In the 90s I owned a consulting practice. I often stayed late on New Year’s Eve because I wanted to tally up our final profit and loss numbers! It wasn’t to greedily examine my profits. Instead, it was to determine how much extra I could give to charity before the tax year ended. Joy would fill my heart as I ...
According to Mobilecause.com, 12% of total annual giving is done in the last three days of the year and 30% is done in the month of December. This begs the question, “Why?” Taxes is certainly a part of the answer, but as I work with many generous business leaders, I have realized that December is much like the harvest season ...
When my son was young, I watched Muppet’s Christmas Carol often. In the movie, Scrooge has a remarkable transformation from a greedy miser to a generous employer. Scrooge’s transformation came in part from being shown his miserly life through a different lens. I believe it also came from his sudden understanding of the value of generosity. When Scrooge realized that ...
When my son was young, I watched Muppet’s Christmas Carol more times than I can count. In the movie, Scrooge has a remarkable transformation from a greedy miser to a generous employer. If you’ve ever been an employer who has had to cover payroll, you can probably relate somewhat to Scrooge’s view on Christmas. Scrooge believed being forced to give ...
Charles Spurgeon was invited by a man to help this man’s church raise money to pay off a debt. This wealthy man also told Spurgeon to feel free to stay in either his country house, his town house, or his seaside home. Spurgeon wrote him back and said, “Sell one of the places and pay off the debt yourself.” Sacrificial ...
Recently, I visited a tire store that was excellent in customer service. They had modern systems that keyed off my phone number and when I visited their store they were very efficient and excellent in all aspects of service. Organizations like this usually have great operationally minded people striving for excellence in most everything, but one area that may be ...
One of the unconventional concepts in the Bible is generosity. Imagine when the Israelites first learned of God’s requirement to give the first ten percent of their harvest to God. I can imagine one of these farmers saying, “Let me get this right. I planted seeds, cultivated the ground and worked hard to harvest my crops and now that I’ve ...
Some businesses have a generous culture, and some are just plain cheap. I was reminded of that as Tom, my pastor, recently shared an incredible personal experience he had years ago. Before becoming a pastor, newly married, Tom and his wife were new to their church, so they jumped at the offer to have dinner in the home of another ...
While walking in downtown Springfield Illinois, Kathy and I were stopped by a very articulate man. He shared how he was on staff with a well-known ministry visiting Springfield for a conference with his family. This middle-aged man claimed that his keys were locked in his car, and that he was $11 short in paying the locksmith. Kathy recommended that ...
This week we’re discussing the spiritual struggle some have over building wealth. Sometimes wealth is passed on to people, such as when a family member takes over the family business. Years ago, I was speaking with a friend who was taking over his family’s business. In a candid moment, he told me, “I’m afraid that this wealth could draw me ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
