by Hope
I found a church I like here in Austin earlier in the summer. Although I continued to visit other churches that were closer to me, I really fell in love with this church. And now I can’t stand to miss a service.
And the best thing to me, or two best things to me, are 1) it’s super casual. I don’t have to even think about what I wear. Outside of them keeping the building freezing cold, I can wear whatever and no one looks at me sideways. This has always been a HUGE thing for me. Since I was a child. I have always hated “dressing” up. Like HATE!
And 2) they have Saturday service. I’ve never been to a church that had service any other day of the week, but this one has 2 services on Saturdays and 3 services on Sundays. And I absolutely LOVE going to church on Saturday afternoon.
I joined a small group during the summer. And then I began leading a small group in the fall. Continuing in both this winter/spring as well.
All that to say…
Tithing 10%
Last month, they did a whole series on giving. I think most churches do it every year as a lead into the year end giving drive. I’ve never really paid attention to it. Certainly never felt convicted to give.
And gave up donating and tithing pretty readily soon as I started writing here with the excuse that that money needed to go toward debt instead. Which in theory, might have been right, but the reality is, it didn’t. I spent it. Not wisely.
But that is the past, and this is the 2026 version of Hope. And I learned alot during my church’s end of the year series on giving. And was convicted that I need to start tithing again.
Do you give? Tithing regularly or just when you are asked? Or feel like it?
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
