Generosity and
thanksgiving on every occasion… (posted: 9/9/02)
The following ‘brain-dump’ targets the focused, creative
blessing of others, the goal being to further God’s kingdom with the (often
more than enough) funds we have. It
forces us to think of what we’re doing; it involves imagination and
initiative. Of course things
like tithing
and periodical giving are required – yet I’m looking to go beyond the weekly
mailing of that cheque or the dropping of those bills in the offering bag.
There are a million tactics to realise the way of 2Cor
9:6-11. Maybe each one of us could
become a quiet center of ‘joyfully recreational’ giving, with our individual
focus-areas of blessing. This is not
unlike the individual variations, styles and touches we bring to our
prayers, our jobs, our speech – perhaps we could concentrate/develop
some of this into our giving to God (and thus the world).
So below are some ideas I’ve been jotting down (some of
which have been implemented, some not yet).
You will surely sense the bookworm in me, yet there is no harm in
emphasizing the discipline of reading/study in our churches. In this post-modern, ‘knowledge-oriented’
age, it is surely no impediment to God’s kingdom to have more reading/thinking
Christians around. And to channel some
of our finds for the building of this aspect of God’s kingdom seems nothing
short of sublime. But hey maybe it’s
just me, smile. Perhaps we can:
- Buy /
Collect books and disseminate them to poor families (for whom a ‘book
budget’ is a luxury) or ‘street’ people - not unlike a ‘mobile library’,
bringing books to those who can’t obtain any. One can only imagine the impact of the less fortunate among
us having a regular intake of good, ‘high-value’ reading material,
like.:
- Christian
spiritual books – what if at least one person from every lower-income
family read, say, C.S. Lewis or Philip Yancey?
- Literature
– what if authors like Dostoevsky were to hit our streets in a ‘mass’
way? (and, btw, we need never underestimate the reading capability of the
guy sleeping next to the garbage bins)
- Self-help
educational books – am referring to elementary books/material on reading
and learning (and NOT junk like ‘How to Boost Your Self-Esteem’ or
‘Thick Face / Black Heart’, sigh)
- Reader’s
Digest
- Bibles(!)
- Set
aside a special fund / checking account / piggy bank(!!) to meet the
unexpected needs of others – if you will, a constantly growing personal
welfare fund:
- How
about setting aside 10% of all expenditure on ‘non-essentials’ (we all
know what these are, smile). E.g.
after paying $500 for that new TV, it may be a gracious discipline to
instantly put $50 aside for those who don’t have one?
- Find
out the names and addresses of the churches in our district and ask about
their needs – how many churches or Christian organizations are in dire
need of, say, a new piano or guitar?
Or maybe even a new desk for the pastor? Perhaps a new PC?
- Give
‘out-of-the-blue’ anonymous gifts (along the lines of Matt 6:4, but
preferably not cash) to selected churches or welfare organizations – there
are few better surprises than a totally unexpected item of great value
(this is the bookworm in me talking again, but how about the latest
Richard Foster book for every church in the vicinity? Or maybe some bookshelves for those
churches without libraries?)
- Help
find jobs for the poor and unemployed – this is admittedly a much tougher
endeavor but I was moved by a gentleman going door to door in my office
block, asking if anyone could use his courier services…I badly wished I
could do something for him at the time as something told me he has a
family to feed…with great joy I saw him emerge a few days later, smiling,
from one offices carrying a parcel (praise God)…but how many people are
facing a similar situation? And it
surely CANNOT be that there are no jobs to put even a little (but at least
sufficient) food on the table…I’m not even sure where to start helping
them – any ideas?
Do let me know
what you think…I would like VERY much like a sampling of your
ideas/experiences on giving and how they reflect your personal ‘chic’
(smile).
Always in awe of His generosity and love,
Alwyn
9th September 2002
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