Generosity Archives - Page 4 of 6

Generosity in Action

Have you ever worked on something for a long, long time … and then found a simple sentence that sums it all up for you? You feel a bit silly. That’s how I feel right now.

For the last several months I’ve (mostly) written about two themes: generosity and action. I’ve talked about how important they are, how they go together, and how they can change the world (and have changed the world).

Then I read, for probably the twelve thousandth time but I wasn’t paying that much attention, the simplest way to say it all in I John 3:17-18.…

Power Dynamics & Generosity

If we want to give wisely we must learn about power dynamics.

One of the tenets of my understanding of generosity is we must go beyond merely writing checks. We need to build a relationship with the people we are trying to serve. This is why we must tear down walls that separate us by class, age, race, economics, politics, etc..

But when we start building those relationships we will find that our power — or perceived power — will alter the relationship. There are an infinite number of gears and levers in any relationship so it’s easy to not …

Dynamite Generosity

Is there such a thing as too much generosity? In an age when books like Toxic Charity and When Helping Hurts ask questions about the impact of our charitable endeavors, a lot of folks have taken a step back on charitable gifts. Sadly, a few have stopped giving completely for fear of unintentionally damaging an unseen social, cultural, or economic system.

But is it true that we can give too much? As one friend told me, maybe I should write a book titled When Helping Actually Helps.

Despite my friends snarky comment, the short answer is yes too much …

Wealth, Temptation, and Job

This story of Job has always fascinated and often confused me. It’s fascinating because it’s impressively rich in wisdom about why God allows evil in the world. It’s confusing because the logic in the dialogue is sometimes hard to follow — are you arguing for God’s goodness or not, Job? It’s also confusing because his buddies offer insane advice followed by what seems like sound advice.

But then that’s life, isn’t it? Life is … well, it’s messy, to use a word often found here at Junkyard Wisdom. And the story of Job is certainly messy.

As one who writes …

John the Baptist on Instagram?

A recent email from a marketing guru hit my inbox just about the time I was reading Luke 3:7-14. I was struck by the contradiction – the marketing guy was basically encouraging me to be a nice person, to pay for influencers to say nice things about my books, and to create a nice, consistent, enticing message.

By contrast, John the Baptist begins in verse seven with, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?”

I had to laugh. There’s some junkyard in John: blunt, critical, not real concerned with your feelings. I don’t think …

Defining a More Generous Church

What is the church? It’s a question we need to be asking more urgently than ever. And I fear that good people are too narrowly defining church. We need a more generous definition.

I know there are millions of books on the topic, and countless papers, and nearly 2000 years of thought on the topic. I’m well aware that my amateurish opinion is no more than ramblings and I’ll likely regret this post because it’s not as carefully crafted as it should be.

Still, we need to redefine what church is, so I’m adding my two cents.

If we are …

Pouring Gas on the Fire

A few days ago I was talking with a friend who runs a large family foundation. They support a lot of causes but I was curious what motivated them to give to one organization over another. With all the good groups out there, and all the need in the world, how did they decide?

He used a phrase we’ve all heard often when he answered, “We love to pour gas on the fire when we see something is really working.”

Now this wasn’t an especially unique comment. I’ve heard it many times before. For that matter, I’ve said it many …

The Context of Dirt

To understand generosity is to understand thankfulness. I’ll explain with a story about dirt.

What we now call Silicon Valley was once vast fruit orchards. I remember growing up in San Jose and walking through cherry orchards on my way to school, and I’m not even old enough for social security. Imagine what the old timers could tell us!

When I was four we moved to a home with a small area in the backyard meant for a garden, but at various times it was my play area. One time I wanted to dig a foxhole, probably something I had …