Giving

GENEROSITY – CONTAGIOUS

I was the recipient of an extremely generous gift today.   I’m blown away.   This person did not know me.   This person did not have any reason to bless me.   Yet, they blessed me tremendously.

They did, however, care enough to ask how I was doing.   From there, an act of spontaneous generosity happened.   And I had the joy of being the recipient.

Have you ever been there?   Blessed because someone cared enough ask and then did something about it.

I’m sure you’re wondering what the blessing was.   Click HERE to see what it was and then read the rest …

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

It was a cup of herbal mint tea with two doses of honey.

You see, I spoke for 10 hours straight on Wednesday at First Christian Church in Owasso, OK (an INCREDIBLE church!) and my voice was impacted greatly.   To the point that I woke up Thursday morning with hardly any voice.   I whispered my order of Pike’s Place Coffee (no room for cream or sugar), and yes, please make it a Grande.   The young lady taking my order asked how I was doing, and I said (whispered), “I wish my voice would return!”

Immediately, she said that I needed to try this special tea with honey in it.   It was an herbal mint tea with two doses of honey.     And the tea REALLY HELPED MY VOICE!!!   Her spontaneous act of generosity BLESSED ME GREATLY and humbled me at the same time.

When was the last time you blessed someone?   After all, that’s why you want to win with your money, right?   To bless others and fund your dreams and the hopes of others?   There is nothing greater than giving.

Read recent posts

What Would You Do With $250,000?

I asked this question on Twitter the other day, and the response was INCREDIBLE!

Here are some of the responses:

jasonarredondo said …  @jsangl make a budget!

jaqbaldwin said …  @jsangl easy…. pay off all my debt. buy a house. invest the rest.

DanaTJenkins said …  @jsangl Theres a beautiful church building for sale downtown for $200K ; it was built in 1899; I'd buy it for our church to have a cool home

rodgray said …  @jsangl If I had $250,000 I would gladly give it ALL away! 🙂

MarkAsbell said …  @jsangl I would tithe $25k, invest $100k, give $10k away to someone deserving, pay off my mortgage, & buy you some new shoes & shirts 🙂    (Sangl says: I have never been accused of being a fashion expert)

thejrod said … @jsangl Payoff house & student loans!

JamieSalmon said … @jsangl Tithe. Give away another 10%. Pay off all debt, mine and friends.

_scotto_ said …  @jsangl www.fielder.org in TX gave $Ks to people n need…heard people gave over what the church did for people's lives to change! AMAZING!!!

WayneCordova said …  @jsangl tithe, save, payoff, give some more, home, nice date/cruise, Kindle, iPhone 3GS 🙂

Some humorous ones were:

MiloDavid said …  @jsangl buy scratch tickets 🙂

tptate said …  @jsangl crap my pants, tithe, pay off debt, buy new pants

What would YOU do with $250,000?

Book Review: Church Giving Matters

A friend of mine recently released his first book, Church Giving Matters, and I wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS to him publicly.  His name is Ben Stroup, and he is passionate about the topic of giving.

I was provided the huge honor to preview this book, and I believe that Ben is dead on with his observations of giving within the local church.

This book was written for church leaders and every leader who reads it will be challenged to view their role in a new light.  Ben has been the pastor of a small rural congregation while also leading LifeWay's Giving Envelope Service.

It was also just announced that this book has sold 6,000 copies in the first ten weeks!  Outstanding – especially when one considers that less than three percent of books ever sell more than five thousand!

Here is what I love about Ben – he is all about providing PRACTICAL information that is RELEVANT and can be IMMEDIATELY APPLIED.  If you have ever participated in any event I am a part of, you KNOW how much I value PRACTICALITY and RELEVANCY.

If you are a church leader, you would do well to PURCHASE BEN'S BOOK.

Read recent posts

RANT: Selfishness Leads To Poverty

Selfishness leads to poverty.

But not necessarily in a financial sense.  It is much deeper.  I believe that selfishness leads to poverty of the spirit and soul.

Are we not all born with a drive toward selfishness?

It is proven to me every time I am standing in a line at Wal-Mart for thirty minutes.  I want to cut in line to avoid waiting.  Let's say that I did cut in line.  I would have the immediate gratification of getting out of the line and not having to wait anymore, but there would be a moment later that evening when I would have to wrestle with the fact that I was out-of-line – literally and figuratively.

It is proven to me when my wife is suffering from morning sickness which has turned into all-day sickness.  The magic fairy that somehow transformed dirty clothes and dishes into clean clothes and dishes has ceased to exist.  The magic fairy that managed the household – mail, laundry, dishes, grocery shopping, library trips, activities with the daughter, shipping IWBNIN resources, managing the financial affairs …  It all stopped.  Now I realize that it was my bride all along.  Now I have to clean, wash, shop, etc.  Poor me.

You know what drives the pity party, right?  Selfishness.  You know what selfishness leads to?  Poverty of the spirit.

No one wants to hang out with a selfish person.  No one wants to hear the pity party.

If you want to lose friends and ruin relationships, be selfish.

Everyone wrestles with it.  If you do not believe me, watch your children when they are little.  "MINE!", is one of the most uttered words.

My friend, Jake Beaty, once asked another friend, Jamie Salmon, this question: "Why do you give?"

Jamie's answer rocked Jake's world.  When I heard it, it rocked my world.

Jamie said, "I give to keep from being selfish."

Well said, Jamie.  Well said.

Read recent posts

The Go-Giver

Recently, Casey Graham (Founder of The Change Group) sent a book to me and told me that it had a major impact on his life.

It is a book called "The Go-Giver".   It is authored by John David Mann.

It took me a couple of months to sit down and read it, but I wish I would have read it sooner.

Seriously, it is a fictional story the relays POWERFUL business (and personal) concepts related to giving.  It could even be called a framework for how one can have an amazing life.

I LOVED this book.  Here are some of the reasons why:

  • It focuses on giving.  I love giving.  My wife loves giving.  I believe that everyone loves to give.
  • It is highly focused on a few principles.  This book does not attempt to share too much.  I read this book one chapter at a time over a period of several days.
  • It has caused me to reflect on how this applies to my crusade.  And I am making changes as a result of this book.
  • It was short and to the point.  For some reason, I have difficulty developing the willpower to pick up a four-inch-thick book.
  • I have seen it at work in my friend's life.  Casey (you should follow him on Twitter) has been applying this stuff as well.  He is FIRED UP about it!  So am I!

Have you read this book?

Read recent posts