Generosity
What a phenomenal experience we had last week, when more than 500 people gathered to hear about the latest scientific studies and firsthand stories on the benefits of gratitude! Scientists from fourteen studies plus other presenters discussed everything from the chemical effects of gratitude on the mid-brain to its benefits in a range of relationships.…
Read More2185 For One Great Peace – Stewardship as participating in God’s work 2036 Give Thanks – Acting on our gratitude 2239 Go Ye, Go Ye into the World – Participating in God’s work 2048 God Weeps – Participating in God’s work 2162 Grace Alone –Participating in God’s work 2178 Here Am I – Participating in…
Read More413 A Charge to Keep I Have – Especially verse 2; Stewardship as participating in God’s work 147 All Things Bright and Beautiful – The abundance of God’s creation 588 All Things Come of Thee – Giving back from what God has given to us 451 Be Thou My Vision – God as our greatest…
Read More3011 All My Days – Verse 3 God’s gift of time 3120 Amazing Abundance – Stewards of God’s love for all the nations 3002 Blessed Be Your Name – Thanks for God’s blessing in times of scarcity or abundance 3157 Come, Let Us Dream – Participating in God’s work 3174 Christ, We Are Blest –…
Read MoreWhen we consider the “Y” in “Generosity,” we realize it could stand for yielding to God’s grace. One phrase I read somewhere years ago has earned a cherished place in my home. It says “choosing to be utterly dependent on God.” Of course, we always are utterly dependent upon God, but it is the act…
Read MoreWhen we experience “Generosity” as both recipients and givers, we see that the “T” can stand for trust. Generously sharing our personal involvement, relationships and resources naturally flows out of trust in God, including the assurance that God will meet our needs. Actually that’s what “faith” means – not a specific set of beliefs in…
Read MoreThrough life’s ups and downs, we are either growing or withering away. Whenever we seek to live generously, it puts us on the side of growing. So the “S” in “Generosity” can stand for spiritual deepening. How does this happen? As we focus on God’s abundant grace in the gift of God’s love in our…
Read MoreWhen we seek to spell out “Generosity” with our lives, the “O” can stand for outreach: reaching out to others with Jesus’ quality of compassion and care. The point of outreach is not to bring people “into” the church, but to help them “be” the church, part of the Body of Christ, wherever they are.…
Read MoreThe “R” in “Generosity” highlights relationships. Healthy relationships weave an interconnecting web of friends, neighbors, family, church members, community folks, and people around the world whom we may never meet but for whom we pray. All of these relationships are gifts God has entrusted to us to enjoy, strengthen and share. While we usually experience…
Read More“If some is good, more is better.” That message echoes all around us, calling us to pursue more money, more things, more recognition, more power. Money is seen as the key to all the “more” we can imagine. At some level, this insatiable desire taps into a primal instinct on our parts: making sure we…
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