Article March 23, 2009 Issue

STARTING AT THE TOP

BY PAM DEBOLT

Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in my house, and thus put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts; see if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you an overflowing blessing.

Malachi 3:10, New Revised Standard Version

Many are looking for answers to the question of how we can find security right in the middle of something as insecure and unsettling as the current economic conditions facing the United States and its global neighbors. Ordinary people feeling the crunch of the financial downturn have become the face of the news. The stress that accompanies this hardship is a common theme for more and more individuals—stress because of lost jobs, homes, livelihoods, and the depressing thought that joyful times are a thing of the past.