Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “The Joy of Giving”
Are you buying school supplies? I am. And yearbooks, and lunch fees, and tennis shoes because all of my kid’s feet have grown, and fees for clubs, and band, and everything else in the world. I’ve joked a few times that I feel like I’m bleeding money at the start of school, and I know many of you feel the same way. However, when I said it to my mom, she reminded me of a story from my childhood, and I knew I had to share it. When I was nine years old, we lived in a rental house in …
I heard the strangest comment I have ever heard today. It might not sound as strange to you, but I am still processing it, so I thought I might blog and share it with you. Matt and I were sitting with a friend who was telling me of another friend who has cancer. I hadn’t known about the cancer before today, and I was so shocked and saddened. “What can I do?” I asked. “If there is anything? Maybe I could organize meals for her family?” She has three kids, and I just kept thinking about them as their Mom …
There is something special about January and it isn’t just because it’s the new year. In January, Matt and I get to celebrate the births of 7 of our friends and family, including our own sweet Luke. On top of that are two anniversaries (including my parent’s anniversary – 36 years on the 20th!!),one late birthday present, and three baby gifts that I need to get in the mail. It is a very full month of celebrations and presents. I have to be honest, my gift budget has been one of the areas that I have been the most concerned …
I was sitting beneath my beautiful Christmas tree last night, looking at all of the pictures of my kids and little ornaments that represent all kinds of holidays, years, milestones in our lives. And all of a sudden I was struck by the abundance of Christmas and how it flies in the face of the current trend of “frugality”. Everywhere I look and read people are scaling back, cutting back, and trying to figure out how to give less. And though I absolutely applaud being purposeful with your money, there is something so empty in this approach to Christmas. They …
One of the most inspiring verses on the topic of giving is found in 2 Corinthians 8:1-2. In it Paul is talking about the churches of Macedonia and he says, “Moreover, brethren, we make known to you the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded in the riches of their liberality.” In other words, Paul is commending the church at Macedonia because even in affliction and poverty they gave with liberality. They did not wait to become rich to give. They …
In America, we have been given an amazing incentive to be givers by the government. For every charitable donation that you give to a recognized charity or non-profit organization you receive a tax deduction. It is such a fantastic plan because for many it actually is in their best interest (tax-wise) to be givers. In fact, as I recently discovered at my garage sale, I can actually make more money on my old clothes by donating them to charity than I can selling them because of the tax break. Many charities will give you a $5 credit for a donated …
Do you remember chain letters? Did you ever participate in one? When I was a little girl there was a popular trend that went around where everyone was mailing chain letters. The letter usually began something like, “Dear Tracy, please send (stickers, candy, whatever) to the top person on the list, add your name to the bottom and send this letter to seven friends. In 4 weeks you will receive candy from 49 people. If you do not send this letter, you will have broken the chain and (insert list of curses like, you will have no friends, you will …
There is a huge difference between Old Testament giving and New Testament giving, and I am so excited to share it with you today. I am going to be giving you a little bit of history and some scripture, but hang in there with me. Because when the light comes on in your Spirit, it is going to change the way you look at giving. The difference between Old and New Testament giving really comes down to a matter of covenants. I don’t know if you have ever heard of covenants before, but basically it is a contract with terms …
My husband and I were members of a church a few years ago when they began their building program (Can I hear a collective groan? Truly there is nothing worse than a church with a building program. New facilities are nice, but it just seems to suck all the joy and life out or the people… and then what is the point?) We hung in there at the church for as long as we could, but each week they got progressively more and more abusive in their attitude towards giving to the building program. They brought in every hard line …
Why do we give? Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” but do we really believe that or is our faith more in our fear that we will be cursed if we don’t give? If giving is nothing more than a category in your budget, if it has become just a check mark on your financial TO DO list, and if you have just been giving out of a sense of obligation and compulsion, then you have been missing out on a huge part of God’s heart for you in your finance. I know there is …