Each month, we introduce you to a Christian who is on the generosity path, and we ask them what God’s taught them about giving. This month, meet Rajiv Kumaraswamy from Indonesia. 1. Jesus Gives Purpose to Our Giving. “From the time we were very young,” says Rajiv, “the value of helping others was instilled into me from my family. I was raised as a Buddhist in Sri Lanka.” Rajiv continued, “My family there is very philanthropic. My great grandfather donated schools, built the biggest public maternity hospital and donated it […]
Category Archives: Joy Giving
25
Jul
Jul
Situation: Prem from India Prem from India recently attended a JOG. Welcome Prem! He then wrote: In the area of giving, Matthew 6:1-4 points that “when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly”. I struggle to put this in perspective while planning to give towards organised ministries, where the givers details have to be mentioned for accounting and transparency […]
Business, Goals and Finish Lines, Joy Giving
“Do I Give More or Invest?” Alan Barnhart, Michael Blue, Henry Kaestner and Pete Ochs Respond
11
Jul
Jul
Situation: Give or Invest in My Business? Julian from the UK attended a JOG recently. He then sent us this question: What is the right balance between ensuring the continuing growth and success of our business (with career development and rewarding, meaningful jobs for employees) and giving wealth to charities and external good causes? Friends in India asked a very similar question. Our friend Pete Ochs says, “You’ve just asked the $64,000 question!” We reached out to Pete, along with our friend Alan Barnhart, Michael Blue, and Henry Kaestner for […]
28
May
May
As we’ve lead Next Steps Retreats throughout the world (check out nextstepsretreat.org to learn more!), one question that comes up often is “How do I pass wealth to my heirs? David Wills has walked with hundreds of families through these questions. He shared at an Atlanta Celebration of Generosity. The thoughts below come from his comments.
29
Apr
Apr
Last time, we looked at three generous communities in the Bible and shared notes from interviews with three leaders of modern-day communities in which generosity is spreading. Check out that post. What steps can you take to help business leaders and owners in your community gather for generosity? Here’s what we found: Step 1: Organized Prayer and Fasting, Asking for God’s Vision and Divine Connections Laurie emphasized the importance of praying and fasting, and of the specific vision that God gave her for a transformed business community in South Africa. […]
Business, Collaboration, Joy Giving, Ministry Partnership
The Four Components of a Generous Community: Lessons from Romania, Czech, and South Africa
15
Apr
Apr
Situation: How Can We Develop a Generous Community? How can you help your community become generous? Imagine your city as a place in which Christians are meeting the needs and partnering together to live with open hands. How can we get from here to there? We noticed this year that, where we see Journeys of Generosity taking root, we often see a whole community of people catalyzing that. What’s going on? How can we help form generous communities? We interviewed three leaders whose areas are becoming more generous. Marius (Romania), […]
01
Apr
Apr
About Kim King Our friend, Kim King, recently authored “When Women Give: The Adventure of a Generous Life.” Kim is a former corporate lawyer, and began her own giving journey she found herself short on resources that would guide her along the way. She faced many questions: How much do I give? How do I find good organizations that are efficient and effective? What are some of the common methods of giving? How do I find others to join me on this journey? Most of all, she wanted to root […]
19
Mar
Mar
Situation: How to Give? Eugen from Kiev attended a Journey of Generosity last year. He wrote this week to ask, “How to properly dispose of funds if the Lord will increase the income of our family.” Lee Turner, who has championed our efforts in the Russian-speaking world, provided these great insights. Thanks, Lee! Scripture: Acts 20 Lee points out that “Acts 20:32-35 shows us that living the Gospel and leading a generous life are two sides of the same coin.” Steps: Discerning Toward the Causes God Calls You […]
03
Jan
Jan
Any time spent with close friends looking at Scripture together to learn about God’s heart for generosity is time well spent! Here are a few recommendations….
20
Dec
Dec
Dairya from Nigeria wrote us a great question: “What are some biblical references I could share with someone or group of people who might not be readily open or receptive to giving to encourage them to start giving?”