Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? Luke 16:10-11
“Patrick Henry wrote into his will that if he had left nothing in terms of worldly riches but had given his heirs faith in Jesus Christ, then they were of all people most wealthy. Conversely, he added that if he had left them with all the wealth in the world but had not left them a faith a Jesus Christ, they would be of all people most destitute.”
Patrick Henry as cited by Richard Foster in The Challenge of the Disciplined Life: Christian Reflections on Money, Sex, and Power (HarperOne: San Francisco, 1979) 82.
My granddaughters and future grandchildren have been on my mind a lot lately. I don’t want to ruin them with money. I want to teach them to make it their slave. I want them to master worldly wealth so they get true riches.
Easier said than done! The world bombards them with opportunities to make poor financial decisions. For starters, I want them to learn the value of work (think: do chores) and understand saving, spending, and sharing.
Saving is the “margin” piece I’ve been writing about lately. It appears in daily practices as living on less than we make so we have resources or “margin” to live, give, serve, and love generously. It also enables you to meet unexpected expenses with funding.
The “spending” part is easy to teach, while the “sharing” piece will take a little more work. I like the word “sharing” as it represents the New Testament word for giving, koinonia, which can be translated fellowship, sharing, or communion.
Today I fly to Bogotá, Colombia (pictured above on my first trip there in 2023).
I will meet up with Paula Mendoza, GTP Chief Administration and Mobilization Officer, from Guatemala. Together we will activate two new workers. Eliana Ramirez begins her full-time service as GTP Project Manager for South America.
Eliana’s main project to manage is Palmful of Coffee. I am so excited about this. And she will not go at it alone.
Esther Zuluaga, already serves as GTP Country Coordinator for Colombia and Founder of the Peer Accountability Group, Foundation Orden Colombia. Esther joins GTP as a part-time contractor serving as Vision Architect for Palmful of Coffee.
Thanks for your prayers for a fruitful trip from 8-12 August 2025. And pray with me that Palmful of Coffee helps spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the 2.5 million indigenous workers in the Coffee Triangle.
Imagine, they drink some of the best coffee in the world, but I want them to taste true riches. And I must add, this vision launches because a long-time friend put his arm around me and said, “let’s do this!”
I thank God for his sacrificial and generous giving!
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