Archives by: Gary Hoag

Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. James 4:13-14

“I don’t like to think of myself as a mist. I like to imagine I’m more substantial than that. I make plans as if I were going to be here awhile longer, not vanishing with the morning sun’s heat.

As a creature, however, it is a good thing to be reminded of my limits. Otherwise, I might begin to overestimate my capacities. I might grasp at things beyond my reach. I might begin to trust myself more than I trust God.

This passage from James is a reminder to me not to presume upon the future. For all of our plans, we are still subject to the contingencies of each day. Things change. New challenges arise. New obligations alter our assumptions about what can and will happen. And we all come back, at some point, to our dependency on others and on God.

Debt forces us to examine our assumptions about what tomorrow will bring. When our debt looms over us, it keeps us from embracing the future as a gift. When we have a plan for managing debt and for keeping ourselves from moving into it in the first place, we are more confident and freer in how we live in the world and how generous we are toward others…

Being a creature of God means having limits. In the long view of time, we are a mist. But God has an economy all God’s own, and in that economy, nothing and no one is ever lost. We do have substance, value, meaning, and worth because our lives and our time are ultimately caught up into God.”

Alex Joyner in Saving Grace: Hope-Filled Devotions Along the Way to Financial Well-Being (Nashville: Abingdon, 2020) 59-60.

I am safely in Belize with GTP colleagues John Roomes, Ereny Monir, and Paula Mendoza, and celebrating this day as a gift. This reading puts our visit in perspective.

For such a time as this we will engage program work that seeks to grow faithful stewards and help ministries follow standards to build trust and grow local giving.

Influential workers are already saying that our sessions could shape the future of church and ministry work here. That’s a bold statement but possible because of how God works.

In God’s abundant economy, He wants people to make the most of the time and opportunities God has given them. But sadly, the world’s system aims at the opposite.

Debt enslaves. It mortgages the future and robs the gift. We must remain confident and free, and be generous because in God’s economy, each of us is blessed to be a blessing.

And then we are gone like a mist. Speaking of mist, blue sky welcomed me and then gave way to drizzle and rain. Likewise, as things can change fast, be generous whilst you have the opportunity.

The irony about life is that we cannot change the past or control the future. All we can do is make the most of the present. It’s a gift.

We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, His power, and the wonders He has done. Psalm 78:4

“It seems that in troubling times, we are more likely to consider our legacy. We wonder, What will people say about me when I am gone? What will I be remembered for? These are not morbid questions; they are human questions. Sometimes when I wake up in the night considering how my children will view me later in life. Lying at the root of such ponderings is our search for meaning and purpose.

The truth is, we are going to leave a legacy one way or another. To consider what our legacy will be is to set off on one of two courses. One, we could hunker down and work harder on our own to craft an create the story that will be told about us. Or, two, we could allow our lives to be intertwined with the life of God in Jesus Christ and allow Him to be our legacy.

The true cost of a legacy will outlast us. If we pursue our future on our own (relationally, financially, or otherwise), then it will have a cost that will still be there when we are gone. But if we pursue a life pleasing to God, then the cost of our legacy will be the gift of love that is Jesus on the cross.”

Mark Youngman in Saving Grace: Hope-Filled Devotions Along the Way to Financial Well-Being (Nashville: Abingdon, 2020) 55.

What will your legacy be? 

My wife, who is in Iowa this weekend for a baby shower with Emily, Sammy’s wife, is writing a legacy of love. No one on planet earth loves people like she does.

I serve intentionally so that my legacy will be linked to sharing my life in service. In that pursuit, today I fly to Belize to do the first-ever GTP program work in the Caribbean region. Reply if you want a summary of the schedule to pray for fruitful ministry.

So what’s the point of today’s post?

It is to ask you about your legacy. You are writing it right now. Are you making your legacy to give your life as a gift? Every other purpose will leave you empty. Chart this course. See for yourself.

I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. John 10:9

Jesus says, “I am the gate.” His only interest is our well-being. Jesus doesn’t need our money, favors, or status. He is the portal of our coming in and going out. Sheep come into the pen for security. They went out each day to find refreshment and life. Jesus is our gateway to these gifts…

Of course, shepherds don’t tend sheep individually. They tend flocks. Sheep have to share their blessings. Thus, in a few words, Jesus offers us the secret to life: trust in Him for what we need for happiness and share the sources of that happiness with others around us.”

Rev. Rob Fuquay in Saving Grace: Hope-Filled Devotions Along the Way to Financial Well-Being (Nashville: Abingdon, 2020) 34.

Security, refreshment, and life. What more could we ask for?

Jesus is the gate to that which sustains us and fuels our generous service. Notice that His only interest is our good, our well-being. He serves to minister to our needs. That’s what we get to do for others. What might it look like for your to share the Source of life and happiness?

My friend, Ken visited me last night. He shared some plants and blessed me with his presence.. These little things in life are not little.

His blessings reminded me of the Source of those blessings.

And [Jesus] said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 18:3

“Many years ago now, a sobbing little girl stood near a small church from which she had been turned away because it was too crowded. When the pastor of Temple Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Russell H. Conwell, asked her why she was crying, she replied that they could not let her into the Sunday School because there was no more room. He said that he would take her in, and he did so, telling her that one day they should have a room big enough for all who would come.

Unbeknownst to Dr. Conwell, the little girl, Hattie May Wiatt, went home and told her parents that she wanted to save money to build a bigger church, and they indulged her by letting her run errands for pennies that she saved in a little bank. Dr. Conwell continues with the story:

“She was a lovable thing — but in only a few weeks after that she was taken suddenly ill and died; and at the funeral her father told me, quietly, of how his little girl had been saving money for a building fund. And there, at the funeral, he handed me what she had saved — just 57 cents in pennies.”

What happened next is nothing short of amazing. At a meeting of the church trustees, Dr. Conwell told them of Hattie’s gift of 57 cents, the first gift toward the proposed building fund that had barely been spoken of, as a new building had been simply a possibility for the future. The trustees were impressed to buy a lot on Broad Street, and the owner of the lot was approached regarding its sale.

In the meanwhile, apparently, the 57 pennies were “sold” to members of the church, and the result was the raising of $250. Fifty-four of those 57 pennies were returned and put on display in the church. Checks came in from far and wide, including one check for $10,000, a huge sum of money for that time (near the turn of the century). Reportedly, within five years the little girl’s gift had increased to $250,000!

In a sermon on December 1, 1912, which honored Hattie May Wiatt, Dr. Conwell, founder of what is now known as Temple University, reminded his congregation of the impact of that 57 cents.

“Think of this large church,” he said. “Think of the membership added to it – over 5,600 – since that time. Think of the institutions this church founded. Think of the Samaritan Hospital and the thousands of sick people that have been cured there and the thousands of poor that are ministered to each year.”

All this was set in motion by the simple gift of a little girl’s 57 pennies. Amazing, isn’t it? And true. If God could do that with just 57 cents, imagine what He can do with whatever it is we place in His hands. Just like the little boy who gave Jesus his five small loaves and two small fish, “Little is much when God is in it.”

The Apostle Paul told the elders of the church at Ephesus, “I have shown you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

Hattie May Wiatt’s gift of 57 pennies was greatly used by the Lord. What will you place in God’s hands?”

Special thanks to my friend and Daily Meditations reader, Randy Bury, for sharing this inspiring story with me, retold on this GBBC blogpost dated 10 February 2021.

The header photo above was my 4:00am “commute” yesterday to the common area conference room at the apartment complex with a foot of fresh snow.

I have only two comments in reply on this frigid morning in Denver, about -5°F or about -20°C. Thankfully the walkways have been shoveled.

Firstly, what will you place in God’s hands? God cares about the size of your faith more than the amount of your giving. Is it childlike? He meets needs. Our role is to share what we have.

Secondly, when I read about the sick in the hospital, my mind and prayers went to my friend Dan Busby. He starts chemotherapy today. Track his progress and find prayer requests here.

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? Romans 8:35

“God loves, and He invites us to love Him in return… Here we will note two statements Ignatius makes to introduce it. The first is that “love ought to show itself in deeds over and above words.”

The second is that love consists in sharing: “In love, one always wants to give to the other what one has.” The Spanish word that Ignatius uses here is comunicar — “to share or to communicate.” Lovers love each other by sharing what they have, and this sharing is a form of communication. God is not just a giver of gifts, but a lover who speaks to us through His giving. God holds nothing back.

The ultimate expression of his self-giving is Jesus’ death. He shares his very life with us. He also shares with us the work He is doing in the world. Thus, the work we do is a way of loving God. It is not just work. By inviting us to share in His works, God is showing His love for us. In our response of trying to work with God, we show our love.

Ignatius raises the questions:

What does it mean for us to love? How do we go about expressing our love? How do we show our love for God, for ourselves, for others, and for our world? He invites us to answer these questions by looking at how God loves. He is a God who sets no limits on what He shares with us.”

David Fleming in What Is Ignatian Spirituality? (Chicago: Loyola Press, 2008) 4-5.

In this excerpt shared with me by my wife, Jenni, who is a big fan of Ignatius, we discover at least three profound truth about God’s sharing. God communicates unfathomable love toward us. He invites us to share in His works. And He sets no limits on what He shares with us.

As I think about sharing this year, the idea that there is no limit to the sharing of God’s love provides me with deep peace and comfort. I hope you feel it too. No pandemic or any other crisis can separate us from His love and kindness. No problem or need is so great that He cannot meet it.

The fact that God did not spare His own son, but shared His life with us demonstrates that there are no limits to His sharing. May this also inspire us today to unlimited generosity, not because we are loaded, but because we tap the only abundant source.

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:16-17

“In March 2020, when we were given the recommendation to stay home in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, my life, like many, ground to a quick and sudden halt… The words spoken by John F. Kennedy in his 1962 State of the Union address kept finding ways to become more and relevant in my life.

“The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.”

A global pandemic might feel like an odd time to claim, “the sun is shining.” But I see it as a time in which the sun is illuminating, as a ray of sunshine would, what we find truly important. Our routines and patterns have been interrupted; we have experienced a “great pause”; and we have the chance to look at what we want to continue as we move forward. This is our opportunity to highlight what is truly important to us…

This can only happen if we track our income and expenses. When we track our spending and income, we are able to have an honest conversation with ourselves, our partners, and God about what we say is important. It is a true snapshot of where we are storing our riches, and such a clear view might cause us to shift our goals… We give ourselves options to spend with intentionality, not mindlessness.”

Rev. Kimberly Montenegro in Saving Grace: Hope-Filled Devotions Along the Way to Financial Well-Being (Nashville: Abingdon, 2020) 29-30.

Does your roof need repair? In my experience, every roof needs periodic evaluation. An ounce of proverbial prevention is worth a pound of cure. Leaks can be costly.

Montenegro rightly calls us personally and professionally to track our expenses and what we are storing up in heaven. It’s brilliant advice to not waste the crisis of COVID-19.

Hard to believe this situation started in 2019 and here we are in 2022. While some experts say things may return to normal by the end of this year, that means the sun is shining now.

Take time to track your expenses and make at least one goal personally and professionally to store riches where Jesus instructed us with more intentionality.

Lack of tracking is like having leaks. When we are faithful with what we have God often supplies more. I pray your goals lead to growth in your stewardship and generosity.

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land He has given you. Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe His commands, His laws and His decrees that I am giving you this day. Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your ancestors, as it is today. Deuteronomy 8:10-18

“It is hard to remember the goodness of God when life gets comfortable. you’d think that when people achieve a great level of provision and comfort, that would be when they are most grateful…But honestly, for most people, it’s nothing like that. Humanity by nature is forgetful, especially in our most comfortable moments. Moses knew something of human nature, which is why he called the Israelites to remember the goodness and provision of God [in Deuteronomy 8:10-18]…

The Israelites were nearing the end of their forty years in the wilderness after generations of slavery in Egypt. They had been through hardships and one obstacle after another, yet all the while God had been their provision. God had met their every need: sending manna from heaven, protecting them from enemies, and reassuring that God had not abandoned them in their times of rebellion. When they were in need, God provided. Yet now they were coming to the Promised Lan, a land flowing with milk and honey and everything they could ever want. They were about to be in the land of comfort, not the land of need. Therefore, Moses issued this word of caution to them. Don’t forget who got you here.

Have you forgotten who has gotten you to where you are right now? … Think back and remember the hardships that God got you through, the resources provided along the way, the people sent to you. No matter how hard you worked to arrive at where you are right now, you did not achieve anything apart from the grace of God who got you here. So remember and praise God in your comfort in the same way you called out for God in your time of need. Don’t allow the means you’ve attained to cloud your remembrance of the One who was your means of provision.”

Rev. David Dorn II in Saving Grace: Hope-Filled Devotions Along the Way to Financial Well-Being (Nashville: Abingdon, 2020) 25-26.

Are you in crisis? Cry out to God. He hears and cares deeply for you and desires to deliver you from difficulty.

Are you comfortable? Our human proclivity is to become fat and self-indulgent rather than focused on serving others. Instead, let’s aim to be careful!

Seriously, our tendency is to build a fine house and settle down. Don’t go there! It’s a test to keep us humble. God blessed His people then and blesses us now to be a blessing.

This is why He wanted His people back then and us now to remember and to share with open hands and grateful hearts. Would you pass the test? Are you comfortable or careful?

And let me add a word about the new header photo.

When I was in Malawi, I met Bonface Milanzi, who was a church planter living in remote, rural part of Malawi (where the average annual income is $242 USD and that is not a typo).

He needed $100 USD to plant a field to feed his family and his whole village. It was about 1.5 hectares or 4 acres. Chris Maphosa and I split it and each shared $50.

He sent this photo. Sorry if it is blurry. It’s the corn or maize that will feed his village. Pray with me that our gift will reap an abundant harvest for him to enjoy and share.

Sell your possessions and give alms; make to yourselves purses not growing old, an unfailing treasure in the heavens, where thief does not draw near, nor does moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Luke 12:33-34

“Your heart always follows your treasure, Jesus says, not the other way around. All of us need our hearts to be transformed by God’s amazing grace. However, one of the ways in which we are transformed is by beginning to place our money where it matters most—the poeople, who al have eternal value.

I am reminded of the advice that the English Jesuit poet Gerard Manley Hopkins gave to his unbelieving friend, Robert Bridges. Bridges lamented to Hopkins that he wished he could believe the Christian faith as Hopkins did. Hopkins responded with two words of advice: “Give alms.”

In other words, Hopkins was telling Bridges, give your treasure where you would desire your heart to be. Support the things that matter to God, give to the things that matter to God, and little by little, you will begin to care about the things that matter to God.”

Phil Jamieson in Saving Grace: Hope-Filled Devotions Along the Way to Financial Well-Being (Nashville: Abingdon, 2020) 24.

I am returning to the idea of what it means to share or sharing in 2022.

When we give to those who cannot care for themselves or ever pay us back, the Bible refers to this practice as giving alms.

Hopkins urged Bridges to give alms for the same reason I am urging you today. Our heart always goes where we put God’s money. Always.

So if we allocate God’s money toward possessions, pleasures, or power, that’s where our heart goes. But Jamieson wants us to direct God’s money toward people.

Look around you. See anyone in need. Look at what you have. Give alms. See what happens in their lives and in your heart in the process.

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

“A thought to help us through these difficult times: Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.”

Ian MacLaren in a Letter in Trenton Evening Times (New Jersey, 1957).

We live in hard times. Many suffer linked to the pandemic. Coupled with that we have the threat of war. Pray for Ukraine, but pray also for the whole world.

I met with my spiritual director this week who alerted me to this quote.

Think about the people you will see today. Each and every one of them faces unknown struggles, difficult challenges, and hard battles.

So our generous sharing in 2022 needs must be seasoned with kindness and compassion. God help us to this end during these crazy times.

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and our brother Sosthenes, to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be His holy people, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ—their Lord and ours: Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 1:1-3

“It is not [just] what we do but how we do it that matters. It is not different work, but a different way of doing our work that God asks of us. The habit of doing common things with uncommon care is what will make us saints.”

Mother Emily’s message on 5 June 1900 to the Community of the Sisters of the Church in their Rule as recounted in What Do You Seek? Wisdom from Religious Life for Today’s World by John-Francis Friendship (Norwich: Canterbury Press, 2021) 177. This will be my last post from this book. I really enjoyed it.

In today’s Scripture, we see that Paul did not work alone. He had key people in cities and regions with whom he collaborated. Related to Corinth, it was Sosthenes. And Paul and Sosthenes wrote to those who were “sanctified in Christ Jesus” and “called to be His holy people” who were part of the larger community of faith, offering them a blessing of grace and peace.

With similar tone, Mother Emily greeted the sisters, challenging them to live set apart or holy lives by doing common things with uncommon care. While it is not our work but the work of Christ in us that makes us saints, our part is to live differently, set apart for God. In so doing, He works in and through us by grace.

Recently I had asked you to pray for Dan Busby, if you visit his CaringBridge and read his 26 January 2022 post, you will hear the inspiring story “God answers prayer in a big way and then some.” Therein you will find that the hospital credited my uncommon care for his miraculous recovery. Of course, I gave all glory to God, but am hopeful that they will allow more ministers to visit the sick, despite the dangers of Covid.