giving

Giving Christmas Away

Carrie Nye — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:29:32 -0800

I cannot believe this Friday is Black Friday! Can you? This is an old post from a couple years ago that I thought I'd share again. I added a new option for gifts below and am wondering what you might add to the list.

Black Friday has begun and the flood gates of Christmas shopping are open. Last Christmas, I remember my husband and I walking through Target looking for “the perfect gifts” for our family members. We walked in, looked around for a bit and walked out empty handed. Every year it seems like a struggle to find gifts that fit for the people we care about. Companies compete with one another by conveying messages of all of the things that our friends and family NEED this season. Commercials bombard our homes with elves busy at Sears, singing BestBuy employees and Old Navy manikins wearing the latest Christmas sweaters.

Before you get cut off in parking lots this Black Friday or wander the isles of Target in search of the perfect gift, I thought I’d offer some suggestions on ways to give, yet in a more less traditional way.

We all want to give. We were created with that desire. We were made by the hands that designed the very nature of giving. When we understand this awesome truth it becomes inevitable that we give. Who better to explain this than singing vegetables wearing ugly Christmas sweaters.

If you’ve had enough with crowded parking lots and lines, consider this Christmas season the gift of hope, freedom, food, a new start or empowerment. Giving breeds giving. Here are a few places where you can do just that.

Heifer International – Gifts of animals for breeding, farming, food purposes
IJM – Purchase a freedom package for individuals upon their rescue from slavery
Gospel for Asia – Gifts for outreach, missionaries, compassion gifts and much more
Samaritan’s Purse – Gifts for children around the world

Slavery No More - Provides several links to organization that are helping to combat slavery in the world today.

Feel free to leave comments with more suggestions and happy shopping!

Locks of Love to Give

Laurie Russell — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:30:24 -0700

Last year a friend from church shared that her 8-year-old niece, Avery, was once again fighting leukemia. That evening, as I shared it with Mark, our then 7-year-old daughter, Anastasia, overheard us. Even though she didn’t know this little girl, she was very concerned - it was someone her age.

Part of me want to change the topic and shelter Anastasia from the fear of children and cancer but a stronger side felt the need to address it and answer her questions, so we did.

Later that night she wanted to pray for my friend’s niece. When we were done she was quiet in thought and then asked, “Will she lose her hair?”

“She already has honey, but I hear she’s about to get a wig.” This opened a flurry of more questions as I explained how people grow out their hair and donate it to be made into wigs.

When I kissed her good night she sat up and said, “I’m going to grow out my hair and donate it!”

And she did. Months of eternal ponytails, braids and clips. The summer was long and hot and the chlorine was rough on it. But she conditioned it regularly because she wanted it to “be healthy and strong” for whoever received it.

There were times, in moments of weakness, as I helped her comb out knots from a hair-band, that I’d try to give her an out, “If this is too much, we can wait and grow out your hair when you’re older. It’s okay if now is not the time.”

“No! I want to do it now. Somebody needs my hair.”

She was committed to the cause. She was committed to Avery.

That was 9 months ago and this past weekend we went to have it cut and we mailed it off to Locks of Love. It was a big day.

Mark and I were talking about it afterwards and he said, “It shows that we can always give to help another out. We all have something that meets a need.”

He’s right. Anastasia could have used her youth and lack of funds as an excuse to make the solution another person’s responsibility. But instead she saw a need and looked at what she had and committed herself to it.

My daughter has inspired me. I can’t meet every need but there certain needs I am personally called to help out. Many times I’ve used my lack “resources” as an excuse not to help. However, “resources’ are not limited monetary form.

When God wants me to help, there is always something to give. Sometimes it just takes some creative thought…or just looking in the mirror.

Next time your spirit is moved by a need, sit back and take a look around. You probably have more to give then you realize.

Simple Giving – Do the Easiest Thing First for 9/11

Christian Buckley — Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:22:56 -0700

Simple Giving – Do the Easiest Thing First

As we come to 9-11 it is easy to think big but it is better to think small.

Inevitably when I speak on my book Humanitarian Jesus the question comes up – “How do we actually start giving ourselves away? How do we start serving our neighbor?”

I think the problem is that when we try to tackle slavery, water, poverty, or massive trauma like 9-11, Katrina, etc. it is difficult to find a foot-hold. We see the “big guys” making huge impact. Million dollar gifts, bailing out on life and diving in as a volunteer, shifting giant organizations to a new focus. These are all very good – but not the fundamental basis of humanitarian investment.

Look at it another way. I was on the board of a charity some time back and the issue of giving was on the table every meeting. The organization had a couple of “big” givers that made up about 60% of the small budget. I was against that. I wanted to find a way to get small donations from lots of people rather than lots of donations from a small group of people.

The solution is in the many not the few, which by the way is the model of my latest endeavor – www.thegluenetwork.com.

I have heard many people give answers to the “how to” question like find an organization to support, volunteer at a local non-profit, start a church program. Again these are good but not the start.

My answer? Do the easiest thing you can think of today to impact someone else’s life. Not the hardest or most important or even the most humanitarian. Just the easiest thing that is not about you. Around Easter this year I heard a Jesuit Priest share an idea for Lent. Don’t stop anything but rather simply care to “bother” about a simple thing you normally ignore. Smile at someone who is hurting. Really say thank you to the person at the counter. Open the door to the store. Pause to send the email to a friend. Pray for one more person every day.

Yesterday I did two. I paid $1 for a firefighter’s super big gulp that was in line behind my son and I and just said thank you as I walked out of the store. I also looked a homeless person in the eye rather than looking away at the corner – “I see you and acknowledge our common bond.” Don’t applaud, these were easy. But they are real and personal.

As we come to 9-11 it is easy to think big but it is better to think small.

www.911day.org is an interesting place to start.

"It is easy and free to participate. All you need to do (joining millions of others around the world) is observe the anniversary of 9/11 by performing good deeds, supporting charitable causes, volunteering and engaging in other acts of compassion".

Make it about them and not you. That is the heart of Christ and would be a great place to start.

Do My Gifts Make God Look Cheap?

Laurie Russell — Fri, 15 Oct 2010 12:38:43 -0700

There are a lot of piles in our house. The weather is cool and we’re pulling out our fall clothes. We’re in the process of deciding what to keep, what to donate and what to throw away.

I used to be one that donated everything. If I didn’t want it, I threw it in the donate pile. I figured someone could use it and it made me feel generous. But that has changed. I once heard a missionary share a story that changed my outlook on donating and gave it a bigger purpose. I wish I could remember her name to give her the credit but for the story’s sake, I’ll call her Mary.

Mary and her husband had served in Africa as missionaries for 20 years. They were retiring and moving back to the States. Mary worked busily at home, packing up their belongings sorting and making piles of what to keep and what to give away to their African friends.

As she went through their linen she came across a towel. She knew her friend Pierre was stopping by that day to pick up the donations for him, so she threw it on top of his pile. Not long after this she heard a knock on the door. She showed Pierre his stack and went to locate a box for him.

Moments later she re-entered her bedroom. Pierre’s back was facing her and he was holding up the same towel up by its ends. The sunlight shined through the towel revealing thin areas and a few small holes. Mary, a bit embarrassed, thought, Oh no, I didn’t realize the towel was that worn. I hope I haven’t offended Pierre.

Pierre heard Mary’s presence and turned around with tears in his eyes, “I prayed this morning for God to provide another towel for my family. He has answered my prayer!”

Mary was caught off guard by Pierre’s graciousness. She helped him load the items in the box and led him to the door. After he had left she ran back to her bedroom, laid on her bed and cried, “Lord, if I had known I was giving the towel to You, I would have given my best.”

I love this story. I heard it over fifteen years ago yet it still has a huge impact on me. It has two beautiful lessons. Pierre was moved by God’s gift even though it was not in perfect condition. He wasn’t blessed by the gift, he felt blessed that God had heard him and answered. His focus wasn’t on the gift, it was in the Giver.

The second lesson is piercing. Many times God wants to answer the prayers of others through my gifts. When I give my second best it makes God look, uh, well…cheap.

Jesus teaches in Matthew 25:40, “…I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.”

So as I purge and give away, I’m reminding myself that I’m not sending this pile to an anonymous group or a faceless person. It is a gift that has God’s name on the tag and I want it to be my best. Pierre's response shows us that our gifts don't have to be of the finest quality to be a blessing. God can use anything and turn it into a blessing.

What are your thoughts? What are ways to donate and give our old stuff without using donation centers as our personal "dump zone?'

Many of us are struggling financially – does anyone have any suggestions on ways to give our best when our “best” may not be that good in the eyes of the world?

I know a lot of our stuff is worn and old. Does that mean I shouldn’t give it? Any insights?

No Risk, No Reward

jodie howerton — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:00:43 -0700

Last week, my husband jumped out of an airplane.

For a sermon illustration.

He's done lots of things for sermon illustrations. He has used real fire and real chain saws to drive a point home. He uses the verbal illustration most often. He talks about me, his kids, and his friends in sermons all the time. If you know him long enough, you will appear in the weekly sermon. It's an honor, actually. Well, most of the time. He once tattled on me to the whole congregation, claiming that I was a "cusser", a foul mouthed human being. The congregation laughed, because they all knew he was exaggerating, and I had to answer a thousand questions about the incident inthe hallways after the service. In my defense, I uttered one small word (not even a really bad one) in front of my kids and they delighted in repeating it over and over. They told daddy and a sermon illustration was born. You just can't trust kids these days. I must note here that sometimes the stories in his messages are stretched the ever most teensiest bit.

This time, though,the point he was trying to get across could not be done from the safety of a stage or from behind a pulpit. The message was too big, too risky, too important. He called me week before the stunt and I could immediately tell something important was on his mind.

"Hey babe," he said.

"Hey."

"How's your day going? Are you having a good day?"

"Yes. I am...Why do you ask?"

"Well, um...I was wondering what you'd think if I jumped out of an airplane...."

"HUH? WHAT? Wow. Well, someday I think that would be fine. Would you mind picking up some milk on your way home?"

"Friday. I want to skydive on Friday."

I was dumbfounded but, surprisingly excited for him. I felt inclined to allow him the space to experience pure- adrenaline -rush- only- supplied- by- insanity. I'm proud of the fact that we're generally a risk taking family. We deal in adventure. We do roller coasters, we hike, we do marathons and triathlons. We prize toughness. We sometimes forget to wash our hands. Skydiving was a new addition to the list but, I said I would endorse his escapade with one condition. I wanted to be there.

After all, someone would have to collect his broken bones if the chute didn't open.....

So, Friday, the kids and I traveled to the airport with Mike to watch him fling himself willingly from a perfectly good airplane. He had to sign a waiver. You know, that document that lets you know that if anything happens as a result of your OWN CHOICES, the operator of the COMPANY THAT PROVIDED THE OPPORTUNITY, is not in any way liable for anything catastrophic that may or may not happen. I shouldn't have read it. It was not what one would call GOOD FOR THE NERVES. Here are some exerpts:

"Jumping out of an airplane is a very dangerous thing to do. Please do not ever say that we told you skydiving is safe. It is not." It goes on to list the different injuries one can sustain from skydiving, "broken legs, angles, wrists or fingers," and "death from hitting the ground too hard."

He signed it, kissed me and our 2 kids and boarded the airplane. Just as he was heading out to the air strip, we spied this quote on the wall:

"Take risks not to escape life, but to prevent life from escaping." This prevented me from begging him to return immediately to the car.

The kids and I watched his plane take off, watched it disappear in the clouds, and watched a tiny white speck plummet toward the earth. I was mostly calm. At least that's what my kids would tell you. Inside I was desperately trying to quiet the crazy raving lunatic telling me that I would never see my husband in one piece again.

When the parachute deployed, we could see and hear him clearly. Relief flooded by soul. He made it down safely and I was able to breathe normally again. You can watch thevideo at the link below.

http://vimeo.com/7150174

So, why did he jump? What was the point he was trying to prove? Overlake is

heading into a huge, mind blowing vision campaign. The campaign itself is not mind blowing but, it's goals are. Goals like 1,000 slaves set free, 2,000 orphans adopted into loving families, 1,000 churches planted, 50 Community Health Centers to combat HIV/AIDS......

We're asking our congregation to give of themselves in a way that many of them never have. We're asking them to take this risk with us and give of their time and resources in sacrificial, radical ways, even in the midst of this crazy repressive recession. We're asking them to trust God.

These things, my friends, are why I let my husband jump out of an airplane.

That Shoe Guy

Barb Sherrill — Mon, 11 May 2009 20:25:18 -0700

Have you seen the AT&T commercial with the world-traveling Shoe Guy?

He uses his phone (and the killer AT&T worldwide connection) to do business, which for him is selling shoes and giving shoes away. For every pair of shoes his company sells, his company donates a pair to children in need.

Call me a cynic (I'm in marketing--being suspicious of advertising comes with the territory), but I thought AT&T made up this guy and his shoe company. I did give them props for tapping into the zeitgeist with their good-hearted, world-traveling Shoe Guy.

Turns out, though, the scruffy, good-looking Shoe Guy is for real.

His name is Blake Mycoskie and his shoe company is called TOMS (which, I learned, stands for "Tomorrow"). Blake is a world traveler (he had been a contestant on The Amazing Race at one point) who, on his journeys, discovered kids need shoes. So he founded his shoe company on the principle that for every pair they sell, they give a pair away to kids in need.

How cool is that?

How would my life look if I lived as generously as the Shoe Guy? If for everything I get, for everthing that's "mine," I gave in like kind? That giving--of my money, my time, my resources--wasn't a percentage of my life, but more of a one-to-one ratio?

How cool would that be?

The Shoe Guy gives me something to think about. He's living out the idea that it is more blessed to give than receive. Cool.

A Daters Guide to Gift Giving: Evaluating the Response

Dr. Gary Chapman — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 08:16:56 -0700

In a dating relationship, you must also be sensitive to the way your partner responds to gifts. Because of their cost or perceived meaning, certain types of gifts may not be readily accepted by the one you love. At a singles conference in the mountains of North Carolina, Josh approached me after a lecture on the five love languages with a perplexing question. “I believe in all five love languages, but what if you try to speak a love language and your dating partner is not willing to accept it?” he asked.

“Could you give me an example?” I requested.

“Well, I’ve been dating this girl for three months. I’m really excited about her. Samantha’s the most wonderful person I’ve ever met. I wanted her to know how much I cared about her, so I bought her a really expensive gift. But when I gave it to her, she said, ‘I cannot accept this. I just don’t feel right about it.’ I was devastated,” he said.

“I still don’t understand,” he continued. “I really wanted her to have it.”

“I think I know why she rejected the gift,” I said, “but I’m not sure you will want to hear it.”

“Oh, I want to hear it,” he said. “I really do.”

“OK,” I said, “here’s my guess. I think the two of you have different ideas about the current level of your relationship. It is obvious to me that you are very interested in Samantha. You said that she is the most wonderful girl you have ever met. The fact that you would buy her such an expensive gift indicates how deeply you feel about her.”

Josh was nodding his head in affirmation. So I continued, “The problem is that Samantha views the relationship differently. She obviously has an interest in the relationship or she would not be dating you, but she is not as far along as you. In her mind, it is too early in the relationship to be receiving such expensive gifts. She doesn’t want to give you the wrong impression. She doesn’t feel that the relationship has reached the level where she would feel comfortable in receiving such a gift as an expression of your love. Therefore, you must accept this and respect her wishes.”

There was a long pause, and then Josh said, “You’re right. I don’t want to hear that, but I think you’re right. I love her so much and I wanted to do something really nice for her. But I guess I’ll have to give it more time and hope that she will come to love me as much as I love her.”

I nodded and said, “Six months from now when Christmas rolls around you might test the waters before you purchase the gift. You could say something like this: ‘I want to do something really nice for you this holiday, but I don’t want to surprise you. Would you be willing to accept________(name the gift) as an expression of my love for you? No strings attached. I just want you to know that I love you.’ If she says yes, you will know the relationship has matured. If she says no, then the relationship is in trouble.”

“I’ll do it,” he said, “and I hope by then she will receive it.”

Josh learned an important lesson: You cannot force someone to accept an expression of love. You can only offer it. If it is not accepted, you must respect the other person’s decision.

...and you?
How often do you give gifts to those you love and care for? What is the last gift you gave and to whom did you give it? If you enjoy receiving gifts, from whom would you most like to receive one? Would it be appropriate for you to give this person a gift this week?