​Financial habits are learned early and I learned at a young age that I liked the power to buy things.

As a kid I didn't have much money, maybe a few dollars here or there for a good report card, but nothing to write home about until I was about 10 years old and got a weekly allowance of $10 for my chores (which included mowing the yard, cleaning my room and various other household duties as assigned).  I thought that $10 was a HUGE amount of money and was already dreaming about all the things I would buy with my fortune.  My parents, though, had other plans.

They instituted a rule of how I could use my money.  I had to save some, give some and then I could spend some.  I didn't like this rule but I had no choice so each week, I stashed some away in my piggy bank (later this turned into a real bank account), I took some to church and put it in the offering plate and the rest I spent...mostly on soda and candy as any 10 year old boy would do.

My parents were smart enough to realize that the financial habits I formed at a young age would be with me for the rest of my life and it's true, all these years later I still save some, give some and then live on the rest.

As we, as a church, look at God's advice on finances, let's not forget to help our kids learn wisdom when it comes to money from an early age.
 
Proverbs 22:6 says "Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old they will not turn from it."


In Christ,
Pastor Scott McDermid 

​This week we will launch a new class, one I am excited to teach, about the basics of the Christian faith. In just three weeks we won't have time to delve into hard theological issues or debate the pros and cons of different views on the end times or scriptural interpretation...in fact, we wouldn't dare because this is a class on the basics of what we believe, not the minutia.  Sometimes it is vital to go back to the basics.  Some people are new to the faith and need to learn from scratch...others may have been around a while but need a refresher; but no matter the reason it's always good to go back and start over.
 
There is a famous story about Vince Lombardi, the legendary coach of the Green Bay Packers that is worth sharing on this topic.
 
It was July of 1961 and the 38 members of the Green Bay Packers football team were gathered together for the first day of training camp. The previous season had ended with a heartbreaking defeat when the Packers squandered a lead late in the 4th quarter and lost the NFL Championship to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The Green Bay players had been thinking about this brutal loss for the entire off-season and now, finally, training camp had arrived and it was time to get to work. The players were eager to advance their game to the next level and start working on the details that would help them win a championship.

Their coach, Vince Lombardi, had a different idea. In his best-selling book, When Pride Still Mattered: A Life Of Vince Lombardi, author David Maraniss explains what happened when Lombardi walked into training camp in the summer of 1961. He took nothing for granted. He began a tradition of starting from scratch, assuming that the players were blank slates who carried over no knowledge from the year before… He began with the most elemental statement of all. “Gentlemen,” he said, holding a pigskin in his right hand, “this is a football.”

Lombardi was coaching a group of three dozen professional athletes who, just months prior, had come within minutes of winning the biggest prize their sport could offer. And yet, he started from the very beginning.

Lombardi's methodical coverage of the fundamentals continued throughout training camp. Each player reviewed how to block and tackle. They opened up the playbook and started from page one. At some point, Max McGee, the Packers’ Pro Bowl wide receiver, joked, “Uh, Coach, could you slow down a little? You're going too fast for us.” Lombardi reportedly cracked a smile, but continued his obsession with the basics all the same. His team would become the best in the league at the tasks everyone else took for granted.
Six months later, the Green Bay Packers beat the New York Giants 37-0 to win the NFL Championship.

So we are going back to the basics too.  If you would like to join our class for this session (we hope to offer this class twice a year) please email us at [email protected] ASAP so we can get you on our list!  
 
In Christ,
 
Scott McDermid
Lead Pastor
Six Points Church
[email protected]
317-758-4239

​This Sunday we are excited to welcome Hunter Smith (former Colts Punter) to Six Points Church as our guest speaker...but even more importantly, we hope to welcome many new visitors to our church as well for our first ever Tailgate Sunday.

During the morning we will have music, games (cornhole, ladder golf and more) and hear from Hunter plus we will all have a chance to share a meal together afterwards (please bring a side dish or dessert to share).
 
Now, eating a hot dog with your friends may not seem like a big deal, but in the Bible sharing a meal was a key part of what the early church did together.  There is something bonding about a community meal that brings people together and makes them feel welcome.
 
In Acts 2:46-47 we see the early church in Jerusalem regularly making time for worship and teaching, but also for sharing a meal together.  
 
"Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts.  They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.  And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved."
 
So, let's break bread together on Sunday (hot dog buns count, right?) and pray that God would add many to our number through our fellowship, through a meal and through the word that will be shared this week.  
 
See you (and a friend!) Sunday for Tailgate Sunday!!!