Living a Generous Life

As I was searching for a topic for this weeks blog entry, I stumbled upon this article for 85 Broads. I think it is very fitting and also very challenging for all of us in this economic turmoil. Remember, God has so richly blessed us and only asks a small portion of what has given to us. By making tithing and offerings a priority in our lives, God will continue to bless us with all we need.

Here is the article:

The playwright George Bernard Shaw said, "The possibilities are numerous once we decide to act and not to react".

In 2008, the world saw a lot of economic reactions. From the fall of Wall Street and the near collapse of the U.S. economy, many of us reacted by pulling our purse strings tighter and deciding to "hunker down" until the end of the recession.

As 2009 approaches, you and I have a unique opportunity to put aside reacting and put action front and center. Taking action will help the world recover and rebound. However, action without heart and connection to the greater good could get us back where we started. To guide you in taking your action in the new year, I offer you a tool that never fails: leading with generosity.

What does it mean to lead with generosity?

According to Webster's Dictionary, generosity is "the habit of giving." But as we leap into a new year filled with new possibilities, let's add to it "the habit of giving... especially when it feels terrifying!" Now is not the time to give less. Now, especially in these tough economic times, is the time to give to your fullest potential.

We cannot create the possible until we practice what feels impossible. In 2009 I urge you to take a leap like you've never taken before. What do you have to lose? Be as generous as you can in anyway that you can in every moment that presents itself. By doing so, you will develop a habit of giving that will transform the world. It will also transform you.

Being generous does not mean making a charitable gift that you cannot afford. However, being generous does mean writing any size check, even if you're worried about money.

Being generous does not mean overextending yourself to a point of fatigue and burnout. However, being generous does mean revisiting the priorities you set and ensuring that the material does not supersede the spiritual.

Being generous does not mean allowing others to take advantage of your talents and gifts. However, being generous does mean offering your talents and gifts without expectation of return.

We cannot ask of our business and political leaders that which we do not practice and model. Someone has got to illustrate what generosity and giving look like.

In 2009, have that someone be you.

Where is your treasure?

What does it mean to be generous? Does it mean a $10,000 check to the church? Does it mean giving to a noble cause? While these are worthy ideas, Jesus measures generosity by a zealous new standard – the condition of the giver’s heart. In Matthew, Jesus said “For where your treasure is, there you heart will be also” (6:21).

If your treasure is in gold, there your heart will be also. If your treasure is in material possessions, there your heart will be also. If your treasure is in the Lord, there your heart will also be.

Giving is so much more than an obligation for followers of Christ – it’s an opportunity to put your heart in the Lord and your treasure in eternity. After all, Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give then to receive” (Acts 20:35b). Yet statistics show that U.S. Christians give proportionately less than we did during the Great Depression. Today, like no other time in history, God has positioned people with unprecedented wealth and opportunity to glorify the risen Christ by mirroring the Lord's generosity.

Will you put your treasure in the Lord? Will you continue to be a generous giver and lay your treasures in eternity rather than the fleeting? Will you glorify the Lord by mirroring the actions and words of God?

--Tracy Wood, Web Coordinator, Stratgeic Marketing and Research Team, United Methodist Communications

I'll sacrifice my asparagus...

What does giving mean to you? Does it mean obligingly putting money in the offering plate each Sunday? Does it mean reluctantly giving a dollar to the homeless man? Does it mean volunteering to help on a mission trip? Does it mean giving your coat to the woman shivering on the street?

The other day, I was watching a movie with my daughter. In this movie, two very poor sisters just experienced devastation to their family business and home. All they had was their clothes, blankets, jam and bread. They go in search of more and as they are, the pass an elderly lady who looked hungry and tired. Even though the sisters were just as hungry, one of them offered up her sandwich of bread and jam to the elderly lady.

Sure, it was just a movie, but that, to me, is a type of giving. Jesus teaches us that our love for those in need shows our identity as children of the generous Creator (1 John 3:16-18). The elderly lady was in need and the sister reached out to her and sacrificed her lunch so that the woman could be nourished. Sacrificial giving nourishes our Christian soul and spirit. It brings us closer to God and shows our devotion and gratitude to God's will.

I discussed the movie with my daughter afterwards and explained how their giving is how we strive to be. Of course, then she offered to “sacrifice” her asparagus for her sister’s nourishment. I don’t think so my child!

~ Tracy Wood, Web Coordinator, Strategic Marketing and Research Team, United Methodist Communications. A "not so new" mom of 2 adorable and well nourished girls.

Pay it Forward

When I was a child, my mother told me, “I hope you have a kid just like you when you grow up!” I always viewed that as a compliment since I was an angelic kid.

Ok, even I can’t type that without snickering.

While I wasn’t quite angelic per se, I was essentially a good kid. I stayed on the Honor Roll, was active in church and took dance lessons. Sure, I did the normal rebellion antics, which is what spurred my mother’s comment I’m sure.

Nevertheless, if there was one thing I was – it was giving. Each Sunday, I made sure I had at least a quarter to put into the offering plate. That may not sound like much, but when your allowance for the week was a dollar, 25-cents of that was a big deal. It was something that my father instilled in me. Always give back and be generous.

I’ve taken that instilled principle with me into adulthood. I’m still a very giving person – I’ll willing give away my only dollar if you need it because hey, there may come a time when I’m going to need your only dollar. Some may call that “Paying it Forward” but I like to think of it as giving to a friend when they need it. If I can provide or help out, I’m all for it.

When it came to Human Relations Day, one of the six churchwide Special Sundays, I took out the leaflet envelope from my church bulletin, dug into my purse and deposited some money – and gave each of my daughters a quarter to put in the offering plate. They may only be 5 and 1 years old, but I want to instill the essence of giving in them early.

Would you give someone your only dollar if they needed it?

Did your church celebrate Human Relations Day, which strengthens outreach to communities in the U.S. and Puerto Rico and encourages social justice and work with at-risk youth? Did you know that you can give online to Human Relations Day – or any of the Special Sundays – and still credit your local church with your gift? It’s true. You can donate at our e-give site at any time.

No matter the amount, your gifts to our Church truly make a difference in the lives of so many. It is my prayer that more people would pay it forward.

--Tracy Wood, Web Coordinator, Strategic Marketing & Research Team, United Methodist Communications. Full time web geek, part time comedian. :-)

Why can’t every day be Christmas?

I’ll be showing my age if I talk about a Christmas movie from my childhood, “There Once Was A Christmas That Almost Wasn’t” (1966). The movie contained a song that has stuck in my brain all these years, crowding out things my wife and boss might think are important. Imagine that…

Why can’t everyday be Christmas?

The practical answer, of course, is that if everyday were Christmas, it wouldn’t be special anymore. Wouldn’t make our hearts beat faster, wouldn’t keep us up at night with the excitement of how someone was going to react to that very special gift. There wouldn’t be a season of preparing for Christ’s coming, anticipating, and the joy of that birth and the exclamation point in the story of our salvation.

I think about that song, though, when I see the spirit in a person that is so prevalent this time of year. We give generously. We don’t pass the kettle without putting in a buck. We give food baskets. We volunteer at soup kitchens and shelters. We visit the sick, infirm, elderly, those in prison. We give of ourselves so generously.

That’s the part that would do well to last all year round. Those folks who are shut in or locked up will still be there in January; and the food pantry shelves will be pretty empty in February and March. The soup kitchen will need a few extra hands come April, and so on…

So while I believe it honors Jesus’ birth to celebrate it once a year (it isn’t one day, by the way, but a 12 day season) I think it honors Jesus life and ministry when we carry that spirit of compassion and generosity through the whole season. Why not? Why can’t every day be Christmas?

--Ken Sloane, Director of Communications Ministry Team, United Methodist Communications

Just Imagine...

I was listening to "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me and it got me thinking about imagining what we could do if we all gave or if we all took just enough.

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and people across the United States will go without food because they can’t afford food. Other people will waste plates and plates of food because “their eyes are bigger than their stomach.” Imagine the number of people we could feed if we just too what we needed from the table. Or, imagine what we could do if we took the money from the left overs and gave that to someone who could truly benefit from the money.

I don’t mean the man begging for alcohol on the street – rather the family scraping to make the rent that doesn’t have extra money for bread and milk each week. Or the single father of 3 children who can’t provide clothes that fit. Or the woman in the battered women’s shelter who is trying to start her life over – free from abuse.

Just imagine what we could do if we all gave.

Just imagine.

This Thanksgiving, I hope and pray that you’ll see the need and give to a charity, shelter, church or the United Methodist Student Day offering. Giving the gift of education to persons who would otherwise be unable is giving the gift of hope and future. They will be forever thankful.


--Tracy Wood, Web Content Coordinator, United Methodist Communications

Too Much Stuff?

For those of us living in the United States, we’re entering into what is often called “the holiday season.” Like there is a season for holidays, or holy days. As if each day wasn’t holy in its own way.

These days that encompass Thanksgiving and Christmas (and on to New Year’s Day) get lumped together because one launches the shopping season and the others mark it’s conclusion. If you have any money left by the time you reach the end of November, prepare to see it vanish by the time the calendar year comes to a close.

Maybe this was obvious to everyone else, but this year I am struck by the contrast of a day where we celebrate the multitude of blessings we have, giving thanks to God for gracious love and goodness, and before the turkey and pie have been digested and before we have concocted our first configuration of leftovers, we launch into a frenzied attempt to acquire, consume and collect more stuff. At anytime, the sanity of this could be questioned, but the timing here leaves me amazed.

Have you ever heard Eric Bibb’s song, “Too Much Stuff”? It’s a good listen as we get ready for this season of consumption.

Is there any way out of this insanity? Actually there is. On the day after Thanksgiving, stay home, make yourself a sandwich, sit by your computer, and visit the website for The Advance. Have your Christmas list by your side – most of those folks are people who already have too much stuff. Then make donations in their name to United Methodist missions.

· 100% of your gift goes to people in need.
· All of the Advance’s operating expense comes from World Service Fund apportionments.
· Your gift can be acknowledged with an email or you can print out a beautiful card.

You will have done something extremely appropriate for the season that falls between the remembrance of our blessings and the birth of the Savior!

-- Rev. Dr. Ken Sloane, Director of Communications Ministry, United Methodist Communications

Running on Empty

Just a few weeks ago the Nashville area ran out of gas.

There was lots of talk about whether there really was an interruption of supply due to the hurricanes south of us, or if there was just rumors that were flying. Rumors that there wasn’t going to be enough, so that everyone took every car and every container to the gas station on the same day to hedge their bets. Whichever reason was correct (probably a combination of both) the results were the same. Long lines, frayed nerves, curtailed travel plans, and some panic.

When that scarcity mentality grabs a hold of us, there is no telling what we might do. We had some police officers stationed at gas stations by me. I didn’t see anyone act up. In fact, when a young driver ran out of gas while waiting on line, some of the other drivers got out and were helping him inch his car up in the line until he got his turn at the pump.

Now all we hear about is the economy, stocks in the toilet, banks going under or getting bought out, Congress bailing out financial institutions. It’s not hard to get alarmed, to be frightened, to pull our heads into our shell and say, “it’s time for me to worry about me and mine.”

That’s not what the church does. We follow that guiding principle that when things get tough, you stick closer together. There is a whole world that is being rocked by the unstable nature of the financial realities. And there are more opportunities for ministry now than ever. There are more reasons for United Methodists to pull together, to let our strength and our numbers empower our ministry, than in any time in recent memory. The challenges are great, but the potential for life changing ministry is even greater.

I think of Jesus on that hillside along the Sea of Galilee. The crowd has pressed in on him, and the disciples want Jesus to send the crowd away because they don’t have any food to share. Scarcity mentality has set in big time. One boy has offered up what he has: some loaves and a few fish. In Jesus’ hands, it is an abundance.

So, lets use our resources wisely, but lets see clearly our abundance and boldly share it. We are not running on empty, not in regard to compassion, or hunger for justice, or enthusiasm for evangelism, or concern for the poor. Let generosity – extravagant generosity – still be the rule that claims us. Let us put what we have into Jesus hands and let Jesus show us the abundance!


--Rev. Dr. Ken Sloane, Communications Ministry Group, United Methodist Communications

Stewardship and the mandate

I was reading an article on The United Methodist Church website titled "United Methodists call for stewardship over greed" by Kathy Gilbert and found an excerpt of interest.

...Corporate greed must be replaced by the biblical mandate of stewardship," the statement said.

The "statement" is referring to an article published by the General Board of Church and Society in response to the bailout bill.

Sometimes I think we forget that stewardship is indeed a mandate of the bible, and not a suggestion from the church. I don't remember reading the verse 'If you have money left over,' sayeth the Lord, 'give some to the church. If you don't, it's OK - I'll catch you next time.'

Instead, the God instructs us to give a tithe of all that he has given us. A tithe is known as a tenth part - or 10%. But, it doesn't stop with a tithe. Jesus spoke about bringing your tithes and offerings - an offering of sacrifice above the tithe. Many times people give their 10% title and think they have done their part, but there are many other opportunities to give!

The United Methodist Church, in my opinion, follows Jesus' thoughts about giving tithes and offerings. The church has seven apportioned funds which serve as the "tithe" and then have six churchwide Special Sundays and The Advance which are the "offerings."

Let us heed the mandate of the bible and remember that stewardship isn't optional - even in difficult economic times. Remember, God only asks a small portion of what He has blessed us.


--Tracy Wood, Web Coordinator, Connectional Giving Team

Motivation...

As I was reflecting on what to write this blog entry (and I promise they will be more frequent), I continued to think about motivation. What motivates people to give? And I don't just mean money, but also time, talents and possessions.

What motivates people to give? Is it for the tax benefit? Is it for positive publicity? Is it because people inherently want to give back? Is it to emulate a good example to others? Is it a conviction of duty? Is it expected?

So, then I reflected on myself. What motivates me to give?

I consistently think the same thing: I give because I never know when I might be the one in need.

For example, I donated to Light the Night because God forbid one of my children should be diagnosed with leukemia or lymphoma.

I give to my church because I'm financially able to and there may come a day where I need to rely on others generosity for food or clothing.

I consistently give to Goodwill because I want to give others a job and there may come a time when I may rely on Goodwill for clothing.

I give my time and talent to the handbell choir at church so that others can hear God's love through beautiful music.

I offer possessions on my local Freecycle group because it's not important to resell everything for a profit - if I'm able to give it away for free to someone who needs it, then I'm helping others.

I give money to V-Day because I believe that we have to stop violence against women.

And I give to Nothing But Nets because global health is every one's responsibility. I can skip two Frapuccino's and give a bed net to a family in Africa.


No matter what the motivation, giving is a good thing. Giving money, time, talents and possessions makes this world a better place. But most importantly, "its better to give than to receive." And that's the truth. I LOVE seeing someones face when they open a gift or know that someone has changed their lives. (And it's even more amazing when you can do it anonymously!)

So, what motivates you to give?

Would you without hesitation say, “Yes, I will do as You say?”

As I was listening to “The Best from Rebecca St. James,” I reflected on the song Here I Am. An excerpt from the song:

God asks the question, “Whom shall I send?”
Now what will we answer?
Will we go and do as He says?
All that He wants is a heart, ready,
willing and waiting.

It’s easy to say “Yes, I will go and do as you say” if we don’t have to take immediate action. In theory, we would absolutely say yes.

But what if God asked you to sell your possessions and move your family to Burundi and set up a free health clinic? Would you without hesitation say, “Yes, I will go and do as You say?”

What if God asked you to sponsor an impoverished student to go to college, though it would require you to give up vacations and “extras?” Would you without hesitation say, “Yes, I will do as You say?”

What if God called your child to North Korea to be a missionary? Would you without hesitation say, “Yes, go and do as He says?”

What if God called you to be an ambassador for World Communion Sunday in your congregation? Would you without hesitation say, “Yes, I will do as You say?”


The last scenario is probably the easiest one to say “yes” to. God asks “Whom shall I send?” and He may just be seeking YOU. World Communion Sunday is one of the six churchwide Special Sundays of The United Methodist Church. The offering provides scholarships for U.S. (racial- and ethnic-minority) and international students. Students who receive scholarships study in a wide variety of fields: family pastoral care, Christian-Muslim relations, clinical psychology, peace and governance, crop production, law, health, rural development and more.

When God calls, I hope my heart will be ready, willing and waiting without hesitation to say “yes, I will do as You say” – if that means giving $50 to World Communion Sunday or living without the “extras” so someone else can go to college and have a better future.

Tracy Wood, Web Coordinator, Connectional Giving Team
United Methodist Communications

It's about TIME

Actually, it’s all about time. We all have only so much of it. The decisions we make about how we use it, what we do with it, to whom we give it. We can waste it, we can kill it, or we can make the most of it.

A friend reminded me of a line from the movie Steel Magnolias, “I’d rather have thirty minutes of wonderful than a lifetime of nothing special.” Time can be that precious, or it can be something that can’t slip away from us fast enough.

So what does this have to do with Connectional Giving? Well, it is our time we give to the church that makes a difference. How many United Methodists will spend vacation days this summer taking part in mission trips, VIM Work Teams, Volunteering a vacation Bible School? Connectional Giving is not just about the dollars we put in the plate, but the time we put in to make our church – individually and collectively – effective in its ministry.

In fact, those monetary gifts we put in the plate reflect our time as well. The hours we’ve put in at work this week. The years we’ve worked in the past to secure an income in our retired years, and the ability to continue to support the work of the church.

John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, is quoted as saying “Make all you can, save all you can, give all you can.” It is not a call for us to build big portfolios and stockpile money to buy our security. It is a call to first be a good steward of our time, to make the best use of each minute.

All of us will trade our time, our hours and minutes and seconds for the things that matter to us. For the time you have given to empower both the local and the global ministry of The United Methodist Church, I say a heartfelt “thank you!”


--Rev. Dr. Ken Sloane, Director of Communications Ministry, United Methodist Communications

A call to be faithful

I’m on the road a lot and eat many meals by myself, looking for ways to pass the time while waiting for my food to come. Billings, Montana happened to be the place where I was sitting in a Cracker Barrel restaurant looking at stuff on the walls and I noticed some very old copies of the Saturday Evening Post. You may remember that magazine, made famous to many of us through the artwork of Norman Rockwell. Anyway, I was looking at two of the old covers: one was from April 22, 1906 and the other was from March 12, 1938. While I don’t remember much else about the magazines or their covers, I remember that the price: five cents.

Then it struck me. The price had not changed over a 32 year period!

How amazing and alien is that to the world we live in. So dramatic now when the price of gasoline goes up between the time you drive to work in the morning and the time you drive home in the afternoon. When staples at the supermarket have jumped by 1/3 in a matter of months.

Even in days that are not so economically challenging, the expectation that the cost of things this year will be more than they were last year or a few years ago is pretty widely accepted. And of course, most of us expect that our income will be a little better next year than this as well.

This present reality is not always reflected in the way people give to the church. How many folks walk into our churches and are transported back to that alien world where things don’t change and costs don’t go up even over 32 years? How many folks will put a dollar in the offering plate, or put the same amount they put in five years ago? It makes it hard for the church to cope, but it also erodes the spiritual discipline of our giving. The biblical mandate to tithe was important to insure that God’s place in our priorities always came first.

When we don’t teach and call our folks to embrace the concepts of tithing or percentage giving, we say its OK for them to give in a way that doesn’t reflect the realities of the world we live in and which doesn’t honor God in our giving.

The point of Christian stewardship is not to focus on the “holy grail” of 10% giving, but to remind us of the 90% that God leaves in our hands, along with the blessings of life, health, creation, work, and so many other things. It is a call to be faithful in the world we live in today, not an alien world where the price of a magazine doesn’t change over 32 years!

--Rev. Dr. Ken Sloane, Director of Communications Ministry, United Methodist Communications

What Kind of Day Is It?

“Just then Jesus looked up and saw the rich people dropping offerings in the collection plate. Then he saw a poor widow put in two pennies. Jesus said, “The plain truth is that this widow has given the largest offering today. All these others made offerings that they’ll never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn’t afford—she gave her all.” {Luke 21:1-4, The Message}

“How can the church survive if people can no longer afford to give in support of its mission and ministry? This question seems to come up in one form or another in almost every church I visit these days. Given our current economic turmoil and uncertainty it’s no wonder both pastors and laity are concerned about the future of the church. The more I pray and contemplate an appropriate response to the above question the more I find myself coming back to the story of the Widow’s Mite.

As our economy groans under the pressure of escalating fuel prices, a slumping housing market, and an increased cost of living our ability to give that “which we will never miss” gets harder and harder. As a read the Widow’s Mite I believe Jesus didn’t heap a lot of praise for those who simply gave out of their abundance anyway. Perhaps the current economic reality will cause each and every person in the church to look deep within and ask ourselves, “What is God calling me to give?”

Maybe the day has come or soon will when we as the followers of Christ will have to decide that the church and its ministries are worth giving to extravagantly even out of our poverty. In other words, maybe the moment is upon us when we will have to decide that participation in the mission and ministry of the church of Jesus Christ is worth a change of lifestyle with our time, talent, and treasure. Maybe the time has arrived when being numbered among United Methodists in the Greater New Jersey annual conference means that we are willing to give sacrificially to God through the mission and ministry of the church.

Senior Pastor Brian Tome of Crossroads Church in Cincinnati, Ohio ends every staff meeting with the question, “What kind of a day is it? His staff always responds the same way, “It’s a good day to die!” This cryptic phrase embodies the church’s ethic to be a blessing at all costs instead of clinging to self-preservation. They strive to follow Christ’s example of blessing people by giving everything all the time. Being a blessing is a passion that permeates everything they are, say, and do. May we also be filled with a passion to be a blessing at all costs and may God bless us and others through us as we, like the Widow, offer everything to God.

--Rich Henderson, Coordinator of Stewardship Education and Development, Greater New Jersey Annual Conference