Yesterday (Sunday, April 21), the congregation of which I am part stepped out of the sanctuary and into worship via acts of service. I’ll admit, I wasn’t wild about the idea, but as a member of the church board I went along to get along. God had more in mind for me, as God usually [...]
A scholarship with stewardship modeling on the side
April 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
For Ken and Renee Moreland, the scholarship funds they’ve established at Messiah College (the school where my husband serves as provost) aren’t just about helping students afford a Christ-centered education, as praise-worthy as that is. Nor is their giving simply what a good board member does (Ken serves on the college’s board of trustees), as [...]
Is generosity the new sexy?
February 18, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend. But if it’s a woman’s heart you’re after, guys, try generosity. That’s the word from the research team over at Razoo, the fast growing online crowdfunding platform. When asked “What qualities, if any, do you think makes someone sexy?” responses with a tip of the hat to generosity [...]
Reflections from a generous giver on asking, thanking, and growing donors’ hearts
January 21, 2013 By 4 Comments
The following reflections on money, faith, and fundraising as ministry come from Don Meyer, a Buffalo, NY businessman whose generosity is well-known in Christian circles. When Don speaks, ministry leaders listen. And speak he did at a recent meeting of the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) International board, on which I serve alongside Don’s wife, the [...]
The fault of too much generosity
January 14, 2013 By 2 Comments
The featured person must have been extraordinarily special if his or her family was willing to spring for a two-column wide, boxed obituary in the local newspaper. That’s my assumption, and when it happens, I take notice. This past Sunday, there were two such entries, book ending the spread of shorter obits. One of the [...]
Resolutions for a more generous new year
January 7, 2013 By Leave a Comment
Last week I admitted my aversion to New Year’s resolutions, opting for three words over complete sentences in my quest for a better me. Then along comes Jason Franklin from Bolder Giving, with giving-focused resolutions for folks who believe generous matters. He has me rethinking my minimalist approach, at least when it comes to our [...]
Generosity in action
October 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment
If you missed this heart-warming story of generosity in action as reported by Canadian television and then picked up by Christian Century magazine, read and be encouraged. Passengers on a bus in Winnipeg, Manitoba, were stunned on a cool morning early this fall when their driver stopped the bus, got out and called to a [...]
Generosity in quotes
October 19, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“What began as well-meaning boundaries has become stinginess. ‘No’s’ were useful in helping me focus on what’s important. But when I began to say ‘no’ from a stance of ‘not enough,’ I was hoarding time, effort, attention and money. When I saw the abundance in my life, I could become truly generous. When I finally [...]
Generosity in quotes
September 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“If this is going to be a Christian nation that doesn’t help the poor, either we have to pretend that Jesus was as selfish as we are, or we’ve got to acknowledge that He commanded us to love the poor and serve the needy without condition and then admit we just don’t want to do [...]
Generosity in quotes
September 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
“In following Jesus, we begin by letting go of all those things that place a prior hold on our affections. Relationships, possessions, privilege and position and ease give way to God’s call. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once famously wrote, ‘Christ never calls a man, but he bids him come and die.’ And so we struggle in our [...]
