click a title below to read stories of generosity in our
community...
I
went to a ladies Bible study desiring to meet
someone near my age with similar background.
Instead I met a lady in the parking lot who was in
her 80s. Of course she was going to same study as i
was, and i was "stuck" with her. Afterwards, I
offered to have lunch with her, remembering the "Be
Generous" sermon.
Turns out she is one of the most godly, intelligent, fascinating people I have ever met! What a little gift from our gracious Lord Jesus!
Turns out she is one of the most godly, intelligent, fascinating people I have ever met! What a little gift from our gracious Lord Jesus!
Four
months ago, I shut down a company I had owed for 8
years along with a business partner. He’s a devout
Christian and we amicably agreed on how to split up
the business assets, customer base etc. A few
months went by and my previous business partner
sent me an email saying he had changed his mind and
was going to take back a significant part of the
business assets that were given to me through our
mutual agreement. I was very upset by this and was
thinking about suing him. I prayed for God to give
me guidance. The next morning I came across this
Bible verse...
I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another–and in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brother.
1 Corinthians 6:5-8 (NLT)
I was amazed at how quickly and clearly God had answered my prayer. I emailed my previous business partner and told him he could have the assets. He emailed back to me and said he valued our relationship more than the business assets and was giving them back. I ended up giving him the assets. Thanks to Jesus for his story of Mary and the alabaster jar, I can go to work each day and instead of seeing what is missing I can see what I contributed to another believer.
I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another–and in front of unbelievers! The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brother.
1 Corinthians 6:5-8 (NLT)
I was amazed at how quickly and clearly God had answered my prayer. I emailed my previous business partner and told him he could have the assets. He emailed back to me and said he valued our relationship more than the business assets and was giving them back. I ended up giving him the assets. Thanks to Jesus for his story of Mary and the alabaster jar, I can go to work each day and instead of seeing what is missing I can see what I contributed to another believer.
looking for
a chance to be generous...
I put a quarter in someone's expired meter.
I put a quarter in someone's expired meter.
I met Cindy last December when we went to sing at
the assisted living center where she lives. After
our energetic bunch of children sang for the crowd,
handfuls of us wandered from room to room, talking
to the mostly elderly bed-ridden residents. But it
was Cindy who captured my heart. Fifty-three years
old and a waif of a woman, she lay curled up in the
corner of her bed. She had done her best to put
make up on, but behind a smudgy mess of eye-liner
were eyes that told of a life of hard drugs, poor
choices, and now loneliness, pain, paranoia and
fear. I learned that after her dad had passed away
nine years ago, she got stoned and walked out into
moving traffic, which resulted in hundreds of
broken bones and now a life of constant pain and
partial paralysis. Her only visitor was her elderly
mother who hadn’t been there in years. She was
impossibly thin and I asked if she liked the food
there—she said it was horrible and the one thing
she wanted more than anything was a peanut butter
and jelly sandwich. We prayed for her and promised
to return someday.
Then came your message Sunday…and I knew it was well time to go pour a few drops of my time and love out on someone the Lord loves deeply--Cindy. I made four sandwiches—all peanut butter and jelly; two on wheat and two on white bread, because I wasn’t sure which she’d like better. I also brought her a portable CD player and some Christian CDs…and chocolate, because she loves chocolate. When I arrived Monday, she was trying to cut her bangs with a tiny pair of scissors, and had made a crooked mess of it. She asked if I would help her straighten it out…I was honored to do so. When I told her I brought peanut butter and jelly, she gasped in delight and asked, “On white bread??? Ohhhh, I love white bread! I HATE wheat bread!” I silently thanked God I had brought both kinds. I never saw anyone tear into a sandwich like that. She devoured it and asked for the other one. “You’re so nice for coming to see me,” she said. “I don’t have anyone left to visit me now. My mom died two weeks ago.” Oh, my heart, my heart. I just knew the Lord had spoken through the alabaster jar message to tug at my heart and lead me to this lonely, drug-wrecked woman who needed a new friend more than anything. We talked about heaven. I shared with her about my daughter in heaven and we mused at the reality that our departed loved ones may well know each other and be cheering us on from heaven. I read some scriptures and prayed for her. She reached for my hand and we held hands a long time. I hardly know this woman, but it is clear God called me to be her friend. I intend to bring her many more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, each one just a drop of oil from my alabaster jar.
Our Lord is so good, so generous, so gracious…I so long to shower Him with love and gratitude. Thank you so much for reminding me that we can do this in profound ways and also in small ways every day…like with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a prayer.
Then came your message Sunday…and I knew it was well time to go pour a few drops of my time and love out on someone the Lord loves deeply--Cindy. I made four sandwiches—all peanut butter and jelly; two on wheat and two on white bread, because I wasn’t sure which she’d like better. I also brought her a portable CD player and some Christian CDs…and chocolate, because she loves chocolate. When I arrived Monday, she was trying to cut her bangs with a tiny pair of scissors, and had made a crooked mess of it. She asked if I would help her straighten it out…I was honored to do so. When I told her I brought peanut butter and jelly, she gasped in delight and asked, “On white bread??? Ohhhh, I love white bread! I HATE wheat bread!” I silently thanked God I had brought both kinds. I never saw anyone tear into a sandwich like that. She devoured it and asked for the other one. “You’re so nice for coming to see me,” she said. “I don’t have anyone left to visit me now. My mom died two weeks ago.” Oh, my heart, my heart. I just knew the Lord had spoken through the alabaster jar message to tug at my heart and lead me to this lonely, drug-wrecked woman who needed a new friend more than anything. We talked about heaven. I shared with her about my daughter in heaven and we mused at the reality that our departed loved ones may well know each other and be cheering us on from heaven. I read some scriptures and prayed for her. She reached for my hand and we held hands a long time. I hardly know this woman, but it is clear God called me to be her friend. I intend to bring her many more peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, each one just a drop of oil from my alabaster jar.
Our Lord is so good, so generous, so gracious…I so long to shower Him with love and gratitude. Thank you so much for reminding me that we can do this in profound ways and also in small ways every day…like with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a prayer.
I
had been thinking and praying about mentoring for
about a year. I looked into it and thought I was
not qualified to be a mentor. I was overwhelmed by
my questions and didn’t feel confident that I had
enough experience, much less the answers.
But one day, I heard Laurie Beshore speak in church about mentoring. Walking out of church that day, I turned to my daughter and said, “I’m going to do this.” It was the loud shout of the Holy Spirit, not a whisper that I heard. The next week, I went to a mentoring picnic with so many questions. There I got a lot of answers from a wonderful stranger that had been a mentor for over five years.
What I did have was God's love and I knew that it was what he wanted me to do. So after six months of waiting (not so patiently I might add), I realized again it was in his hands and he was making me wait for reason. At last, I was told a girl had just requested a mentor and the organization felt she was a good match for me.
After finally meeting, we realized we had so much in common down to our love for horses and favorite candy bar. She now attends church almost every Sunday with me and makes my heart feel really big. So yes, if you have big eyes to look, big hands to hold onto, and also big ears to hear that whisper or shout, your heart will feel like it will burst because it’s so full. This is such a journey and there are so many children that just want to be loved.
But one day, I heard Laurie Beshore speak in church about mentoring. Walking out of church that day, I turned to my daughter and said, “I’m going to do this.” It was the loud shout of the Holy Spirit, not a whisper that I heard. The next week, I went to a mentoring picnic with so many questions. There I got a lot of answers from a wonderful stranger that had been a mentor for over five years.
What I did have was God's love and I knew that it was what he wanted me to do. So after six months of waiting (not so patiently I might add), I realized again it was in his hands and he was making me wait for reason. At last, I was told a girl had just requested a mentor and the organization felt she was a good match for me.
After finally meeting, we realized we had so much in common down to our love for horses and favorite candy bar. She now attends church almost every Sunday with me and makes my heart feel really big. So yes, if you have big eyes to look, big hands to hold onto, and also big ears to hear that whisper or shout, your heart will feel like it will burst because it’s so full. This is such a journey and there are so many children that just want to be loved.
My
alabaster story goes like this: This past week I
found out that a family member of one of my
childhood friends died from meth use.
I could not sleep at all that night -- not only because I was thinking about his death, but also from the fact that I was a really bad kid growing up, really mean to that family. I needed to say I’m sorry for their loss and sorry for the fact that I was mean to them. They still live two houses down from where I grew up.
So I wrote a letter stating my sorrow for their loss and sorrow for my behavior toward them. Now mind you, I have gone to all my family and friends and told them I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated them in the past, but never did I think to go to my old stomping grounds and tell them I’m sorry. You see, I’ve been out of high school for, let’s say, 30 years now.
After I put that letter in their mailbox (I hand delivered it), I thought of that passage where my Lord says “In as much as you’ve done this to strangers you've done this to me [sic].” I guess that’s my healing oil on them and their family. Then I signed it with GRACE AND TRUTH along with my full name and address.
Why grace and truth?
Grace to tell them I’m sorry for their loss and truth to tell them I’m sorry for the way I treated them
I could not sleep at all that night -- not only because I was thinking about his death, but also from the fact that I was a really bad kid growing up, really mean to that family. I needed to say I’m sorry for their loss and sorry for the fact that I was mean to them. They still live two houses down from where I grew up.
So I wrote a letter stating my sorrow for their loss and sorrow for my behavior toward them. Now mind you, I have gone to all my family and friends and told them I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated them in the past, but never did I think to go to my old stomping grounds and tell them I’m sorry. You see, I’ve been out of high school for, let’s say, 30 years now.
After I put that letter in their mailbox (I hand delivered it), I thought of that passage where my Lord says “In as much as you’ve done this to strangers you've done this to me [sic].” I guess that’s my healing oil on them and their family. Then I signed it with GRACE AND TRUTH along with my full name and address.
Why grace and truth?
Grace to tell them I’m sorry for their loss and truth to tell them I’m sorry for the way I treated them
Hi
Bruce,
My husband and I went through "in vitro" fertilization; the results are our two beautiful children, now three years old. The "in vitro" process often involves the making of many unused embryos; we had three embryos remaining after our twins were conceived. Because of our ages and other family factors, we firmly believed we should not have any more children, and could not truly afford them the appropriate love and attention they would deserve. After much prayer and discussion, we accepted the decision that this was the route God intended us to follow.
After three years of freezing our remaining embryos, we decided to give them up for adoption through a wonderful agency called Nightlight Christian Adoptions. We selected a couple that wanted children but could not conceive due to illness. We selected this family based on their Christian values and moral principals, knowing that the ensuing children would be raised in a loving Christian home.
You hit home with me when you said, "Our children are GOD'S children." Perhaps these children have our DNA but, in an even more fundamental manner, they possess God's gift of life and the promise of eternity.
This is an "ALL YOURS" Moment. May God bless these babies-to-be and their loving parents!
My husband and I went through "in vitro" fertilization; the results are our two beautiful children, now three years old. The "in vitro" process often involves the making of many unused embryos; we had three embryos remaining after our twins were conceived. Because of our ages and other family factors, we firmly believed we should not have any more children, and could not truly afford them the appropriate love and attention they would deserve. After much prayer and discussion, we accepted the decision that this was the route God intended us to follow.
After three years of freezing our remaining embryos, we decided to give them up for adoption through a wonderful agency called Nightlight Christian Adoptions. We selected a couple that wanted children but could not conceive due to illness. We selected this family based on their Christian values and moral principals, knowing that the ensuing children would be raised in a loving Christian home.
You hit home with me when you said, "Our children are GOD'S children." Perhaps these children have our DNA but, in an even more fundamental manner, they possess God's gift of life and the promise of eternity.
This is an "ALL YOURS" Moment. May God bless these babies-to-be and their loving parents!
Hey Bruce!
Last Saturday I was driving to pick up my daughter's birthday cake when I saw a young homeless man walking out from some industrial buildings. He was carrying a very small thin blanket. The night before had been nearly freezing, and seeing him got me thinking how warm and comfortable my family and I were sleeping in our home.
I was fairly close to home and found myself speeding up so I could get there quicker. I ran into the house and came out with my sleeping bag, jumped in the car and drove back to towards the area where I last saw him.
About ten minutes had passed and I was praying for God to let me find him again. When I turned the corner there he was. I gave him the sleeping bag along with the money I had on me. He indicated he had not been sleeping well due to the cold.
This small gesture was nothing for me and a chance to sleep for him. Now, when I go in my closet and look at the cubby that the bag was in it reminds me how blessed I am and how so many are suffering. It truly is better to give than to receive!
Last Saturday I was driving to pick up my daughter's birthday cake when I saw a young homeless man walking out from some industrial buildings. He was carrying a very small thin blanket. The night before had been nearly freezing, and seeing him got me thinking how warm and comfortable my family and I were sleeping in our home.
I was fairly close to home and found myself speeding up so I could get there quicker. I ran into the house and came out with my sleeping bag, jumped in the car and drove back to towards the area where I last saw him.
About ten minutes had passed and I was praying for God to let me find him again. When I turned the corner there he was. I gave him the sleeping bag along with the money I had on me. He indicated he had not been sleeping well due to the cold.
This small gesture was nothing for me and a chance to sleep for him. Now, when I go in my closet and look at the cubby that the bag was in it reminds me how blessed I am and how so many are suffering. It truly is better to give than to receive!
Hi Bruce,
I had a friend in her 60’s who just got divorced and had to start a new career. She was at a very low point at the time but wanted to try to become a real estate agent. She didn't have the suits and clothes needed for the job, but I did. I had just become a stay at home mom but before that had been in the working world in the big city and I had a ton of beautiful, serious sales clothes. And it so happened that my (pre-pregnancy!) size was exactly her size.
So I figured I'd give her a few black suits to get her started. Back in my 20s, I had to work very hard for these expensive things! Silk scarves, leather shoes, handbags, the works. I started pulling out the suits and put them all around the room on hangers like in a department store. Then I couldn't stop. I put out every suit, blouse, scarf, shoe, bag and belt I could find -- thousands of dollars worth. She needed them, not me.
I felt a little nervous about giving it all up - what if I went back to work again someday? Pah-leeze! I said to myself, “Like they don't have a clothing store on every corner here in the OC?” I got over the worry fast and helped her try it all on. It all fit her perfectly. I still see her wearing some of it today and it looks great on her.
I was humbled by the wave of stinginess I felt at first. But give me a break! All that wool would just be eaten by moths sitting in a dark closet. It was just a bunch of threads and I was feeling conflicted. But as you said, Bruce, it was so liberating to pour out the whole thing.
I had a friend in her 60’s who just got divorced and had to start a new career. She was at a very low point at the time but wanted to try to become a real estate agent. She didn't have the suits and clothes needed for the job, but I did. I had just become a stay at home mom but before that had been in the working world in the big city and I had a ton of beautiful, serious sales clothes. And it so happened that my (pre-pregnancy!) size was exactly her size.
So I figured I'd give her a few black suits to get her started. Back in my 20s, I had to work very hard for these expensive things! Silk scarves, leather shoes, handbags, the works. I started pulling out the suits and put them all around the room on hangers like in a department store. Then I couldn't stop. I put out every suit, blouse, scarf, shoe, bag and belt I could find -- thousands of dollars worth. She needed them, not me.
I felt a little nervous about giving it all up - what if I went back to work again someday? Pah-leeze! I said to myself, “Like they don't have a clothing store on every corner here in the OC?” I got over the worry fast and helped her try it all on. It all fit her perfectly. I still see her wearing some of it today and it looks great on her.
I was humbled by the wave of stinginess I felt at first. But give me a break! All that wool would just be eaten by moths sitting in a dark closet. It was just a bunch of threads and I was feeling conflicted. But as you said, Bruce, it was so liberating to pour out the whole thing.
Dear Pastor Bruce,
I'm from Riverside and I attend Harvest Christian Fellowship regularly. As my family and I visit relatives in Orange County, I always make it a point to visit Mariners Church once or twice a month. My children love it there as well.
Harvest Christian Fellowship is doing a capital campaign as they are building new children’s, high school, and media buildings, and a baptism pool.
Ever since I was a little boy, I collected baseball & football cards dating back to the late 60's up through the 90's. I had stopped collecting them for about over 10 years now. Since then, they have been collecting a lot of dust sitting in my garage. When the capital campaign started, there were some donations of cars, watches and furniture. So I called Harvest one day and asked them if I could donate my baseball and football cards toward the project.
As I sat looking at the cards in my garage, I knew they could be worth some amount of money, but that isn't very important to me. I knew that whatever they get sold for, the money would go to better use on those buildings. My children are 16, 8, 5 and 2 and will use those buildings in the years to come, learning more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a better investment!
I'm from Riverside and I attend Harvest Christian Fellowship regularly. As my family and I visit relatives in Orange County, I always make it a point to visit Mariners Church once or twice a month. My children love it there as well.
Harvest Christian Fellowship is doing a capital campaign as they are building new children’s, high school, and media buildings, and a baptism pool.
Ever since I was a little boy, I collected baseball & football cards dating back to the late 60's up through the 90's. I had stopped collecting them for about over 10 years now. Since then, they have been collecting a lot of dust sitting in my garage. When the capital campaign started, there were some donations of cars, watches and furniture. So I called Harvest one day and asked them if I could donate my baseball and football cards toward the project.
As I sat looking at the cards in my garage, I knew they could be worth some amount of money, but that isn't very important to me. I knew that whatever they get sold for, the money would go to better use on those buildings. My children are 16, 8, 5 and 2 and will use those buildings in the years to come, learning more about our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. What a better investment!