vicarious giving

What Should I do if I don’t Feel Led to Give to a Missionary?

July 5, 2017October 22, 2018 by timhowington, posted in Generosity, Giving, missions

Don’t give.

You may not believe this, but missionaries are not assuming that you are going to give to their ministry. They hope you might. But honestly, they have no idea where God is going to send the money from. All they can do is meet with folks, share their vision, and wait to see what happens. They don’t think less of you or judge you. They just want you to consider their cause. Earlier I wrote an article entitled “Why Would I Say “No” To a Missionary?” where we addressed the great opportunity to be involved as a financial and prayer partner with ministries around the world. However, the reality is that the Lord will not lead us to support every cause we are exposed to. He knows, and we know, that we have limited resources and must be strategic with the money we are stewarding. Continue reading “What Should I do if I don’t Feel Led to Give to a Missionary?” →

Signs of a Healthy Financial System: Generosity

June 23, 2015June 23, 2015 by timhowington, posted in Generosity, Giving

Warren Buffett is known for his one-liners and one of his most memorable ones is about financial mismanagement. He says, “You only find out who is swimming naked when the tide goes out!” By that I think he means that if you are not managing your finances well, then when you encounter a tough time your vulnerability will be obvious to all. That is why we are so insistent that every family needs a financial spending plan. As we discussed in our previous post two out of three families are just winging it when it comes to their finances. And as Mr. Buffett says time will reveal what we are wearing under the water. Continue reading “Signs of a Healthy Financial System: Generosity” →

When should my missionary get a raise?

March 13, 2015March 13, 2015 by timhowington, posted in Generosity, Giving, missions

Have you ever supported someone or some ministry for a long time at the very same amount? When I was on staff with a student ministry we had many families who locked into their $25 a month for 10 plus years. Now don’t get me wrong I appreciated their faithfulness, but someone who is that committed to our ministry has a lot of time, prayer and energy toward seeing us be successful. True partner kinda of folks. And I always wondered why they didn’t consider increasing over time. For some of them I don’t think it every crossed their mind. Now maybe I should have chatted with them about considering raising their support, but I didn’t always. What the point you ask? Continue reading “When should my missionary get a raise?” →

Giving to Change the World

January 29, 2015 by timhowington, posted in Generosity, Giving

We are reviewing a book that has the potential to be a game changer in the area of generosity.. or at least a thought provoking work… check out this excerpt

LET US BEGIN on a positive note. The up-side potential for good in U.S. Christian giving is immense, almost unimaginable. If American Christians were to give from their income generously—not lavishly, mind you, only generously—they could transform the world, starting right away. Ordinary American Christians have within their power the capacity to foster massive and unprecedented spiritual, social, cultural, and economic change that closely reflects their values and interests. In order to achieve such dramatic, world-transforming change, ordinary American Christians simply need to do one thing: start giving reasonably generously from their incomes, let us say 10 percent of post-tax income. Fostering such changes could begin immediately. It would not require getting Congress or the United Nations to act. It would not require a military mobilization or waiting for a majority turnover in the Supreme Court. It would only require ordinary Christians from one country to start doing something that seems entirely within their power and that most of them, according to the teachings of their own faith traditions, ought to already be doing anyway: giving generously from the financial resources with which they have been blessed. Continue reading “Giving to Change the World” →

January 21, 2015January 21, 2015 by timhowington, posted in Generosity, Giving

We all have a little bit of understanding of what it means to live vicariously through someone else. Some sports fans live and die with the wins and losses of their favorite team. In my neck of the woods, grown men have their whole weeks wrecked by our beloved Razorbacks. And most parents will be quick to admit that they live (at lease a little bit) through the exploits of their children. Case and point: Facebook. I have a shirt that I stole from my wife that says, “My Son Plays – I Brag”. And to be honest it doesn’t matter what they do, we love to be part of their experience and call it our own. We call that vicarious living. But have you ever considered vicarious giving?