Bread and Butter

I  attempted making homemade bread.  The recipe was easy.  The bread, well, it was edible.  But man it was dense.  And yes, I used yeast.  3 packets per the recipe instructions...I had delusions of grandeur that my bread would come out looking picture perfect and taste divine.  Hahaha.  I refuse to give up, I will find a recipe that works.  Bread is expensive here, almost $4 a loaf and if my whole family eats a sandwhich for lunch, the loaf is totally gone.  I'd love to be able to make a few loaves a week.  So I continue my bread quest...my butter, well, I'll keep buying it from the store.   

Speaking of bread and butter...Let's take a moment to reflect on all of the things we have in our lives.  Our money (aka Bread and butter) has allowed us to do a lot of fun things.  We have fun stuff...but today I quit "letting my money" do fun things for me or even do the basic things for me.  Money when you come down to it, is just paper.  It's not inherently good or evil.  It just is.  It's inannimate.  And yet it controls us all...if we let it.  I refuse to let it anymore.  I control my money, not my money controls me.  It's not as black and white as that, but things are a-changing around here.

Our church is doing a 90 day Challenge in regards to tithing (which is giving 10 % of your gross income to God-in our case the church.) Now I see some of you rolling your eyes or snorting "it figures" BUT WAIT!!  Seriously, I was floored by what I am about to say.  Our church is doing the challenge with a money back guarantee...if we don't see a profound change or are unconvinced of God's faithfulness to bless us for our obedience to his word, the church will give us back 100% of the amount we tithed in that 90 day period.  WOW!  They told us that at the VERY end of the service after Jase and I had decided to go all in...I was stunned.  My mouth actually fell open.  I've been to lots of churches, listened to lots of tithing services and this is a first for me.  I want to share the verse that sealed the deal for me.  Malachi 3:10:

  "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that you will not have room enough for it."

It was a revelation to me today.  I will test God in this. I think we always feel like we can't question God, or he'll smite us where we stand, but that's not the case. Our God is about Grace, not all doom and punishment.   In this instance God is "pre" giving his permission for me to test him and then he follows it with a promise.  And I will see his blessing pour down.  For I serve a faithful God, one who keeps his promises.  After all, that's his bread and butter.