The Generosity Challenge

Our church, PCBC, has offered up a Generosity Challenge. An opportunity to seek from God how we can be more generous with our time, money, and gifts. What better time of year to be focusing on giving more of ourselves, than Christmas? A time when there is such temptation to focus on ourselves and our family, what we want, what our kids want, and how to get it all at a better price. It is the season of shopping, and sales... black Friday... Cyber Monday... And I found myself standing at the beginning of this season with a pretty bad attitude. I didn't have the extra money for all the shopping, and I spend more time trying NOT to search out more things my children want. In America we hunt through websites, search catalogs, and question our friends trying to figure out what else to buy our children, and not having the wallet to keep up with this Holiday tradition, I was feeling a little "out of Spirit". Until I was reminded by my sweet church what the Season should be all about. We may not be able to buy lots of presents for family and friends, but God has given us abundance that we can give away and share this Christmas! Abundant love, abundant talents, abundant resources. Jesus came and dwelled among us, He didn't bring a present, he brought Himself. That is what my girls and I plan to give away this Christmas ~ our gifts, our time, and any extra money that the Lord allows us the privlege of giving away. Last Sunday Pastor Sam allowed us to walk to the alter and get on our knees before the Lord, asking Him how to share the "overflow" that He has blessed us with. And so that is exactly what my girls and I did, walked down to that alter and huddled before the Lord asking Him to magnify our giving this Christmas. Show us where to give and how, open doors of opportunity, open our eyes to need and suffering, and move us to respond. We started the Advent Season tonight, with a beautiful worship service at church. Thank you God for worship. Toward the end, we were able to bring our gifts to the alter. Emma and Madeleine each carried a $5 bill to the alter and placed it in the plate. Such a small gift, but such a blessing to us. Let the Season of giving BEGIN!! The last thing we did in our worship service was to pray. Pastor Jeff asked us to hold out our hands, empty palms open to the Lord as a reminder that we truly have nothing to give - we are ALL empty handed before the Lord. And when those hands are empty and opened up to Him, He will fill them to overflow from His abundance. As I prayed with my empty hands open to the Lord in surrender, surrender to need, surrender to want ~ Madeleine placed her chin in my right hand, and then Emma placed her chin in my left hand. And there I was eyes closed - hands full of my precious children's faces. Oh how He gives from His abundance. And His gifts are better than anything that might come out of a bank account... Our verse tonight, Micah 6:6;8 "What can we bring to the Lord? What kind of offerings should we give Him... the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what He requires of you; to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."