As you may have suspected, I am one of those people who has been giving faithfully and wondering where the blessing is. I've been hearing one testimony after another how God is blessing his people. Through it all, I've had one question. "WHERE'S MINE?!"
I'm a believer, I attend a spirit-filled church, I'm involved in the music ministry at that church that I know God has called me into. I have a wonderful, loving wife and a perfect daughter who's beautiful inside and out. Some would think that I've got it all together.
And they would be wrong. Oh, I'm blessed...I am definitely blessed. But only through the grace and love of Jesus Christ. I am far from perfect, with a whole lot still to learn.
The truth is, God has been taking me to the woodshed when it comes to the reason why I give -- why I do anything for that matter. The questions that has permeated my soul lately is, "What is the purpose for my giving?"
I found myself answering that question with things like, "to do the right thing" or "to help feed the hungry" or "to help those in need." But the question kept coming up. When I finally searched deeper, I realized that I was giving what I thought were the right answers, not the honest answer.
The honest answer: I was looking at my situation and giving to get out of it. When you strip everything away and get down to where the rubber meets the road, I wasn't really giving to help others. I was giving for the purpose of receiving. I was giving for myself.
You can plant a seed in fertile ground, but if the seed itself is bad it will never reap a harvest. In other words, when you give to a worthwhile cause but with selfish intention, you'll never see a complete turnaround in your life that your looking for. And any blessing you do get will be temporal.
Feeding the hungry is a worthwhile thing to do, but food is a temporal blessing, not lasting.When it comes to the purpose for giving, the only WAY to a complete and lasting turnaround in your life is to give for the purpose of spreading the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. In that there is real, lasting power.
That is why, with this post, I am rededicating Recipes for Hope to spreading the Gospel and sharing the love of Jesus Christ. Afterall, Jesus is THE true recipe for hope.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The Purpose for Giving (Part 1)
It's easy to get caught up in our problems. Some folks are ridden with debt that they can't pay. Some have marital problems, health problems. Perhaps you've lost your job. Whatever the problem is, the longer it persists it can begin to consume your thoughts.
So often we're taught that in order to receive we must give. We must sow a seed to reap a harvest. Why do we give? Do we give because of a need we have? Do we give with the hope of receiving a financial blessing? Do we give simply because the Bible says we should? There are a lot of reasons people will be motivated to give.
Why then, even though I'm sowing seed, am I not reaping? The key is in the reason you sow a seed and the ground into which you sow.
So often we're taught that in order to receive we must give. We must sow a seed to reap a harvest. Why do we give? Do we give because of a need we have? Do we give with the hope of receiving a financial blessing? Do we give simply because the Bible says we should? There are a lot of reasons people will be motivated to give.
Why then, even though I'm sowing seed, am I not reaping? The key is in the reason you sow a seed and the ground into which you sow.
Friday, April 3, 2009
The Story Behind the Book
Our family attends World Harvest Church (WHC) is Columbus, OH. Currently we are in our 40 day fast for the season of Lent, leading up to Easter. This is also the time when many of us are preparing a special sacrificial offering, or Resurrection Seed, in honor of the sacrifice Jesus made for us, and in celebration of his resurrection. This year my wife and I have decided to step out on faith and let God move by committing one week's income. The reason this is such a big step of faith is because I am currently unemployed. As a result, giving up one week's income would make an already difficult situation even more difficult.
Muddling along on unemployment compensation, looking for work, and trying to build a home based business, we had no idea where the money for this seed would come from.
We realize some would say committing to an amount we really couldn't afford is stupidity; and if we were the ones in control we would agree. But we are not in control. God is. And with God in control, there is no wrong direction.
Anyway, I needed a plan to raise the money for the seed. So I asked God to give me something…someway of coming up with this seed. A few days later I found myself lying in bed, wide awake, at 6 AM with this idea for a cookbook running through my head. I thought to myself, “Why in the world am I awake at 6 in the morning? And why am I thinking about a cookbook?” I rolled over to go back to sleep, but I could not stop thinking about it. Then, with a little prompting from the Holy Spirit (yes, for the doubters, God still does speak to his people), I realized this was the idea I’d asked for. “Why a cookbook?“ I asked. “I've got several sitting on a shelf that rarely get opened.” And I heard these words in my spirit, “Just trust me.” So that’s what we’re doing, trusting Him.
Now we realize that some folks are turned off by this sort of talk. That's fine.
Some will be touch by what we're doing, some will not. Some will feel led to contribute, other will not. We have no control over any of that. We will not hide our faith in God and what he's able to do just to avoid offending a few people.
If you do contribute, you will not just be helping us with our Resurrection Seed, you will be helping to:
Thank you and God bless!
Muddling along on unemployment compensation, looking for work, and trying to build a home based business, we had no idea where the money for this seed would come from.
We realize some would say committing to an amount we really couldn't afford is stupidity; and if we were the ones in control we would agree. But we are not in control. God is. And with God in control, there is no wrong direction.
Anyway, I needed a plan to raise the money for the seed. So I asked God to give me something…someway of coming up with this seed. A few days later I found myself lying in bed, wide awake, at 6 AM with this idea for a cookbook running through my head. I thought to myself, “Why in the world am I awake at 6 in the morning? And why am I thinking about a cookbook?” I rolled over to go back to sleep, but I could not stop thinking about it. Then, with a little prompting from the Holy Spirit (yes, for the doubters, God still does speak to his people), I realized this was the idea I’d asked for. “Why a cookbook?“ I asked. “I've got several sitting on a shelf that rarely get opened.” And I heard these words in my spirit, “Just trust me.” So that’s what we’re doing, trusting Him.
Now we realize that some folks are turned off by this sort of talk. That's fine.
Some will be touch by what we're doing, some will not. Some will feel led to contribute, other will not. We have no control over any of that. We will not hide our faith in God and what he's able to do just to avoid offending a few people.
If you do contribute, you will not just be helping us with our Resurrection Seed, you will be helping to:
- feed millions of starving children and families
- put clothes on their backs
- put a roof over their heads
- provide education to children who otherwise would not have access to it
- restore lives devastated by natural disasters
- etc.
Thank you and God bless!
Monday, March 30, 2009
Another way to order!
It occurred to us that there are some people who may not be comfortable entering their information online. If you are one them, there's good news. We've added a manual order form. Please keep in mind, this method will slow things down quite a bit, but there is no additional charge. Here's how:
1. Click on the button that says Manual Order Form located below (3rd link down).
2. An order form will appear in a new window. Enter the appropriate information
(Note: If you would like a hard copy of the book mailed to you, we will need to
know where to send it to. Otherwise, we only need your name and email address.)
3. Once you've filled out all appropriate information, click the submit button.
4. This information will be sent to us via email. Once we receive it, we will send
a confirmation email to you with "Recipes for Hope Order Confirmation" in the
subject line. This email will contain a confirmation that we receive your
order, and instruction on where to send your payment, and methods of payment
accepted.
Note: We do not use an auto-responder. We respond personally, so please allow up
to 48 hours. If you have question before you order, please send them to
rezseed@recipesforhope.com.
1. Click on the button that says Manual Order Form located below (3rd link down).
2. An order form will appear in a new window. Enter the appropriate information
(Note: If you would like a hard copy of the book mailed to you, we will need to
know where to send it to. Otherwise, we only need your name and email address.)
3. Once you've filled out all appropriate information, click the submit button.
4. This information will be sent to us via email. Once we receive it, we will send
a confirmation email to you with "Recipes for Hope Order Confirmation" in the
subject line. This email will contain a confirmation that we receive your
order, and instruction on where to send your payment, and methods of payment
accepted.
Note: We do not use an auto-responder. We respond personally, so please allow up
to 48 hours. If you have question before you order, please send them to
rezseed@recipesforhope.com.
Thursday, March 26, 2009
Recipes For Hope
It's that time of year again, when warmer temperatures arrive and tulips begin to bloom. Life begins anew! Here in this country, we've experienced the excitement of having made history by electing our first African American President. Even though we may not all agree with some of the decisions being made, most of us have hope for a new and better tomorrow.
Did you know that if you were able to decide what shoes to put on today, you are in the top 25% of wealthiest people on Earth? Even in the midst of one of the worst recessions this country has seen, most of us still have food on our table and clothes on our back. Most of us still have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in at night. And most of us have, at least, a high school education.
For millions of others, many of whom are children, there is no hope. There is no food on their table, if they even have a table to eat on. They have no clothes to wear. Or the clothes they are wearing are tattered and torn. They have no place to live. No bed to sleep in. You see where this is going?
It's been on our hearts to do something for those less fortunate than myself, especially children. Since we have a daughter of our own to raise, we are unable to travel any distance to provide assistance. Therefore, we have decided to help by providing financial support to others who can.
Out of this desire to help came the idea for a collection of recipes. With money earned from the sale of this recipe book, we will be supporting this cause. Anyone who purchases our recipe book will also be helping to make a difference in the lives of millions right here at home, as well as around the world.
Please consider helping us by purchasing our recipe e-book. The cost is only $7, but that $7 can feed a child living in many poverty-stricken areas for up to a week.
Simply click on the link at the bottom of the page that says, "Recipes for Hope E-book".
Perhaps you don’t need another recipe book. You may already have several that you never use. We understand. You don’t have to order the book to make a difference. You can visit our website or donate right from this blog. To give from here, simply click the button that says "donate".
Did you know that if you were able to decide what shoes to put on today, you are in the top 25% of wealthiest people on Earth? Even in the midst of one of the worst recessions this country has seen, most of us still have food on our table and clothes on our back. Most of us still have a roof over our heads and a bed to sleep in at night. And most of us have, at least, a high school education.
For millions of others, many of whom are children, there is no hope. There is no food on their table, if they even have a table to eat on. They have no clothes to wear. Or the clothes they are wearing are tattered and torn. They have no place to live. No bed to sleep in. You see where this is going?
It's been on our hearts to do something for those less fortunate than myself, especially children. Since we have a daughter of our own to raise, we are unable to travel any distance to provide assistance. Therefore, we have decided to help by providing financial support to others who can.
Out of this desire to help came the idea for a collection of recipes. With money earned from the sale of this recipe book, we will be supporting this cause. Anyone who purchases our recipe book will also be helping to make a difference in the lives of millions right here at home, as well as around the world.
Please consider helping us by purchasing our recipe e-book. The cost is only $7, but that $7 can feed a child living in many poverty-stricken areas for up to a week.
Simply click on the link at the bottom of the page that says, "Recipes for Hope E-book".
Perhaps you don’t need another recipe book. You may already have several that you never use. We understand. You don’t have to order the book to make a difference. You can visit our website or donate right from this blog. To give from here, simply click the button that says "donate".
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