Friday, March 15, 2013

Give generously and be a blessing.....



Giving generously was the theme of last week’s church service at Centerpoint.  In this series Pastor Chris has been talking about how we need to “Be the Church.”  After last week’s service I decided this topic was worthy of a blog.

The message revolved around the idea that giving generously means that we give selflessly, sincere and sacrificial.  At the close of the service, because of the selfless giving of Centerpoint goers the week before, the church did a “tithe give back” on the $3000 excess received over the budgeted amount.   All the tithe back envelopes contained anything from a $10 bill to a $50 bill.   The purpose of the “tithe give back” was to go be a blessing to others.

What church passes the tithing buckets back out so that you can take money?  CENTERPOINT!  This church never ceases to amaze me!  This is a perfect example that everyone on the leadership team practices what they preach.  Their mission of being   uniquely different and passionately real is seen in their actions.

I received an envelope with $10 and Jeff did also.  We ordered a $20 pizza for lunch and gave a $10 tip.  Our other generous giving opportunity came a few days later as I was driving down Allen Ave.  I saw two young people walking and felt led to give them the other $10.  I pulled up beside of them and said “Hi, I am giving out money today and handed them the money.”  The look on their face was one of confusion and happiness. 

As I continue to ponder the idea of generous giving I think of the idea of spontaneous giving and showing random acts of kindness.  Do we do this enough?  My challenge for you today is to think about generous giving and what that means to you.  Maybe it is not financial giving but generous giving in other ways.   Mother Teresa once said, “We shall never know all the good a simple smile can do.”  So simply smiling at others is really an act of “giving.”  Smile more, give more and make the world a better place!

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