Archive for November, 2020

Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior. Habakkuk 3:17-18

“The prophet places his entire confidence in the Lord and draws his strength from Him. He recognizes that God is the source of salvation. What an encouragement for us in Africa! In the midst of wars, famine, and social injustice, we can still rejoice on the basis of our trust in the sovereign God. God is doing great works in our continent. He is looking for men and women who will build up the wall and stand before Him in the gap on behalf of the continent so that he will not have to destroy it.”

Youssouf Dembele in Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars, edited by Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) 1092.

Few books in the Bible have encouraged me more than Habakkuk during COVID. If you have not read it. Read it. It begins with lament, which feels fitting for the times, and ends with hope and praise.

While I don’t know this scholar from Mali, I appreciate his depiction of the Lord when all is crumbling around Him. He is “looking for men and women who will build up the wall.”

So what does this have to do with generosity? Don’t miss it. If you and I give our lives to building up what is broken, our generous God will meet our needs, replenish what we share, and refill what we dispense. It’s how God works!

What I’ve found in my global work is that when we help such people, God helps us. This isn’t prosperity gospel but God’s design for providing. So, again I invite you to join me in supporting the Francophone Africa regional campaign for GTP.

The aim is to raise $2,000 USD to build up these builders. They need stewardship resource and help setting up a peer accountability group. God supplied a gift yesterday but we are only at $131 toward the goal. Pray and give as God leads.

Let me add this about Mali. GTP’s programs have touched people there. Of the 155 givers to GTP last year, one gift came from Mali. That giver was so blessed they wanted others to be helped as they were served. All glory to God.

Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 2 Corinthians 9:10

“God loves a cheerful giver. In other words, there is no blessing for those who give against their will. But God will give a harvest of blessing to those who give joyfully to his work. In fact, He is able to give them all that they need to face any and every situation…God will supply and multiply the seed and increase the fruits of righteousness for those who give generously. God gives to us so that we can share what He gives with others, and our harvest of righteousness is an increasing closeness to God that expresses itself in prayer and fasting, which remind us that He alone is the source of the blessings we enjoy.”

Issiaka Coulibaly in Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars, edited by Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) 1433.

While I don’t know this scholar from Côte d’Ivoire, I appreciate his description of the harvest of righteousness. It’s an “increasing closeness to God that expresses itself in prayer and fasting.” Think about that.

In setting aside our desires and communing with Him regarding the deployment of His resources to the things He cares about we draw closer to Him. Let’s all give generously so that we can experience this.

And speaking of Côte d’Ivoire, the Francophone Africa regional campaign for GTP needs help. We are trying to raise $2,000 to strengthen stewards there. Could you consider prayerfully joining me in this effort and making a gift?

Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt. Genesis 21:14-21

“When we think of wells for the purpose of getting water, the immediate thoughts are of equipment and construction. However, when it comes to wells of generosity, God calls us to a change of approach. He invites us to think more of discovering wells rather than digging them, since He (The Almighty God) has dug the wells Himself!

There is certainly a great need for resources, in order to advance God’s mission in your location and beyond. Many people in the global south however, believe that such resources should come from the West. God’s word points us in a different direction – above, not abroad! In today’s story, God provided water in the most unlikely location – the desert!

This story in Genesis reveals one of the conflicts that we often deal with in the course of our journey as believers. A scarcity mindset or an abundance mentality?  Our limitations or God’s possibilities?

… As a result of God’s intervention, Hagar discovered what she needed most, water! What do you need most at this point in your stewardship journey? Ask God to show you where He has kept it for you…

When we experience transformation in the place of prayers, God helps us to discover what we really need the most. Note that when God eventually opened her eyes, what she saw was NOT a bottle of water; it wasn’t a drum of water; it was a well of water. We serve the God of abundance who gives us more that we ask…

The primary reason God provided water was to quench Ishmael’s thirst. In the same vein, the primary reason God provides us with resources is to ensure that His vision for us, our family and ministry is nurtured. How exciting to note again that God gives in abundance, not just what is enough but more than enough.

From Scripture, it is very clear that God will always look out for other faithful servants that He can trust with His resources, if the people entrusted with the resources prefer to hoard it than to give it away. May the Lord make us channels of His resources.”

Kehinde Ojo in “Discovering and Releasing Wells of Generosity in your Location” blog post on 13 November 2020 of the Ministry Fundraising Network. If you are not subscribed to this blog to get a global perspective on, click here to add your email to the list.

Kehinde is a Nigeria friend and brother. He makes many profound points in this piece. And I only quoted an excerpt! Click above to read his entire post. I want to drive home one point from the Scripture and his comments that really struck me.

We must shift our thinking from digging wells to discovering them. Hagar needed God to “open her eyes” to see what was in front of her and to use it to nourish herself and her son. Is it time for us to each ask God to open our eyes? Do it. Pray right now.

Now that your eyes are open, what do you see in front of you? What do you have? How can you use what you have to be a channel of generosity? Kehinde reminds us that we experience transformation in the place of prayers.

If there is brokenness and pain around you and great needs, don’t despair. Pray for God to open your eyes and help you discover the wells from which you can draw abundant supply. And in so doing, experience the joy of becoming a channel of generosity.

Now concerning the collection for the saints: you should follow the directions I gave to the churches of Galatia. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put aside and save whatever extra you earn, so that collections need not be taken when I come. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2

“Paul’s advice here is the same as that he gave to the Galatian churches: every member should give systematically and regularly in keeping with his [or her] income. The money should be set aside on the first day of every week…

Paul gave them simple but practical instructions on how the church members should organize their giving and how those who collected the money should act to make sure that it reached those for whom it was intended.

Christian congregations in Africa have made the occasional collection for missionary work but need to become more sensitive to the needs of others and to take up collections to assist the less privileged.”

Dachollom C. Datiri in Africa Bible Commentary: A One-Volume Commentary Written by 70 African Scholars, edited by Tokunboh Adeyemo (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006) 1423.

For those who are interested in the Greek behind the English translation, this is the only instance of the word “collection” in the New Testament. In modern terms, I might rather render it “campaign” as it was an effort to rally God’s people everywhere to assist the less privileged.

Datiri is a Nigerian scholar who admits that congregations on his continent take up occasional collections. Perhaps that’s true in many other places too. I think he is right in urging us to “become more sensitive to the needs of others” and to demonstrate that concern by giving to campaigns.

Today I want to ask you to support one of the regional campaigns for GTP. Around the world, God’s servants need training to build strong ministries. This is not giving a handout that creates dependencies but giving a hand up to build disciples. Please demonstrate care by giving today.

And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16

“A more balanced approach in cultivating and sustaining a contagious generosity culture in a church, an approach through which the church understands itself mission oriented by nature just as much as it is generous by nature. Where mission awareness, mission education and generous giving become part of the same process, the church will better understand where to give to and generosity will become really exciting as people see how God uses their giving to take the gospel where it has not yet been heard.”

Sas Conradie in “Contagious Generosity – Towards Creating a Culture of Generosity” in Evangelical Review of Theology 37.1 (2013):17.

Sas is a friend and brother based with Tearfund in the UK and working primarily in Africa. He is spot on in noting that contagious generosity will flow not so much on helping your church focus on giving as helping them be mission oriented in this living, giving, serving, and loving.

When we are mission oriented in our stewardship then we live every day with a purpose. We use all we are and all we have to accomplish God’s purposes. What about you and your church? Are you mission oriented in your stewardship? Are you focused on doing what is good?

I returned home from Guatemala late last night. The meetings exceeded expectations. Christ was with us, guided and blessed. The standards that are starting to build trust and grow giving in Guatemala will spread to Latin America. More on that in the days to come.

For now, let’s all focus locally, doing good right where we are.

Therefore show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our pride in you, so that the churches can see it. 2 Corinthians 8:24

“Paul’s understanding of generosity in remembering the poor is not only the heart of the gospel but is rooted in the story of Jesus Himself, in which the ‘self-lowering other-regard’ paradigm is visibly displayed.

For Paul, the poor as mentioned in Galatians 2:10 do not have geographical restrictions – they are both the poor in Jerusalem and the poor in the local congregations that he established in the Mediterranean basin.

Paul’s understanding of generosity and his vision of the right of all to have a fair share so that no one has needs is timely today especially in many instances where the rich are getting richer, and the poor poorer.

Christian generosity requires that a relative proportion of giving should be guided accordingly. The wealthier should be challenged to give more in terms of higher percentage, compared to those who are poorer so that the confession of the gospel of Jesus Christ can be authenticated through love in action.”

Kar Yong Lim in “Generosity from the Pauline Perspective: Insights from Paul’s Letters” in Evangelical Review of Theology37.1 (2013):33.

I hope you like the new header photo I shot at a coffee plantation in Antigua, Guatemala. I’ll share more about it in the coming days. For now, let’s focus on what it means for our Christian love to be authenticated.

This NT scholar from Malaysia nails it! God desires that all of us exhibit the ‘self-lowering other-regard’ paradigm of Jesus. We do this by remembering the poor. Our follow-through authenticates our faith. Unashamedly, I invite you to join me, like Paul, in doing some cross-border giving to demonstrate proof of your Christian love. Authenticate it!

In November and December 2020, I am praying for God to supply $125,000 USD to fund GTP global efforts to multiply faithful stewards and mobilize peer accountability groups in 2021. Click here to give.

But for us, remembering the poor means that when God supplied us with a $50,000 USD matching grant, we allocated it to help the underserved regions of the world rather than keeping it for ourselves.

As most charitable work in the last century has amounted to handouts that create dependencies, GTP aims to give a hand up to build disciples. Join us in this capacity building work. Allocate a portion of your giving to helping build up people in different regions of the world.

Visit the regional campaigns page at GTP and pick a region to support. Don’t just think about the poor and how they are suffering. As Paul, put it, demonstrate proof of your love. Authenticate your faith through the loving action of generous giving.

Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 2 Corinthians 9:6

“Imagine a world where fundraisers want to get to know you just to find out and respect the causes that God has placed on your mind and heart to help. If one of their organizations doesn’t fit the bill, they point you to another organization that better suits your interests. They are more like stewardship consultants, only you don’t have to pay them (although a small donation to their cause in exchange for services rendered probably would not be refused!).

Finally, someone is there just to listen and help you know what to do best and responsibly with the resources that God has given you. We know we are to be generous as Christ followers, but we don’t need to be ‘sold’ anything. Welcome to the pages of The Sower…Although it will still take a while for the Christian fundraising industry to be changed, I now believe that it is possible to see the day when those who receive funding are treated as joint believers in fulfilling the Great Commission and they will become transformed stewards.”

Barbara Shantz in her ERT book review of The Sower: Redefining the Ministry of Raising Kingdom Resources by R. Scott Rodin and Gary G. Hoag in Evangelical Review of Theology 37.1 (2013):91.

I am citing my esteemed colleague and GTP board member from Canada, Barbara Shantz, today not to be self-serving, as she is speaking kindly of a book I co-authored. There’s a much bigger reason.

She was instrumental in translating this book into Spanish and I stuffed over 100 copies into my checked back on this trip to Guatemala. “Bring as many copies as you can carry, Gary!”

That was the request of Paula Mendoza, GTP Global Administrator who lives in Guatemala City and works closely with Nydia Garcia Schmidt, GTP Regional Facilitator for Latin America.

The transformational message that we are sowers is not an image that Scott and I created to bring about change. It’s a biblical exhortation celebrated in today’s famous Scripture on giving.

Today I honor Barbara for getting biblical fundraising materials into Spanish. They are bringing about change. For a free PDF of The Sower in Spanish (or English, Chinese, or Romanian) reply to this email.

And whether or not you get a free PDF of the book, please everyone click to give to the regional campaign for Latin America. GTP is trying to raise $1,000 for Latin America efforts. We are at $288. Only $712 to go.

And if God has put another region of the world on your heart, visit our regional campaigns page as God supplied GTP with a $50,000 USD matching grant. Or to help GTP global efforts, give here.

Finally, dear brothers and sisters, we ask you to pray for us. Pray that the Lord’s message will spread rapidly and be honored wherever it goes, just as when it came to you. 2 Thessalonians 3:1

“There is an urgent need for international partners and local leaders to realize the important role that each plays in the extension of the kingdom of God and to learn how to face and deal with this delicate matter of raising, allocating, and managing funds in local churches and organizations. Local leaders face the challenge of developing programs that are contextualized to fit the local norms of fundraising.

In other words, they need to develop systems that are culturally appropriate to the way the microeconomic system works in their particular area of the world and culture. Because of this, many different ‘experiments’ need to be done, and this is where short-term funding and investments may be needed from the international partner to allow multiple ways to develop and raise local resources.”

Nydia Garcia Schmidt in “The Urgent Need to Develop Fundraising Capacity and Generosity within the Latin American Missionary Movement” in Evangelical Review of Theology 37.1 (2013):75.

It’s an honor for Paula Mendoza and I to serve alongside Nydia Garcia Schmidt today at historic meetings in Guatemala City. This is especially true after last night’s dinner conversation exceeded our expectations.

Nydia, in many ways, sees this day as a dream come true based on what she wrote seven years ago in this article. I want to focus on three words she used linked to generosity.

Firstly, sometimes in the biblical narrative a people group that has been blessed gets to pay it forward to help others. That’s an investment in building up people.

I pray everyone reading this will pause and make a small investment in the Latin America region which is trying to raise $1,000 to meet a $1,000 match. Click here to give. I am praying for 30 givers.

Secondly, I want to emphasize the importance of experiments and research. Part of giving to GTP has filled my luggage with books that are hard for Nydia to get in Mexico.

I am aiding Nydia with doctoral research on generosity so that she can produce resources and training materials that work in the Latin American context.

Thirdly, the word that brings all this together is contextualization. That’s what Nydia is doing with GTP. Helping contextualize biblical teaching to multiply stewards.

And we are here because CONFIABLE Guatemala contextualized standards of faithful administration. They are so good we want their blessing to spread them across Latin America.

Pray for good health, fruitful meetings, and complete joy. Our trip verse is 2 John 12.

I have much to write to you, but I do not want to use paper and ink. Instead, I hope to visit you and talk with you face to face, so that our joy may be complete.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

“When we give a gift, it’s not really about the person on the receiving end of the gift. Rather, it’s about the person staring at us in the mirror. God is funny like that.”

Travis Shelton in “The Opportunity to Say Yes” blog post.

This quote comes from a dear friend at the conclusion of a great story. Read it. This excerpt is the punchline. It had so much punch, that I am sharing it with the world today.

Generosity is not about those we give to, but rather, it’s about how God is at work in us, growing us. We don’t serve a deficient God who needs our money. We need to give it.

And I like his statement that “God is funny like that.” Travis grasps the paradoxical nature of generosity. The world teaches us to look at the opposite of what God looks at.

The world looks at what we give and the impact it has. God looks at what we hold back and what it says about our hearts. God is funny like that.

God wants giving to shape us in to His image and likeness. When this happens we reflect the generosity of the Giver who gave us everything that we have.

The more we say yes to opportunities to grow in the grace of giving the more people will see the Giver when we look in the mirror.

What do you see today? Ponder this the next time you see a mirror.

May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.” Genesis 24:14

“Since God lacks nothing, generosity is the primary way in which He relates to the world. For the same reason, generosity is the natural hallmark of people who feel closely connected to God. In contrast, the hallmark of evil is selfishness. No matter how much an evil person possesses, he remains unsatisfied, so he seeks only to take and never to give.

Eliezer therefore sought a woman for Isaac who would display kindness. When Rebecca went beyond fulfilling Eliezer’s specific request by offering to also water his camels, he understood that she was a godly person and thus a fitting match for the son of Abraham. By demonstrating kindness to others, we too are “matched” with the most worthy partners – whether soul-mates, friends, business partners, or callings in life.”

Moshe Wisnefsky in “Benevolence” in 10 November 2020 from Chabad.org. Special thanks to Pat Warbington, Daily Meditations reader and faithful encourager, for sharing this post with me for all of us to enjoy.

As we explore various characters in Scripture, today’s generous person is Rebecca. She offers to draw water for Eliezer and for his camels. Generous people see what needs to be done and do it because they realize that’s why God put them on this earth, to display kindness.

Do you display kindness? Sadly, my best answer would be, “Sometimes.” Perhaps you would agree? On good days the love to God radiates through us. On other days, well, we are so focused on ourselves and what we think need that we can fail to show kindness.

God, match me with others who are generous so we can bless the world together. Bless Pat for sharing this and William who took me to lunch on Monday and asked about my GTP work and who supports me faithfully. Refill their buckets to overflowing. Amen.