Church

I believe two things are true about most people I meet. First, they want the world (their family, neighborhood, school, planet) to be a better place. Second, they would love to help make that happen. The space in-between intentions and actions is where the answer is found. I want to share with you one powerful shift that I believe has the potential to bring about transformational change. It's what I call "progressive generosity." But what is it? Conventional thinking: My income increases, I have more to spend. As a result, my expenses, debts, and obligations increase as well. Transformational thinking: My income increases, I have more to save, invest, and give.  As a result, I have more saving and giving power. Which of these two ways of thinking do you believe is most common? It's unfortunately obvious -- conventional thinking.  All too often, our spending increases to the level of…

Each month I do one-on-one coaching with all of our ministry leaders. Each person discusses the same questions (which change from month-to-month), allowing me to listen across the spectrum for common issues, patterns, and opportunities. It also ensures all of our leaders are reflecting on the same themes at the same time. Yesterday, I sent all my monthly coaching appointments their questions for December. While not likely to generate as much intense debate as Christmas advertising before Halloween, it did feel a bit strange doing so before Thanksgiving. What I like to do at the close of each year is ask them to reflect on the past twelve months. By sending out the questions early, it allows them time to go a little deeper than just responding off the top of their head. Here are the questions I'm asking them to reflect on: During 2019, where did you most feel…

Contrary to popular opinion, generosity is not about your finances or how much you give, or even how you give. If popular opinion decided to award Will Ferrell an Emmy for Anchorman, I might agree with popular opinion. But when it comes to generosity, popular opinion is often wrong. Unfortunately, this faulty reasoning often leads to inaction. Sometimes we use the excuse that because we cannot give a lot (meaning the amount of money) we’re not going to give at all. This is because another popular opinion in our cultures says, bigger is better. Here's the reality: Bigger giving is not better. Better giving is better. Generosity is more about your heart than it will ever be about your wallet. Some of the most generous people I know give out of relative poverty. I know very busy people who find time to volunteer and serve. It's not the amount but…

I believe most people want to be generous and live in a way that blesses others. They want to invest their God-given time, talent, and treasures in people and places that make a difference. It's often not a lack of desire that keeps people from living generous lives. It's fear. The fear of not having enough left for yourself or family, the fear of losing what you do have, the fear of not having enough time, the fear of not being good enough or smart enough or talented enough. These fears keep them from doing the things they can do. When you think about generosity, are your thoughts based in fear? What is the best antidote to fear? While courage is certainly helpful, it's not courage alone. It's not simply more education, though a better informed person is better equipped to analyze risks. It's also not recklessness - that's just…