Meditations

While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. When she poured this perfume on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Truly I tell you, wherever this gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” Matthew 26:6-13

“Researchers have reported several gender differences when it comes to generosity, although the findings have been inconsistent. While many survey studies have reported that women volunteer more and give more money to charity, the magnitude of these differences varies and is often not very big, and some studies have found evidence of men being more generous than women.

Beside surveys, lab experiments are another way to look at gender differences in giving, although here too there have been inconsistent results. Experiments with “public goods games”— where people can choose to contribute money to a central pot and the money is then multiplied by a factor and divided among all participants—have reported both that all-male groups are more generous and that all-female groups are more generous…

One study did not find any significant differences between male and female players, while another reported that women gave, on average, twice as much to their anonymous partner as men gave. However, one particular modification of the dictator game did discover an interesting gender-specific difference in giving. In this version of the dictator game, players were given a number of tokens that they could divide between themselves and another player, as per usual. However, in different rounds of the game, the payoff for the tokens differed so that in some rounds one token would be worth more when kept and in other rounds it would be worth more when given to the other player.

When summed across the different rounds, men and women gave the same amount of money on average; both genders were equally altruistic. However, individual men were more likely to be perfectly selfish or perfectly selfless, while women tended to be more egalitarian across the board. And when zooming in on how men and women behaved during the different rounds, a clear difference emerged: Men gave more when giving was cheaper (i.e., when a token was worth more when given away), women gave more when giving was more costly (i.e., when a token was worth more when kept).”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

I arrived safely in Vienna, Austria. When this posts I will be on the road from Bratislava to Sliač, Slovakia, with Gabriel Hakulín. I met up with him in Bratislava by the Danube this morning (where I shot the header photo). We attend a huge dinner tonight (about 200 people) at which I will connect with influential Christians in Slovakia.

After reading this study while waiting for my international flight, my mind immediately went to Matthew 26. Consider the scene. The disciples (men) think about the money being used to serve the poor (giving more when giving is cheaper) and the unnamed generous woman gives the costly gift.

What are the implications of this? They are too many to list so I will share some thoughts that come to mind at first.

Men tend to think about giving money to solve problems and women tend to think about giving as linked to their values and showing love to those in need. Men tend to think look out for themselves (hence, giving more when giving is cheaper) and women tend to think about the needs of others (hence, giving more when giving is costly).

I think the key here is for the male and female genders to work together and appreciate each others differences.

To all the men out there, let us as God to rid us of our “perfectly selfish ways” and make us “perfectly selfless” people who don’t just try to solve problems but also aim to show love while honoring the willingness and wiring of your wife to sacrifice. If, like me, you think your wife is the most selfless and generous person on the planet, thank her.

That’s me. Thanks Jenni. you are the best, most loving and generous wife in the world to me!

And women, keep giving when giving is “more costly” and honor the “problem solving” bent of your husband. He means well when exercising this trait for your marriage and family. And if you see “perfectly selfless” traits in your husband. Affirm him and stand with him as he’s going against the “perfectly selfish” flow.

Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Deuteronomy 11:19

“Another study of 682 adolescents found evidence for a bidirectional relationship between prosocial values and high-cost prosocial behaviors, such as volunteering—in other words, engaging in those behaviors seemed to nurture prosocial values, just as prosocial values seemed to promote those behaviors.

This suggests to the authors that “it may be particularly important to engage teens in high-cost prosocial behavior in an attempt to further promote moral identity via personal values.”

Studies of adult volunteers have also found that people who volunteer place more importance on prosocial values than non-volunteers do. Appealing to people’s morality can also encourage generosity. One study found that just adding the sentence, “Note that he relies on you” increased giving in a game.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

Don’t miss what the Torah and the research are saying to us today.

We need to teach our children at home and give them opportunities outside the home to serve others in “prosocial” Christian ways. When we do this, it benefits those we serve. It also increases the probability that they will live out Christian values.

And for everyone we communicate with intentionality.

The statement “note that he relies on you” implies that each of us is part of something bigger and those of us with influence can teach people to be alert to serve others in need. Whether it’s with youth or adults, engaging in service causes us to live out our values and grow in generosity.

Think of ways to involve others, youth or adults, in what you are doing.

Get involved with me in Europe right now. When this email posts I will be somewhere between Denver and Munich, and then I will connect to Vienna. I have strategic meetings in Slovakia, Czechia, Poland, and Austria, including a huge dinner with 150-200 of the top Christian workers of Slovakia on 7 September 2023. That’s why the back to back international trips.

Reply if you want my trip schedule to see the trip aims and items for prayer.

With Gabriel Hakulín, GTP Regional Facilitator for Europe, I am engaging key people who will meet in 2024 to discuss the formation of a peer accountability group (like ECFA in USA) for Eastern Europe. These are some really important meetings and I rely on you to help me attend them. Please click here to make a gift to GTP today. Thanks.

I appreciate your prayers for safe travel, sufficient provision, and protection for my wife and family back home.

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many. Mark 10:45

“A study with participants from six countries looked at how a number of different properties, including personality factors, related to the frequency with which people reported giving and receiving help. It found that high levels of certain personality factors—guilt, extraversion, and religiosity—were correlated with measures of altruism in people across the different countries, whereas shame was negatively correlated with altruism. In addition, humility was a consistent and robust predictor of generosity” in three different experiments.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

I arrived safely home, changed out my suitcase, and head to Eastern Europe tonight. I have a humble, generous, and supportive wife. I need to attend a strategic dinner to attend in Slovakia on Thursday along with some other important meetings to advance peer accountability in Eastern Europe.

The international research shows that humility represents “a consistent and robust predictor of generosity.” Think about it. When we cultivate humility, we demonstrate that we understand that we exist not to be served but to serve a purpose bigger than ourselves.

But what can we do to cultivate humility and, in so doing, generosity? Focus on listening to God and others. Be content and grateful for what you have. Ask for help when you need it. Take a posture of service regardless of your position of power. Walk closely with Jesus. Start with that list.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth. Psalm 19:1-6

“Feelings of awe, defined as the feeling of being in the presence of something vast that transcends one’s understanding of the world, can also increase generosity.

In one study, participants who watched awe-inspiring videos reported greater willingness to volunteer their time to help others—among a host of other positive effects—when compared with participants who watched videos that induced other emotions.

Another study found that participants who took photos of nature scenes that they found inspiring, and later wrote a description of those feelings, reported feeling kinder, more helpful, and more connected to others than did participants who took photos of human-built environments or who did not take any photos.

And yet another study asked some participants to stand among towering eucalyptus trees and look up for one minute, while other participants simply looked up at a building for one minute. Those who looked at the trees experienced more awe—and also picked up more pens for a researcher who “accidentally” spilled them on the ground.

Thus, besides the benefits that come from experiencing wonder at the world, encouraging people to feel awe may have the added benefit of leading those people to behave more generously.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

Imagine the timing. I did not plan this.

I read this on Sunday morning before heading off to preach and then before our afternoon activity. The GTP Colombia team wanted to take us to Catedral De Sal Zipaquira or in English, the Salt Cathedral of Zipaquirá, to do the Stations of the Cross underground in the salt mines (see photo of the salt cross cathedral).

Getting out of the city (and traffic) of Bogotá provided relief for us and a refreshing time to worship and praise God for all He did for us on the cross, and also all He did to activate a peer accountability movement in Colombia this week. That’s right, a group will form called “Orden” meaning “Order.”

It’s in the Colombia seal to promote “Freedom and Order” and inspired by 1 Corinthians 14:40, “but all things should be done decently and in order.” The verse implies “do things with standards and in order.” We stand in awe of God for how He brought that together. Reply for a copy of the trip report to read all about it.

Anyway, on the last day they took us to this place. It inspired awe in us and motivates us to pursue the vision of spreading generosity and accountability all across Colombia and the world for God’s glory.

When this posts I will be somewhere in the air between Bogotá and Houston arriving on the night flight and getting home late morning. Paula and Carla, my fellow team members return to Guatemala City on Monday afternoon. Thanks for your prayers for safe travel for all of us.

We are good because Jesus takes care of everything.

But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 1 Samuel 12:24

“Feelings of gratitude also appear to motivate generosity, regardless of whether one is receiving or giving the thanks. In one study, students who provided helpful comments on another student’s cover letter were significantly more likely to help a second student with their cover letter if they had received a brief thank you note from the first student; another study found that people who were thanked after pledging to give money in the future were less likely to renege on their decision to give. Yet another study found that people induced to feel gratitude to someone who provided them with assistance later spent more time helping that person and a stranger than did people who had not experienced gratitude.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

God has been good to us in Colombia. The vision for a peer accountability group (like ECFA in USA) to help grow stewards who follow standards and build sustainable ministries has been born.

The group will be called “Orden.” It means “order” in English. It’s in the Colombia seal to promote “freedom and order” and inspired by 1 Corinthians 14:40, “but all things should be done decently and in order.” The verse implies “do things with standards and in order.”

In response to all God has done here, I have gratitude. As our research continues, it seems that gratitude inspires greater generosity. We would anticipate this and the research backs it.

So, what’s that mean for us today? Let’s express gratitude (it costs us nothing) wherever we go. As we do, we can be confident that it just might inspire those around us to grow in generosity. I’m thinking our work here in Colombia will inspire people to grow in this area. I pray you do too.

Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12

“One of the most studied psychological motivations for generosity is empathy… Related to empathy is compassion—caring for and wanting to help those in need—and research suggests that feelings of compassion can also lead people to behave generously… Interventions designed to increase a person’s sense of compassion can also increase their propensity to engage in prosocial behaviors. One study found that participants who had engaged in short-term compassion training were more helpful…and another study found that compassion training increased the amount of money participants gave.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

The “Stations of Generosity” training went well in Bogotá, Colombia. Today Paula, Carla, and I will coach a group of ministry workers on the use of GTP templates. Each one has completed our diagnostic tool with the vision of building local capacity.

Committed, receptive, and attentive would describe the workers we have served. Committed to our Lord Jesus Christ, receptive to teaching, training, and coaching, and attentive to applying what they learned and sharing it with others.

Our audience has ranged from the Evangelical Alliance for Colombia to pastors and ministry worker and missionaries and servants who work in the Amazon or with indigenous groups in South America. Great people thankful for biblical and practical help.

Part of what drives my service is compassion. It was my word for the year a few years back. My word this year is gratitude, and I am so grateful for this research. If you study compassion training you focus on topics like the themes in this verse from the Apostle Paul.

So, again, the findings affirm the biblical teaching which calls us to put on five things. Read the list. Are any missing in your life. God train us put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience so that we might serve as your generous disciples who help and give more.

So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. Mark 7:12

“Generosity also seems to carry benefits when interactions between people do not go as planned because of unexpected circumstances (what is termed “social noise”). For example, imagine this scenario: Your friend did not respond to your email because of a problem with his internet connection. Because you did not know of the problem, you may think your friend is ignoring you, which may lead you to delay responding to the next email from your friend as a form of reciprocation. One study found that generosity can help overcome the detrimental effects caused by this type of “noise” in social dilemmas.

The study found that rather than responding to someone’s actions with strict reciprocity in “tit-for-tat” fashion, behaving slightly more generously than that person’s last action leads to more overall cooperation. This suggests that adding a small generosity buffer and giving someone the benefit of the doubt may lead to more cooperation and stronger relationships. However, the paper also highlights how deferring to increased generosity can sometimes be problematic—say, in a situation where two friends end up buying each other more and more expensive gifts even when neither party actually wants to spend that much.

A follow-up study with different experimental paradigms confirmed and extended the findings from this study. In fact, results from the second study showed that “even when there was no noise, the other-regarding strategies elicited equal or even greater cooperation levels (in case of a generous strategy) than did tit-for-tat.” According to the researchers, these results suggest that “the power of generosity is underestimated in the extant literature, especially in its ability to maintain or build trust, which is essential for coping with noise.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

I really resonated with this research on social noise. Life happens. It’s complicated. We intend to reply to a message, and something happens. Recently our internet was out for two days. It seemed like two years.

And yet, the research proves that if we extend grace to others and engage “other-regarding strategies,” they will likely extend grace to us. This helps strengthens our social interaction and exhibits our Christian faith.

Our onsite teaching on “Stewardship and Standards” went phenomenal in Bogotá, Colombia, yesterday (pictured above). Today, we train trainers to replicate “Stations of Generosity.” Keep praying for us as there’s lots of social noise.

We anticipated 60 people today and about 50 came. “Social noise” or stuff in life kept about 10 away. They messaged and sent regrets. Of course, we responded graciously and let them know where to find the information they missed.

How might you engage “other-regarding strategies” in your social interaction to exhibit generosity? Let’s resolve to extend the amount of grace to others as we want God to extend to us.

And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Corinthians 8:1

“Another study looked at how generosity can be propagated through a workplace. This study of Coca-Cola employees in Spain assigned some employees to be givers who selected five acts of kindness (such as bringing someone a drink or emailing a thank you note) for a receiver they selected from a subset of their coworkers.

Meanwhile, other employees were designated observers who neither gave nor received the acts of kindness. Social network analysis showed that closer social proximity to givers was associated with a boost in observers’ well-being, while closer social proximity to receivers had a nonsignificant trend toward decreased well-being.

Importantly, social proximity to both givers and receivers predicted increased prosocial acts among observers, suggesting that acts of kindness can spread across the social networks within a workplace and increase employee well-being.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

Our time wrapped up program work beyond all expectations in Costa Rica. Reply if you want a copy of the trip report. We are safely in Bogotá, Colombia. Appreciate your prayers for a great onsite teaching event today.

As I continued reading the international research on generosity, these comments about the impact of “closer social proximity” surfaced as significant and led me back to this famous text of Paul regarding giving.

If we ask ourselves why he might use the example of the Macedonians in encouraging Corinthian giving, this research might hold the answer. Paul started his collection work in Galatia, moved to Ephesus and now mentions Macedonians.

A simple look at a map shows that he’s moving geographically closer. I never noticed this before. He likely used the Macedonians as examples as they were neighbors to Greeks compared to Ephesus or the region of Galatia.

So, when to help people grow in the grace of giving, we should tell stories of those they know or people close to them. The closer they are in social proximity to the givers, the more likely to respond with generous acts.

This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift! 2 Corinthians 9:12-15

“Research suggests that to maximize the happiness that comes from giving, people must feel that their giving has had or will have a positive impact on the recipient. In one study, giving more money to a charity led to more happiness, but only when participants were told that their donation would specifically buy a bed net for a child in Africa (and how that bed net would make a difference in that child’s life) and not when they were told their donation would simply support the charity’s general fund.

This suggests that highlighting the impact that a donation or gift has on its recipient may increase the emotional rewards associated with generosity, and could lead to increased giving.

Another study found that, across three different experiments, adding tangible details about a charity’s interventions increase donations—but only when these details increased “the impact that donors believed their contributions would make.” Perceived impact and efficacy has been identified as an important factor in other studies of charitable giving.

In short: knowing a donation is likely to make an impact makes people more likely to donate and to feel happier after doing so.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

As soon as I read this research finding my mind went to the words of the Apostle Paul in his second letter to the Corinthians. He reported triple impact. He told the Corinthians that their giving supplied the needs of the people. They had been starving and now they were fed.

But it did more than that. It resulted in praise and thanksgiving to God, because it had deepened the faith of the recipients. And it did more than that. It inspired those who had been blessed to offer prayers for the givers to celebrate the grace that God had given them. And it concluded praising God for His indescribable gift.

What’s the point for us today?

We should share the perceived impact and efficacy of giving on social and spiritual levels. We should do this with integrity and accuracy. But we must not stop there. We should share how the giving shapes the people, gives them hope, inspires them to give thanks, lift up prayers, and praise God. We should celebrate the spiritual as well as social impact.

Let’s each think how we can do this in our settings.

For me, today is the final day of our first GTP trip to Costa Rica. Before the team heads to Colombia, here’s how I would sum up the experience (reply to this email if you want a copy of the trip report as we wrap up our work in Costa Rica later today).

Giving, from people like you, sent us to serve them freely, and it worked. God worked through prayer, one onsite replicable training, two sermons, three meals with influencers, and four onsite teaching events in only five days to bring hope and help to Costa Rica. God raised up a coalition eager to follow a plan to rebuild what is broken down like Nehemiah in the next 52 days.

That’s not a typo, they want to act now to spread generosity and accountability! The trip cost $6,000. We served a total of about 600 people. So, that breaks down to about $10 a person. Look at the photo above. A gift of $10 gave that person what they needed to write a new future for their people. That’s impact.

And locals on the ground will keep the fires going after we leave. We rejoice in the LORD. Thanks for your giving. If you want to spread similar impact in Colombia, make a gift here. And pray for our safe travel to Bogotá later today.

One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed. Proverbs 11:24-25

“This study asked people from three countries—Canada, Uganda, and India—to remember a time they had spent money on
themselves or someone else. The participants from all three countries who were told to recall spending money on someone else reported greater happiness than those assigned to recall spending money on themselves, and this effect appeared to be independent of the role that the spending could play in fostering a social relationship (which in itself could lead to more happiness)…Canadian and South African participants were given the option to anonymously buy a goody bag filled with treats. Half were told they would be buying the goody bag for themselves while the other half were told they would be buying the treats for a sick child they would never meet. Across both cultures, the participants who spent the money on the bag for the sick child reported greater positive affect than did those who bought the bag for themselves, suggesting that people still reap more happiness from giving to others they will never meet than from spending on themselves. Together these findings provide cross-cultural evidence that generosity leads to happiness in a wide variety of contexts.”

Summer Allen in “The Science of Generosity” White Paper produced by the Greater Good Science Center.

The picture above features the second of four strategic meetings in Costa Rica to build a coalition of workers willing to collaborate to form a peer accountability group (like ECFA in USA) in the four main cities of the country.

This group convened in Cartago.

As we continue following this extensive research, we see that generosity leads to happiness not just for Westerners, but rather, for people all over the world. I see it in in my travels, especially in the majority world. This is refreshing to read.

If finds roots in today’s timeless Scripture from Proverbs.

“The one who gives freely gains more” is exactly the finding of the research. Praise God for this affirmation of biblical truth. When we make it a way of life, it leads to happiness and flourishing, thank the Lord.

Would you pray that Costa Ricans grasp this in our training today?

We facilitate the Stations of Generosity training for about 60 influential Christian workers who want to experience the training and train others. Appreciate your prayers. Our aim is to multiply this throughout the country.