What is the Spiritual Condition of your Donor’s Heart

The book of Acts records the story of Simon the sorcerer, a man regarded by many to possess divine power. When Philip preached the kingdom of God in Samaria, Simon was dazzled by all the signs and miracles that he saw and followed Philip wherever he went. But his heart was not open to receiving the truth behind all those miracles. He could not accept the kingdom (lordship) of God. Later, when he observed Peter and John laying their hands on people to receive the Holy Spirit, he coveted that power for himself. So he did what he would naturally […]

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Make the Decision to Shift from Dependency to Discipleship

This blog post opens a big topic in short order. As others have written good books on aspects of this issue, I cite a few with the aim of starting an interdisciplinary and international conversation. Why? My aim is to wake the Church at large and major players in mission—whether they go, give, send, or serve—to make a paradigm shift that could shake the earth with global impact. There are three parts to this post. Firstly, we will consider a massive social problem that cross-border international programs and giving often unknowingly or inadvertently create. Let’s call it dependency. Secondly, we […]

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Counterintuitive Advice For Ministry Fundraisers During The Covid-19 Crisis

As none of us have lived through a pandemic, these are hard times. What do we do? Thankfully, we locate advice in church history from leading Christians who endured plagues, but their counsel seems counterintuitive. I’ve made a long list of points I am sharing with ministry fundraisers around the world next month in a webinar. Here are three in this post. Pray and Avoid People – Normally we say there’s nothing more important than face-to-face meetings in rallying partnership in God’s work. Right? Not now. During the plague in 1527, Martin Luther said to pray and avoid people. “Very […]

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The Greatest Gift Of All

How do we develop a heart of generosity, and how do we encourage others to live generous lives, when we live in a world that so often sends such loud messages that it’s wiser to keep resources for ourselves and for those closest to us? Our minds race with thoughts such as, “What if we will need that money or those resources later? Surely difficult days will arise in the future, if we are not in the midst of them now. Isn’t it smarter to keep that money, land or resource for ourselves and those we love?” True heartfelt generosity […]

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How Generosity Can Rob Us Of Our Joy

Wait, what? Isn’t generosity supposed to bring us joy? How can acts of generosity rob us of joy? Well, stay tuned. I need to be careful with definitions if I am to make my point clearly. First, consider the definition of ‘generous’. One common dictionary offers this, “(of a person) showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected.” Webster likes, “liberal in giving.” Still another, “the trait of being willing to give your money or time.” Pretty clear. To be generous is to give more (liberally) than expected of your […]

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Motivation for Giving

Victor is one of my most cherished friends. We have shared life together in celebration and fun, and we have walked together in times of trouble and suffering. Several years ago, Victor attended his first professional baseball game with me. It was a reciprocal gift for the day he shared the experience of attending a cricket tournament. He and his family have prayed over me and attended to me in their home when I was suffering from back pain. I attended to Victor when he suffered a heart attack – taking him to the hospital and then caring for him […]

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A Community of Giving and Receiving

(The following is excerpted from Rob Martin’s upcoming book, When Money Goes on Mission: Fundraising and Giving in the 21st Century by Moody Publishers) When money “goes on mission,” it travels in the form of financial gifts, carried along in the pockets of those who spend it on the ordinary things of life and ministry so they can do the extraordinary things God has called them to do… In general, money passing from one person to another is a transaction, nothing more than an exchange of something of value for something of value in return. However, unlike everyday financial transactions, […]

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