—most of them Christians—saw their religious beliefs having very little impact on their personal or professional goals.”

Communion: The Argument for Excluding Wine from the Lord’s Supper by John Mark Hicks

“Interestingly, the extended argument was needed and pushed by the Temperance Movement because churches generally, until very recently, had all used wine in the Lord’s Supper.”

Criticism: Criticism by Joshua Graves

“If you have the gift of criticism and gossip, you should consider what this says about the state of your own emotional health and the toll others are paying for your anxiety, toxicity.”

Depression: Depression and Serotonin

“One after another, the experts grant that there is no real evidence linking depression to low serotonin. Amazingly, they justify the propagation of the ‘low serotonin story’ simply because it is easy to understand. In other words, it doesn’t have to be true to be helpful.”

God: All Religions Are Not One

“I am for tolerance, but tolerance isn’t ignorance. Tolerance doesn’t equate to pretending differences don’t exist. Tolerance falls short of its own goal–both in inter-religious and inter-racial dialogue.”

Grief: Good Grief (parts one, two, three, four & five) by Ben Witherington

“When a person suffers the devastating loss of a loved one, you should — however well-intentioned you might be — keep your mouth shut. Or at the very least, you should think long and hard before you say anything. Here are some of the things I recently heard that did not help, and frankly were not true.”

Marriage: What I’ve Learned After Being Married for 33 Years by Jim Martin

“I knew very little about marriage when we began. At this point in life, I am still learning.”

Parenting: * 50 Rules for Dads of Daughters by Michael Mitchell; * Should We Read Our Kids’ Texts? by Jonathan McKee (thank you, Adam Marshall, for pointing me to this article!)

“… to all you Dads out there – be sure you pay close attention and heed these wise words …”

“I agree with all my parents’ guidelines except the one about them being able to read my texts at any time. I’m not gonna do that one with my kids when I’m a parent.”

Personal preferences: Scripture and Our Druthers by Timothy Archer

“It’s time to take the ‘I feel’s and ‘I like’s and put them in a drawer. It’s time to seek what’s best for the body as a whole.”

Reading: How to Read a Book by Chad Hall

“For several years I’ve used a method I call the “Reading Pyramid,” which provides five categories of reading. Perhaps it will be helpful for you. Here goes …”

Time management: The Biggest Myth in Time Management by Peter Bregman

“The idea that we can get it all done is the biggest myth in time management.”