Archives by: Gary Hoag

“There is a difference between temporal time (our time on this earth) and eternal time (eternity with God). When you view time as a gift and understand your temporal time is fleeting you will live your life differently. Time goes so quickly, you need to cherish every moment and live with a purpose. When you wake up every day and ask “Ok, God, what are we going to do today?” You will use each day as if it were a gift from God to you.

The eternal perspective helps you get through the troubles of your days because you know in light of eternity, our problems are momentary. When you live for God, you know you can get through your temporary problems because you know you will have eternity with God.”

Dennis Baril in “Time is a Gift, Use it Wisely” blog post dated 20 February 2011.

Yesterday was my second “snow day” and while I still wished I was pheasant hunting with friends in North Dakota, God blessed me with another gift. The gift of time with a friend whose health is failing. His name is Scott Loe. Scott’s been battling kidney failure for about four years. Over that time I’ve had the privilege of picking up a couple Subway sandwiches and taking them to his place for lunch about once a month. We’ve laughed together and cried together. Over a 6″ black forest ham and cheese sub, we have talked about everything from the Bible to Major League Baseball.

Yesterday, a mutual friend, Tom Assmus, kindly texted me and told me that he had just visited Scott who seemed to be, in Baril’s words, nearing the end of his temporal time. I was so thankful to be able to go over to his house to say goodbye. Scott was lucid for only a few minutes. I reminded him of what he would soon experience, eternity with God and relief from pain, and with his wife Mindy by his side, we prayed for a merciful end to his suffering. Scott has taught me a lot these past four years about waiting patiently for the Lord and enduring suffering, and now I find myself overwhelmed with the realization that time is a gift of God.

The question for each of us is this: How will we use the gift of time?

Come and hear, all you who fear God; let me tell you what He has done for me. Psalm 66:16

“How our life has been sheltered at dangerous times! What good directions have been given us by the word and example of others. What invitations to make ourselves well acquainted with Christ and His service, and with the peace which His faithful servants are permitted to possess! Whatever the result may have been, surely no thoughtful mind can hesitate to regard with thankfulness such providential care as one of the highest benefits which God hath conferred upon the soul.

And especially let the mind dwell upon this providential care as intended for the discipline and training of the character for some real usefulness in life — as something intended to make us more thoughtful, more watchful, less frivolous, and less selfish — something to give us the rare blessing of a right and well-balanced mind, so that we may be helpful to our friends, and that they may learn from us the lesson which we ourselves have been taught.”

John Saul Howson (1816-1885) Dean of Chester, from his comments on Psalm 66:16-20 entitled “Gratitude and Generosity.”

Today I celebrate the gift of God’s providential care. I was not supposed to be home yesterday morning when the distress call came from our daughter, Sophie, who had spun in circles and slid of the road in the wintry, icy conditions here in Littleton, Colorado. While I am sad I missed out on North Dakota pheasant hunting, I am thankful God changed my plans so that I was home and available to come to her aid in the storm.

As I consider Psalm 66:16 with Howson, I conclude that reflecting on God’s providential care fills my heart with thankfulness and inspires me to be “more thoughtful, more watchful, less frivolous, and less selfish” because God has been so faithful to look out for my needs, to hear my cries for help, and to come to my aid in the storms of life. God, make us a thankful, generous people eager to do what is good.

“Your sense of security must not rest in your possessions or in things going your way. I am training you to depend on Me alone, finding fulfillment in My presence. This entails being satisfied with much or with little, accepting either as My will for the moment. Instead of grasping and controlling, you are learning to release and receive. Cultivate this receptive stance by trusting Me in every situation.”

Sarah Young in Jesus Calling: Enjoying Peace in His Presence (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004) reading for November 7.

I was supposed to head to North Dakota to go pheasant hunting today and numerous factors in addition to the weather thwarted my plans. I release them and receive the gift of whatever else God has in store for me over the next four days. God is so good, I am certain these “snow” days will be filled with wonderful blessings.

T.C. Johnstone meets with lots of people when he produces videos of stories linked to generosity for Generous Giving. Yesterday T.C. presented this list: “THINGS I LOOK FOR IN A GOOD GENEROSITY STORY.” These statements represent traits or characteristics of people he sees who exhibit Christian generosity.

• They view circumstances counter culturally. What the mainstream says to do, they are often doing the opposite.
• They reach into the wounds of life instead of shying away from them.
• They are in relationship with people who don’t follow Jesus.
• They give the best of who they are and what they have, not just the overflow.
• They love past the people who love them.
• They “Live and Give” out of their God given identity. They know what they are good at.
• They give out of a understand of how God has given to them.
• They are “living” a story worth telling.
• They rarely want their story told. They don’t call attention to themselves. I have to do that.
• They don’t expect or look for reward. They have a deep understanding of God’s applause.
• They don’t “find” fulfillment in giving. They find fulfillment in Christ. It’s not philanthropy.
• Giving is a lifestyle and it effects the way they live. Cars, home, time, family, relationships. I can learn more by spending a day with them then anything they tell me.

T.C. Johnstone serves on a team of amazing people at Generous Giving who tell stories and urge people to reflect on Scripture to inspire people to grow in the grace of giving. It’s been a privilege to interact with them in Dallas.

Another team member and a friend, Matt Mancinelli, revealed yesterday that they have developed an app on the iTunes store called “Generous Giving JOG Resources” that gives people a tool to tell others about Generous Giving and it provides resources at your fingertips for hosting JOG (Journey of Generosity) events. Download it today, but don’t stop there!

As we consider T.C.’s list, let us take a moment and thank God if one or more of the statements above reflect our stories. For each of the statements that don’t, let’s ask the Holy Spirit to mold and shape those areas of our lives to conform to Christ. Amen?

“The Lord of all will next inquire, “How didst thou employ the worldly goods which I lodged in thy hands? Didst thou use thy food, not so as to seek or place thy happiness therein, but so as to preserve thy body in health, in strength and vigour, a fit instrument for the soul? Didst thou use apparel, not to nourish pride or vanity, much less to tempt others to sin, but conveniently and decently to defend thyself from the injuries of the weather? Didst thou prepare and use thy house, and all other conveniences, with a single eye to my glory — in every point seeking not thy own honour, but Mine; studying to please, not thyself, but Me once more?

In what manner didst thou employ that comprehensive talent, money — not in gratifying the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eye, or the pride of life; not squandering it away in vain expenses — the same as throwing it into the sea; not hoarding it up to leave behind thee — the same as burying it in the earth; but first supplying thy own reasonable wants, together with those of thy family; then restoring the remainder to me, through the poor, whom I had appointed to receive it; looking upon thyself as only one of that number of poor, whose wants were to be supplied out of that part of my substance which I had placed in thy hands for this purpose; leaving thee the right of being supplied first, and the blessedness of giving rather than receiving Wast thou accordingly a general benefactor to mankind feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, comforting the sick, assisting the stranger, relieving the afflicted, according to their various necessities?

Wast thou eyes to the blind, and feet to the lame, a father to the fatherless, and an husband to the widow. And didst thou labour to improve all outward works of mercy, as means of saving souls from death?”

John Wesley (1703-1791) in “The Good Steward” Sermon 51.3.5.

One of my comments for Sammy while we have been away together this past weekend has been to ask him about the situations in which he finds himself and the choices that he has daily. Why? My prayer for him is to live in a state of readiness to give an account for his stewardship.

So then, each of us will give an account of ourselves to God. Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister. Romans 14:12-13

Today I am flying to Dallas to attend meetings hosted by Generous Giving. What I love most about Generous Giving is that their JOG (Journey of Generosity) retreats have helped thousands of people ask the kinds of questions put forth by Wesley. The JOG events provide people with margin and motivation to make decisions that prepare them to give an account for their stewardship to God.

The true “prosperity gospel” is “. . . all about the great blessing of giving and living self-sacrificially and how freeing it is to be trusting God day to day for life and all of its necessities.”

Ben Witherington III in Jesus and Money: A Guide for Times of Financial Crisis (Grand Rapids: Brazos Press, 2010) 77. This quote is another winner from Dave Rowland’s research paper.

I am pheasant hunting this weekend with my son, Sammy. We are having a great time together. Many might look at him as college student who is “prospering” because he is learning to be “independent”, and what I see is a young man who is doing well because he is learning that life is all about serving other sacrificially and being “dependent” on God for everything.

“What we do with money and possessions reveals more about our true identity and our commitments than anything else.”

Klyne Snodgrass in “Jesus and Money: No Place to Hide and No Easy Answers,” Word & World 30 (2010): 135.

Last night, I got an email from a friend and former student, Dave Rowland, with a paper he wrote for a class that contained this quote. Sammy and I discussed it and we concur. Snodgrass (and Rowland) are spot on.

Sammy and I resolve to work to bring glory to God and have resources to enjoy and share to send a message to the world that we love for God and are committed to stuff God cares about, regardless of what others are doing!

“There is an amazing freedom in knowing that we are under God’s protection and care. We need to live in a way that reflects the fact that we know we have a God who loves and cares for us, who, with all the resources in heaven and on earth at His disposal, is more than capable of meeting our every need. If we truly believe that, we won’t worry about living generously with our time, our money, and our possessions, and following God’s call wherever He may lead. We love others because we are so overwhelmed by His great love for us. We go to those who have nothing, knowing that as we pursue the kingdom of God, He will take care of our needs.”

Mike Pilavachi in When Necessary Use Words: Changing Lives Through Worship, Justice and Evangelism (Ventura: Regal, 2006) 110.

Last night our daughter, Sophie, took the stage for opening night of her school play, Miracle Worker, the Helen Keller story. She shines on stage. Today, I am heading out pheasant hunting with my son, Sammy, in St. Francis, KS, for the weekend. My wife, Jenni, told me that he just wrote a paper for his Colorado Christian University English composition class on what he discerns as God’s calling in his life. I can’t wait to hear about it and to encourage him to pursue it, trusting God to love and care for him each step of the way. For both of them, there’s nothing more fulfilling than to watch them children pursue their place in the Kingdom of God (cf. 3 John 1:4).

“What do you suppose is the trajectory of giving in the Bible? Is it stingy, grudging, and resentful? Is it rightly used to magically get something from God? Or is it generous and others-oriented, mimicking the sacrificial life of Jesus? This is a pretty easy question to answer, and we don’t even have to look for a proof text…The spiritual practice of generosity, which comes from simplicity of heart, moves us from mere legalisms, compassionless mechanisms, or stingy mathematical formulas of tithing, to an ever simpler life for the sake of others.”

Todd D. Hunter from “Giving an Offering: Simplicity of Life” in Giving Church Another Chance: Finding New Meaning in Spiritual Practices (Downers Grove: IVP, 2010) 134.

I had Beau Jo’s pizza in Idaho Springs, CO, last night with Jeff Anderson. He’s becoming a good friend. He’s the author of Plastic Donuts. Read it if you’ve never read it. Great book.

We talked about many topics linked to generosity. Among them, we discussed the teachings that prevent spirit-led generosity in America. Sadly, many are pounding the tithe, which when calling people to return to the OT Law, is producing grudging giving that returns people to slavery. Others are teaching OT promises out of context, leading many to think giving is all about getting and prosperity. Alternatively we shared stories about how God is leading our families down the spirit-led path of simplicity and generosity. It was sweet fellowship.

To my surprise, after reading Galatians 5 this morning, my research tools led me to read this chapter by Todd Hunter. Todd essentially came to the same conclusion. So my call this morning is this: let’s all abandon teachings that lead people to slavery and prosperity and instead promote simplicity and generosity. And let’s do this not because it’s the new legalism, or for what we will get in return, but because it reflects the trajectory of giving in the Bible. And it’s the others-oriented direction the Holy Spirit is leading us related to giving as we follow Jesus.

Today’s meditation is more than lyrics. It’s a practical pathway for showing love to the least of these.

Enjoy this “Kings & Queens” video by Audio Adrenaline, and then read below to learn how you too can love to the least of these.

“Kings & Queens”

Little hands, shoeless feet, lonely eyes looking back at me
Will we leave behind the innocent too brief
On their own, on the run when their lives have only begun
These could be our daughters and our sons
And just like a drum I can hear their hearts beating
I know my God won’t let them be defeated
Every child has a dream to belong and be loved

Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in Your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these
Then they will be brave and free
Shout your name in victory
When we love when we love the least of these
When we love the least of these

Break our hearts once again
Help us to remember when
We were only children hoping for a friend
Won’t you look around these are the lives that the world has forgotten
Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open

If not us who will be like Jesus
To the least of these
If not us tell me who will be like Jesus
Like Jesus to the least of these

Boys become kings, girls will be queens
Wrapped in your majesty
When we love, when we love the least of these
Then they will be brave and free shout your name in victory
We will love we will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these
We will love the least of these

My good friend, Michael Larson had a vision to put poor people to work. He not only gave them jobs in the name of Jesus, through Vineworks360 he provides hope in Haiti, a place of destitution. The blessing grows when we participate with him. Purchase gifts from Vineworks360 artisans and plan your holiday party today. Checkout their website for details or email him at vineworks360@gmail.com. Let us love the least of these!