"Funny how a dollar can look so big when you take it to church, and so small when you take it to the store."

A local United Way office realized that it had never received a donation from the town's most successful lawyer. The person in charge of contributions called him to persuade him to contribute. "Our research shows that out of a yearly income of at least $500,000, you give not a penny to charity. Wouldn't you like to give back to the community in some way?" The lawyer mulled this over for a moment and replied, "First, did our research also show that my mother is dying after a long illness, and has medical bills that are several times her annual income?" Embarrassed, the United Way rep mumbled, "Um...no." "--or that my brother, a disabled veteran, is blind and confined to a wheelchair?" The stricken United Way rep began to stammer out an apology but was interrupted, "--or that my sister's husband died in a traffic accident," the lawyer's voice rising in indignation, "leaving her penniless with three children?!" The humiliated United Way rep, completely beaten, said simply, "I had no idea..." On a roll, the lawyer cut him off once again "--so if I don't give any money to them, why should I give any to you?!?"

"Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need."

A sobbing little girl stood near a small church. It was so crowded she couldn't get inside. She saw her pastor nearby and cried, "I can't go to Sunday School!" Seeing her shabby appearance, the pastor took her by the hand and found a place for her in her classroom. The little girl was so touched that she went to bed that night thinking of the children who have no place to worship Jesus. Two years later, the child died in a wretched tenement building. The parents called for the pastor who had so befriended her earlier. They found her worn, crumpled purse with 57 cents in it and this note: "This is to help build the little church bigger so more children can go to Sunday School." That 57 cents represented two years of saving and work. The next Sunday, the pastor carried the cracked, red pocketbook to the pulpit and told the story. He challenged his people to get busy and equal that child's dedication. A newspaper got the story and published it. It was read by a realtor who gave them a huge parcel of land. Checks started coming from far and wide. Within five years the gift of 57 cents had increased to hundreds of thousands of dollars - and this was a hundred years ago! A beautiful church was built. Next time you're in Philadelphia, visit Temple Baptist Church that seats Thousands, and also visit Temple University where thousands of students are trained. Visit a Sunday School building which houses hundreds of children. In one of the rooms of this building may be seen the picture of the sweet face of the little girl whose 57 cents so sacrificially saved made such remarkable history. Alongside her picture is a portrait of her pastor, Dr. Russell H. Conwell. That's right, he's the man who wrote "Acres of Diamonds."

You remember that among the Franks, whole armies were sometimes given baptism at one stroke, and many warriors went into the water with their right hands held high so that they did not get wet. Then they could say, "This hand has never been baptized," and they could swing their battle axes just as freely as ever. The modern counterpart of that partial baptism is seen in many people who have been baptized, all except their pocketbooks. They held these high out of the water.

Every day the church here (in Antioch] feeds 3000 people. Besides this, the church daily helps provide food and clothes for prisoners, the hospitalized, pilgrims, cripples, churchmen, and others. If only ten [other groups of] people were willing to do this, there wouldn't be a single poor man left in town.

Christmas shopping, though fun, can be difficult. Did you hear about the guy that bought his wife a beautiful diamond ring for Christmas? A friend of his said, "I thought she wanted one of those sporty 4-Wheel drive vehicles." "She did," he replied. "But where am I gonna find a fake Jeep?"…

Or perhaps he's like a little boy named Brian. For weeks he bugged his parents about getting a watch for Christmas. Finally his dad told him, “Brian, if you mention that watch again, you’re not going to get it. Quit bugging us!” One night Brian’s parents asked him to lead in prayer before dinner. Brian said, “I’d like to quote a Scripture verse before I pray. Mark 13:37: ‘I say unto you what I have already told you before – watch ...'”

How much people gave in the Old Testament is hazy. Most people say 10 percent. That's true for starters, because in the Old Testament there were several types of mandatory giving. There was compulsory giving for each person who considered himself faithful to the Covenant; it was not optional. First there was a tithe called the Lord's tithe, or the Levites' tithe, because it went to support the priests and the ministry in the tabernacle and the temple. Leviticus 27:30 stipulates a tenth of everything from the land—whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees—belonged to the Lord. It is holy to the Lord. Ten percent of all their produce and animals was also required. A man who did not comply was considered to be disobeying the law and robbing God. Malachi 3:8 says, "Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. You ask, 'How do we rob you?' In tithes and offerings." Then there was a second tithe called the festival tithe. Deuteronomy 12:10-11 says, "You will cross the Jordan and settle in the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance. And he will give you the rest from all your enemies around you so that you will live in safety. Then to the place the Lord your God will choose as a dwelling for his name, you are to bring everything I command you—your burnt offerings and sacrifices, your tithes," that is your tenths and special gifts, "and all the choice possessions you have vowed to the Lord." And that festival tithe was to be used for religious celebration, to bring family and friends together. So you have two compulsory ten percent tithes. You're up to 20 percent. There was yet another tithe termed the poor tithe. Deuteronomy 14:28-29 says, "At the end of every three years, bring all the tithes of that year's produce and store it in your towns so that the Levites, who have no allotment or inheritance of their own and the aliens, the fatherless and the widows who live in your towns may come and eat and be satisfied; so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." He says every three years there is to be a ten percent tithe for helping people in poverty. That breaks down to about three percent per year. This means mandatory tithes for faithful Israelites were 23 percent of their income annually—a tithe for the priesthood, a tithe for national religious feasts, and a tithe that aided the poor—all compulsory. It didn't end there. There was a mandatory type of profit sharing with the poor. Leviticus 19:9-10 says, "When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Do not go over your vineyard a second time or pick up the grapes that have fallen. Leave them to the poor and alien. I am the Lord your God." It was not a large amount, perhaps one or two percent, but that was to be left. You were to be generous with what was left in your field. There were other requirements. For example, there was a third-of-a-shekel temple charge required to pay for materials for temple worship. All in all, a faithful Israelite was required to give between 23 and 25 percent of his income per year. That was mandatory. Then came volunteer, free-will giving—grace-giving we call it—which included first-fruits giving and free-will offerings. An Israelite who loved the Lord, in addition to his 23 to 25 percent, would give the first fruits of his crop to God. He would survey his fields for the best part of it. He would harvest it and take the best part to the Lord, before the harvest, trusting that God would multiply his harvest. So it was faith giving—it was entirely voluntary. Finally, there were free-will offerings given for special projects such as building the tabernacle. The Lord said to Moses, "Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering from each man whose heart prompts him to give." It's not mandatory. It comes from the heart. The entire emphasis is free will, joyous, over and above the 23 to 25 percent. The ideal in the Old Testament was grace giving, whether it was mandatory or voluntary. It was to come from the heart. It was meant to be offered to God with great rejoicing. Some were giving 30 percent. Some were giving 40 percent. It was huge. That is the Old Covenant.

** MEMBERS CHALLENGED TO LIVE ON TITHE FOR WEEK It is called Miracle Sunday--the day when the congregation of Life Center in Lakewood, California, takes a collective leap of faith. The challenge: to live on 10 percent of a week's wages while giving the 90 percent in a thanks offering. "We received a promise from the Lord: 'If you'll help water the deserts of the world, I will tend your garden at home,'" said Pastor Charles E. Atherton about the challenge God gave his church a quarter century ago. The Miracle Sunday offering collected each November is donated to a variety of ministries and outreaches, ranging from Teen Challenge to the nearby Westminster First Vietnamese Assembly of God. Life Center has collected more than $1 million the past 25 years. In 1978, Life Center needed funds to expand, but leaders sensed God directing them not to borrow. Instead, through the concept of reverse tithing, the church raised $79,984 for the building. By 1990, with the church's debts paid, Miracle Sunday became an outreach, with teenagers and children also contributing. "The idea is more about participation than amount," Atherton said. "It's equal sacrifice, not equal giving." Atherton said God enables church members to make the sacrifice. "Most people's budgets are already overextended, but when they give on Miracle Sunday, it's a miracle that they don't miss the funds," Atherton said. "God provides other ways. It's a whole way to demonstrate our trust, faith and confidence in God."

In 1815 Napoleon was defeated in the battle of Waterloo, and the hero of that battle was the Duke of Wellington. The duke's most recent biographer claims to have an advantage over all the other previous biographers. His advantage was that he had found an old account ledger that showed how the duke had spent his money: that, says the biographer, was a far better clue to what the duke thought was really important than reading his letters or his speeches. Can you imagine that? If someone wrote your biography on the basis of your checkbook or your income-tax return, what might it say about you, your loyalties, your focus, and about whom you serve?

In the 2001 Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was hotly pursued by the 1997 German winner, Jan Ullrich. In the 13th stage of the race, Ullrich had a bad crash, running off the road and vaulting over his handlebars. Armstrong stopped, halting the race while Ullrich got up and recovered. In that race, Armstrong ultimately was victorious, and Ullrich took the runner-up trophy. Two years later in the 2003 Tour de France, as Armstrong sought a fifth consecutive victory, Ullrich trailed him by a razor-thin 15 seconds when Armstrong's handlebars hooked in the bag of a fan leaning across the barrier to see, and Armstrong tumbled to the street. This time, Ullrich stopped and halted the competition while Armstrong picked himself up and remounted. At the end of that 15th stage, Lance Armstrong had extended his lead to 67 seconds. Waiting for a fallen competitor is part of bicycle road-racing etiquette. However, etiquette is a code and not a rule; Ullrich would have been within competitive bounds to sprint ahead and take advantage of Lance's fall. Armstrong went on to win the 2003 Tour de France.

A breathless silence fell over the congregation. The church was jammed to the doors. The back balcony was crowded. A special offering had been taken and the total given was to be announced at the end of the service. The goal was $20,000. The ushers had finished counting it and brought a note with the total written on it to the pastor. Now was the climactic moment. “The total amount received was,” the pastor began, then his forehead clouded over as he hesitantly read, “$20,000 and three cents.” Pausing a moment, he said, “That’s a strange total. $20,000 and three cents. Three cents! There must be a Scotsman here.” From the balcony came a voice, “Hoots, mon, there are three of us here.” [my thought--turn this into a story about stingy ministers. It would work really well with Chi Alphans]

'No one would remember the Good Samaritan if he'd only had good intentions - he had money, too," said former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher

Father O'Malley, the parish priest, was giving a sermon about charity. He said, "In our world today, some people have so much while others have so little. We must give of ourselves and our worldly goods to help the less fortunate." He said to Tommy O'Toole, "If you had ten thousand pounds, wouldn't you give half of it to the poor?" Tommy said, "I would that, Father." The priest continued, "And Tommy, if you had a great wealth of jewelry, wouldn't you sell it and give half to the poor?" O'Toole replied, "Indeed I would, Father." The priest said, "And Tommy, if you had two pigs, wouldn't you give one of them to your neighbour next door?" Tommy said, "No." The priest said, "And why not, my son?" To which O'Toole replied, "Now Father, you know I have two pigs."

Money-giving is a very good criterion of a person’s mental health. Generous people are rarely mentally ill people.

“One thing I know… is this: spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Do not hoard what seems good for later; give it, give it all, give it now… Anything you do not give freely and abundantly becomes lost to you. You open your safe and find ashes.” – Annie Dillard

The rabbi of Sasov once gave the last money he had in his pocket to a person of ill repute. His disciples chided him. "Shall I be more finicky than God," he answered them, "who gave it to me?" Source: Tales of the Hasidim

Dallas Willard observes, “being poor is one of the poorest ways to help the poor.”

http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2005/001/3.8.html American Christians live in the richest nation on earth and enjoy an average household income of $42,409.17 The World Bank reports that 1.2 billion of the world's poorest people try to survive on just one dollar a day. At least one billion people have never heard the gospel. The Ronsvalles point out that if American Christians just tithed, they would have another $143 billion available to empower the poor and spread the gospel.18 Studies by the United Nations suggest that just an additional $70–$80 billion a year would be enough to provide access to essential services like basic health care and education for all the poor of the earth.19 If they did no more than tithe, American Christians would have the private dollars to foot this entire bill and still have $60–$70 billion more to do evangelism around the world. ... Fully 26 percent of traditional evangelicals do not think premarital sex is wrong, and 46 percent of nontraditional evangelicals say it is morally okay.24 And extramarital sex? Of traditional evangelicals, 13 percent say it is okay for married persons to have sex with someone other than one's spouse. And 19 percent of nontraditional evangelicals say adultery is morally acceptable.25 ... Only 9 percent of born-again adults and 2 percent of born-again teenagers have a biblical worldview