The Simple Pastor

I have a long-lasting attachment to the small nation of Burundi in East Africa. It is one of the poorest in the world. I’ve found that commitment to a nation in prayer, finances and support has helped keep me engaged with the poor when I become tired of all the campaigns and disasters or when [...]

One of the things I’m most enjoying about parenting is giving with my son Noah (he’s four and a bit). Working out how to do that can be fun and one of the ways we use the most is giving through Kiva. Kiva is a great example of using the power of technology to harness [...]

A while ago I saw this infographic about parents and kids views on money. Take a look at the question ‘what do your kids want to know about money?’ and the responses. Conspicuous by its absence is giving. So either it wasn’t an option that the survey offered (shame on them) or it wasn’t an [...]

My friend Simon Guillebaud is currently 1800+ miles into cycling coast to coast across America. He’s hoping to raise vast sums of money for the incredibly poor and neglected Batwa (pygmy) tribe of Burundi. If you were looking for a fresh chance to be practice the grace of giving and grow in generosity then this [...]

Not so long ago I signed up to the excellent Kiva, which harnesses the power of the internet to raise finance for micro-finance groups all over the world. I’m all for it. Just the other day a lady in Cambodia repaid the first part of a $25 loan. I could take the money out and [...]

In Acts 20:35 Paul reminds the church at Ephesus these words of Jesus, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ Just take a moment to think about whether you believe that or not. How are you more blessed? Do you feel more blessed when you give? It can be easy if you have [...]

Sometimes when I read the early church fathers I find their writings impenetrable. This might be because the translation is hard work or because the debates and concerns just don’t connect. Other times I am stunned by the power of prose and the immediacy with which it speaks to us today in different cultures, 1800+ [...]

So a few days ago in the UK a happiness movement was launched. There’s a few things worth noting here. Firstly the movement rejects materialism as a basis for happiness. “Despite massive material progress, people in Britain and the US are no happier than they were 50 years ago, while there are many societies in [...]

Randy Alcorn on giving – take a few minutes to chew it over before Sunday!

I recently included a couple of links that dealt with the issue of money and giving with some challenging but wise words on the subject. CS Lewis says, “I do not believe one can settle how much we ought to give. I am afraid the only safe rule is to give more than we can [...]

Today’s links are all linked by theme of giving (kudos to the observant who noticed the post title change). The billionaire’s giving club continues to grow with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and David Green. John van Dinther has a good reflection on the Christian values underpinning the Green’s business. The giving pledge is a truly [...]

Randy Alcorn is great on giving. Here’s an article and a video The Theology of Generosity from Randy Alcorn on Vimeo.