Dave Ramsey's Christmas Giving

Dave Ramsey encourages us to "give like no else" this Christmas - here are some of his ideas to get you started:

1. Buy several winter jackets at a discount retail store and deliver them to the homeless in your community.
2. Pay the power bill for a family who is struggling financially.
3. Purchase a restaurant gift card for a young couple who are new parents, and offer to babysit their kiddo for free.
4. When checking out at the grocery store, hand the cashier some cash and tell her you want to pay for a needy family's groceries.
5. Take a single mom on a Christmas shopping spree for her kids.
6. Clean the home of a shut-in and cook for them. Stay and chat with them over dinner.
7. Bless your pastor with a Christmas bonus.
8. Call your church and ask them if they know a family in need of gifts this year. Then, purchase a gift for each family member and drop it off at their doorstep on Christmas Eve.
9. Shovel snow, rake leaves, or pick weeds for an elderly couple in or near your neighborhood.
10. Next time you fill up your gas tank, give the clerk $50 and tell him you want to pay for someone else's gas bill.

A poor parody of Hamlet

To give, or not to give: That is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of selfishness,
And by opposing end them?

Ok, I'm done. I can't even write a true parody of this passage because I don't really understand the actual context in which it was written. (In fact, I thought it was from Romeo & Juliet until I googled it just now. My high school English teacher, Mrs Robinson, would not be calling me a scholar right now).

Anyway, this week I heard some news about the movie that was to be made about Blue Like Jazz. Apparently production was suspended due to lack of funds, so some guys made a website asking people who have been influenced by the book to considering giving to fund the rest of the movie's production.

Before I could stop my mind from going there, it went there: what if they don't make their goal? Where does my money go? What happens to the movie?

It's like a student asking for support for a missions trip: What if she doesn't go? What happens to my money?

The thing is (thanks, Allison) I don't really have a say in how the money is used. My reaction points out a problem with my attitude in giving: control. It's not my money to begin with. While I should be a good steward of it, it's out of my hands when it's given away.

I ran into this same issue last week, when I was reading Revolution in World Missions by KP Yohannon. He cited many examples of American churches and big-name Christians (without naming names) that wanted to help him in his cause of raising funds for indigenous missionaries in India. But the Americans wanted additional confirmation that the money pledged would be used the way they wanted- through a variety of different stipulations. I admire KP's integrity and character - he would not accept money with ties. And I think he was totally right in asking them to reconsider. It's not that there wasn't any accountability within his system - it's that the people giving wanted to make sure it was done their way.

While we're on the subject of books, let me bring up another one (some of you are probably not surprised I'm mentioning this book). Last year, I read Law of Rewards by Randy Alcorn. It's not a long book, but it took me a whole year to finish; there was a lot to consider and converse about.

This topic of how to decide to give or not to give is one thing Alcorn covers in his book, and also on his website (Eternal Perspectives Ministries). He's got an article entitled Nineteen Questions to Ask Before You Give To Any Organization. They vary from checking a ministry's biblical doctrine, ministry strategies and overhead/admin costs, to talking with people both on the local level instead of just reading literature/seeing promo videos. One thing I'm really glad to see on the list is the importance of giving to the local church. Alcorn suggests we ask ourselves whether or not we've fulfilled our primary role in giving to our local church.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (loosely) says we should decide in our hearts what to give, and to give it cheerfully. I think the kicker comes right before this verse, in 9:6: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

As with many of life's interesting issues, the answer probably lies in a balance: giving where, when and how God leads you - which might sometimes be off-the-cuff without much consideration, and might sometimes be after an hour long personal appointment with a missionary from a ministry you've never heard of.

What are your thoughts? Do we have any say in how money is used when we give it away? Why/Why not? Should we extensively scrutinize every single financial opportunity that comes our way with Alcorn's list of 19 Questions?

(By the way, I just checked the Save Blue Like Jazz website, and they made their goal).

Pray for Haiti

If you haven't already heard, last night there was a 7.0 magnitude earthquake in Haiti. The epicenter was located about 10 miles southwest of the capital city of Port-au-Prince.

My immediate thoughts on the event were the thousands of people that are unaccounted for. What a horrible tragedy. I've been learning more about Haiti and praying for the country over the last few months; I began supporting a child there through Mission of Mercy last year and hearing about a friend's medical rotation there (JB) also grabbed my interest.



Campus Crusade put out a staff update about the earthquake this morning. There are 2 staff families working in Haiti. The director, Rev. Esperandieu Pierre, and his son Nathan were in Trinidad for ministry training and are unharmed. As of last reports, Dianne Pierre and their 2 other children, Charissa and Lemuel, along with the other staff couple have yet to be contacted. Their blog, with updates, can be found here. There are also several teams from The JESUS Film Project® in the country as well.

Global Aid Network, the humanitarian aid arm of Campus Crusade, had previously sent a container of food and shoes to Haiti in case of a disaster like this and have supplies in place and ready to distribute. They also have plans to ship more supplies there in the coming days.

I know there are tons of organizations to give to who do and will do relief work in Haiti, but here are a few links in case you are interested in giving:

The American Red Cross click to give


Mission of Mercy: Haiti Earthquake Relief Efforts click to give
Funds will go to assisting relief efforts in communities where we work and to join efforts underway in Port au Prince.


Campus Crusade's movement in Haiti click to give
Nehemiah Vision Ministries
c/o Earthquake Assistance
P.O. Box 48
Westfield, IN 46074



Click here for an update on the outlook in Haiti

From Talk To Action

One of the overarching themes of the last year or two of my life has been discovering the true meaning of the Gospel. I'm sure that I will continue to learn about it for the rest of my life, as I'll never fully understand how it works and why God designed life this way.

Lately I've come to a much deeper understanding of the Gospel; it's more than a one-time prayer that I know I should pray. The Gospel affects our lives in eternity, but is also life-changing while we are on this earth.

Under this overarching theme lies another issue that has consumed much of my thinking: good deeds.



Just by reading the accounts of Jesus interacting with people in the Gospels, one can see that He wasn't only about truth, and He wasn't only about good deeds. He had a unique balance. The Great Commission and The Great Commandment were both important to Him, and they should both be important to us.

Why do we shy away from helping others when we see they are in need? Why do we justify our lack of action? Why do we make the excuse that they may use this money I'm giving them for booze!

"When a Christian sees someone who is physically hungry, a Christian feeds the hungry person. Why? Because hungry people can’t understand the plan of salvation? No. Simply because that person is hungry. That’s what Christians do. And if a person is spiritually hungry, a Christian becomes “one beggar telling another beggar where he or she found bread.” Why? Because that’s what Christians do" (Steve Brown).

Books like Crazy Love and The Irresistible Revolution have also fed my interest in this area, along with many articles from Relevant Magazine and Worldwide Challenge.

Nancy Ortberg was recently quoted about this in an online Relevant article: "Many churches I come in contact with have all kinds of programs for banquets, and teas, and Bible studies, which in and of themselves are not bad, but there is not an equal amount of serving the poor, and getting our hands dirty, and coming alongside people in need. The Church has to go to them. Many people started clamoring around Jesus initially because He was healing people, and then when they got close enough, they began to hear His message. And His message was, “The Kingdom of God is available right now.”

Shane Claiborne is also quoted in the same article: "People are hungry, I think, for a Gospel that embodies a social, political alternative to the patterns of our world. To me, that is the very essence of what spread within the early Church— they were caring for the poor, preaching another Kingdom and another emperor than Caesar’s. And it was absolutely magnetic because the faith people had placed in Rome was at an all-time low, so when they were saying, “We’ve got another Kingdom,” people were like, “Yes, we’re ready, because the world as we’ve experienced it is not working.” The beautiful thing is, people are saying the same thing now."

How much more credible are our lives when people see our loving actions, then hear about the love that motivates us?

Now that I know this, what do I do about it?

What action steps can I take this week, this month, this year, to move toward a better balance?

Christmas, Take 3: Coming to Terms.

I really like Carolina Liar's song Show Me What I'm Looking For. Though you grammar sticklers might agree it should be more appropriately titled Show Me For What I am Looking. Most people would probably agree the song's been way overplayed on the radio, thus becoming annoying. But I don't listen to the radio, so I don't consider it overplayed at all. Actually, you probably have no idea what song I'm talking about, as Carolina Liar is a secular rock band that isn't that famous.

Which leads me to my point (finally!): Carolina Liar has another song called Coming to Terms. I like that one, too. They are may not a super appropriate band for a christian to enjoy listening to, but I like them. Most of the group is originally from Sweden. And I love other Swedish bands too, so I'm not surprised- Ace of Base, ABBA, Roxette...I'm on a tangent again...

The real point: their song Coming to Terms helps me explain my most current feelings on the topic of Christmas and the holidays. This is the third time I've blogged about Christmas this year, and I'm, cough cough, coming to terms in the same way Carolina Liar describes it:

I’m coming to terms
I’m starting to learn
This ain’t all it’s cracked up to be...
It’s never as easy as we believe

Ok, so I took out one line of the chorus above, but it fits. I put way too much pressure on myself, immediate and extended family, friends and my church in making Christmas an amazing, memory-filled holiday that exceeds my expectations every single year.

It's just one day. Yes, it's full of family traditions, it's a celebration of the birth of my Savior, and it's the most important holiday to a large segment of society.

Do I love Jesus as much at Christmas as I do other days of the year? Does a bigger tree than last year mean I love Him more than others?

Once in awhile I see a movie or hear someone talk about the "magic" of Christmas. Putting aside our differences and grudges to come together as family is a sweet thing. Being nice to others, even loving our enemies, is great. How wonderful to give of your money, possessions and even your time to help those in need.

But those things are filth compared to the power of majesty of Jesus Christ- who I will worship, honor, and glorify, as much as I can, every day.

Food Challenge!

My roommate likes to do late-night grocery runs, something I've never really done much of. We just finished wandering the aisles of our local HyVee (fondly pronounced hiv-ee in this college town). Due to the late hour and a small snowstorm today, we were the only customers in the store for most of our trip. We were both in silly moods and had an enjoyable time talking through some menus and poking fun at each other.

We were settling in with the groceries in the car, when my roommate is struck with a genius idea: Boycotting the grocery store until Christmas Break, eating all the food in our freezer and cupboards and giving away any nonperishable that we haven't consumed by then. Shear genius. We discussed the benefits of this plan and the fact that we probably would have to go to the store for perishables (I took care of it! I got the milk, eggs and fabric softener!) and essential items. We talked about planning menus, holding each other accountable and getting creative with meals, (with the help of google, I'm sure)!

I'm pretty glad we're doing this. At one point last month, we had 9 opened, half-eaten bag of chips in our kitchen! I don't have the funds to do any kind of shopping this month, groceries included. And my personal benefit aside, it's just more responsible. So look for more posts on this in the future! :)

Live Your Best Life Now.

Well, it's official. As of 2011, Oprah is done with her hit talk show. I'm sure housewives across the country teared up at the announcement. Don't worry, she's merely moving from ABC to her own cable network- the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

You know how there are those moments in history where you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard big news? (For me, 9-11. For my mom, when JFK was shot).

I really hope this Oprah thing is not one of those moments. When I heard the news, I did not cry. In high school I loved the NBC Today Show with Katie Couric, I enjoyed watching a good episode of Oprah interviewing famous people...even the View. I had to know what the panel would say about the newest hot topics. I'm not sure how or when it happened, but after I became a Christian I started to care less about Oprah. I also started watching a lot less TV...but I can't get over how much I really don't care about famous people in the news.

I must say, Oprah's story is an admirable one. Rising from a rough childhood in the deep south, she made it to the top, exactly the 'American Dream' that so many people are hoping to fulfill. She has overcome adversity to be a benefit to society. Wikipedia cites her show as gaining popularity by focusing on literature, self-improvement and spirituality.

Our souls are yearning for good stories, hope for change, and a belief in something greater than ourselves. We want someone to give us all of these things. Oprah fulfills so, so many of the unmet longings and desires of American women of all ages. Live your best life now, she urges us.

Huh. Where have I heard that before? That's the same thing Jesus says. And while Oprah can offer us things to fulfill our longings, nothing truly satisfies these desires like Christ can. And does.

Chadley, my Bible study leader, says that the best lie is one that's the closest to the truth. Oprah is just close enough to the truth and goodness of Christianity that many don't think twice her advice and suggestions.

Even her name gives us a clue to this. She was originally named Orpah, after the biblical character in the book of Ruth. "According to an interview with the Academy of Achievement, Winfrey claimed that her family and friends' inability to pronounce “Orpah” caused them to put the “P” before the “R” in every place else other than the birth certificate" (from this wikipedia article).

Most recently, she's entered into politics. Two economists estimate that Winfrey’s endorsement for Barak Obama - the first candidate she's ever publicly endorsed - was worth over a million votes in the Democratic primary race, and that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination. No wonder Blagojevich considered offering her Barak's Senate seat, viewing her influence more powerful than all 100 Illinois Senators combined.

Oprah has really made a name for herself.
That's exactly what isn't important to God.

Another Church Myth?

This post is one of those topics that old coworkers of mine loved to talk about, and one in which I usually defer to other Christians to settle. It's also something I'm thinking about lately upon finishing 'The Irresistible Revolution' by Shane Claiborne.

I've never considered exactly what a church should do with their tithes/offerings. I could dig up my current church's budget information and take a look at that. But I wouldn't even know how much should go to whom.

So I am unsure what to do with Shane's opinions and research on tithes and offerings in the Scriptures. In his words, he discovered tithes and offerings as "unmistakably intended to be used for redistributing resources to the poor and not to go toward buildings and staff for the church."

"An average of 85% of the church offering is used internally, primarily for staff and buildings and stuff to meet our own needs...no wonder most church going Christians give only less than 3 percent of their income to the church and find other ways of giving money to the poor."

I think my current giving to my church, four single female missionaries and a child-sponsorship program is appropriate considering my income level. But I struggle with giving to the homeless and poor in my community, due to many things- I don't see the need in my day to day life, I am not challenged to give to this segment of society, etc. To be honest, sometimes I feel like it's not my responsibility as a Christian to give- can't the government get their act together and do something?

These excuses are not valid, but they are there nonetheless. When I do feel moved to give to the poor in my community, I don't give to my church. There are local organizations that help the homeless that I've given to in the past. And there are other churches in Vermillion that offer tangible help to those who need it, so I give my time and organization skills to help once in awhile.

I understand the need for churches to spend their money on their own programs and staff. Support for their denomination...I'm not sure how I feel about that yet, because I don't know much about it. I'm not satisfied with what Claiborne wrote, or my own presumptions on the topic of giving to the poor and church tithes. Look for more posts on this in the future.

The Church's "Multiplication Myth"

Sometimes multiplication can divide and subtract instead of the ultimate goal of extensive addition.

We want the Body of Christ to be reaching out and multiplying their faith. But as we grow larger, we divide into subgroups and become introspective. We divide over politics and ways to 'do church' and end up subtracting from the Body. Our goal is to add in such large numbers that we multiply and grow exponentially.

But that doesn't always happen. Shane Claiborne writes about this problem in his book, The Irresistible Revolution. It has been very thought-provoking, and has really challenged the stereotypes that I believe, and those that surround the Christian sub-culture today.

Near the end of his book, Shane explains what he calls the 'myth of multiplication.' "The pervasive myth is that as we grow larger, we can do more good. But there is little evidence that this is ever realized. My own research and experience would suggest that as congregations grow in terms of staff and property, their giving to causes outside of operating expenses decreases dramatically, especially money given directly to the poor. (A recent study shows that) rich people are significantly less generous (proportionately) than poor people, and that large congregations give proportionately far less to people in poverty than do small ones...as we build our buildings, human temples are being destroyed by hunger and homelessness."

I've seen a lot of things in the Body of Christ that don't make sense. Typically I just go along with the crowd because I assume other people know better than I do. I'm starting to question more and more motives and actions in the Church and Christian circles today, due in part to hanging out with a lot of non-Christians. For the first several months at my part-time job in college, I avoided discussing church and other religious topics because I considered myself to be above my coworkers.

But after a few months, I started to really listen to them. Their opinions became really important to me; I tried to dispel the untrue beliefs they had about the church. But after awhile I started to realize that maybe they were right. They weren't persuading me to change my beliefs, but they had a lot more experience in dealing with Christians and the Church. They were legitimate concerns and hurt feelings underneath all of the blown-out-of-proportion opinions.

"Amid all the super-sizing, I want to make a modest suggestion: our goal should be not to get larger and larger but to get smaller and smaller. I think of the Kingdom of God as bubbling up from the bottom rather than trickling down from the top," writes Clairborne. I don't exactly know what this means, or how to go about this as one person in the Body of Christ, but I like the idea. And I'll keep thinking about it until I figure it out.

the twenty-first time.

Nowhere to live, nowhere to fall
He used to have money, but he’s wasted it all.
His face is a photograph burned in my mind,
but I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He sleeps under stars, that’s all he can afford
His blanket’s an old coat he’s had since the war
He stands on the corner of Carter and Vine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

He may be a drifter, he’s grown old and gray
But what if he’s Jesus and I walk away?
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see him for the twenty-first time

She’s twenty-nine but she feels forty-eight
She can’t raise three kids on minimum wage
She’s cryin’ in back of the welfare line
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time
She may be a stranger tryin’ to get through the day
But what if it’s Jesus and I walk away?
I say I’m the body and drink of the wine
But I pretend not to see her for the twenty-first time

This is a call for a change in my heart
I realize that I’ve not been doin’ my part
When I needed a Savior, I found it in Him
He gave to me, now I’ll give back to them

Drifter or stranger, father or son
I’ll look for Jesus in every one
'Cause I am the body and drink of the wine
And I’m thankful there’s more than the twenty-first time

Monk & Neagle // twenty-first time

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PvqwHGH3Tlw&feature=related

reminds me of Crazy Love, thought I'd share it with ya'll