This past week in the United States we celebrated our Thanksgiving holiday and subsequently the start of the largest shopping season of the year. It’s easy to lose focus and lose sight of what we celebrate this week and to remain in a “thankful” posture. In light of that, that’s a primary reason why the Tuesday following the Thanksgiving holiday has been designated as “Giving Tuesday”.
GivingTuesday.org describes this day as a “Global Generosity Movement” that was “created in 2012 as a simple idea: a day that encourages people to do good. Over the past seven years, this idea has grown into a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.”
Giving Tuesday can serve to remind all of us to be both thankful for what we blessed with as we recognize others in need as well as become more outwardly focused, looking to our communities and to those in need in order to find ways of helping them.
I would like to take the opportunity before Thanksgiving and before Giving Tuesday to get readers to start thinking about a purposed and intentional plan of generosity.
My challenge today is to encourage you to form a plan of some kind of “sacrificial” generosity or giving in one of four ways:
After all the mega shopping weekend hubbub of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday– there is “Giving Tuesday!” Giving Tuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving. Giving Tuesday serves to remind all of us to be outwardly focused…to look to our communities and to those in need and donate towards helping them.
Amanda and her daughter
This year I’m partnering again with the Glory House ministry for Giving Tuesday. I have served with this ministry in a teaching and volunteer capacity for many years. I mentioned last week about how Glory House helps women rebuild stable foundations as they find hope, healing and direction in their lives. This week I’d like to share with you one of the hope-filled stories that happen every day at Glory House. Continue reading and watch a video to meet Amanda and learn about how God, and Glory House, have changed her life and how she’s building a better foundation for herself and her daughter!
I would also like to invite you to pray and consider giving a financial gift on this Giving Tuesday to help us raise the money needed for each of these women. Your gift will help women and their families transform their lives as they come from all over the United States to break free from drugs, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, and other life issues.
Please check out the Glory House Website and Facebook to learn more about what they do…
A couple of years ago, Amanda came to Glory House addicted and struggling as a single mother. However, when God began to work in her life through Glory House, everything changed.
Amanda was adopted at just 12 days old by Paul and Dana Higbee. Like Paul and Dana’s other adopted children, Amanda was special to them. They raised her with the Word of God as a lifeline and set her on a path to success. Still, Amanda struggled with her identity and her desire to truly embrace God as a Father. This led to a life of seeking for an identity in drugs, immorality, and illegal activity. Like most people that abandon a relationship with God, she found herself hopeless.
When you find yourself alone at the lowest part of your life, you can be assured that God is still with you. Amanda also found that to be true.
What made a difference in the Higbee Family?
Amanda, Dana, & Paul Higbee
That answer is not a “what” but a “who”. Jesus made a difference in Amanda and then she made an impact on the rest of her family. Thankfully, we get to be a part of the process. God chooses to work through each of us individually to bring hope, healing, and direction to people. This is why you are so important.
Glory House will invite 6-8 women into the program in 2019. Glory House takes on the responsibility of the women’s physical needs so that they can focus on the one thing they most need, a relationship with Jesus. During that time, they help them discover their identity in Christ, their God-given abilities, and most of all, their new found life in Christ.
Here is what it takes to impact 8 women at Glory House:
Food: $3,120
Housing: $7,920
Utilities & Operations: $3,360
Transportation: $4,080
Spiritual Discipleship: $3,120
Other Living Expenses: $2,400
Approximate Total for 8 women monthly: $24,000
Approximate Total for 8 women annually: $288,000
Glory House is supported by people like you who pray, give of their time, and donate financially. Moreover, your generous donation doesn’t stop at Glory House. Your influence spreads from each woman into the families they impact. Those families help others and the impact continues. This is all made possible when you choose to make a difference.
When you partner with Glory House, you are giving women an opportunity for God to work healing in their lives. You can see lives changed and families restored just by generously donating your financial support.
Please help us raise the money needed for each of these women!
Take A Practical Step to Support Glory House this Giving Tuesday 2018:
I would love for you to join with me in supporting this life changing ministry on this Giving Tuesday! Please pray about giving to help them raise the money needed for each of these women. If you are ready to give now, you can click on the secure Glory House PayPal link below…
Please share this content across your social networks.
Tell your friends too! Giving Tuesday marks the beginning of our revenue campaign to see the lives of women in Tulsa changed by the power of God!
If you are unable to give financially, would you please partner with us in prayer for this ministry and the lives of the women and families affected?
Please stop right now and say a quick prayer for…
-Provision–financial support and needs of the program
-Wisdom and guidance–for the leadership, staff, teachers, and volunteers
-Open and teachable hearts, transformation, and full restoration for the women in the program
-Grace, healing, and restoration for the families
-Continued progress, direction, favor, and success for the graduates of the program
Know someone else who could either benefit from Glory House or who would be interested in supporting this ministry? Share this post via the sharing links below!
Hello everyone! Since today’s blog post falls on #GivingTuesday, I’d like to take this opportunity to share a participating organization that is very close to my heart—Glory House. In case you don’t know #GivingTuesday is the biggest day of the year for online charitable giving.
“#GivingTuesday is a global day of giving fueled by the power of social media and collaboration. Celebrated on the Tuesday following Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) and the widely recognized shopping events Black Friday and Cyber Monday, #GivingTuesday kicks off the charitable season, when many focus on their holiday and end-of-year giving.”
This year I have partnered with the Glory House Ministry for #GivingTuesday to help spread the news about their Restoration Program. This is a wonderful ministry that I have come to know and love over the past several years. They are helping women and their families transform their lives. Women come from all over the United States to break free from drugs, alcoholism, anxiety, depression, and other life issues, Please check out their Website and Facebook to learn more about what they do.
Several years ago Susie Barnes, Executive Director of Glory House, started asking me about the success skills classes that I teach at a local college, and we agreed that these “life skills” weren’t just applicable to college students. EVERYONE needs to learn and know these skills! We decided that this type of class would be a perfect fit for ladies going through the restoration process.
So, I developed a curriculum for a Life Skills class that helps the ladies learn how to practically apply God’s Word in everyday, real-life situations. We focus on topics such as communication skills, time management, note taking skills, goal setting, career prep, money management, problem solving, overcoming insecurity, finding their gifts and talents, and much more. We learn about the practical side of these various life skills and then also focus on what God’s Word has to say about each of these areas of life as well.
I’ve now been serving at Glory House for the past 6+ years! I love working with these ladies so much—they feel like family. Honestly, sometimes I really wonder who gets more out of our classes…them or me! God has really taught me so much, and I’ve grown spiritually and developed my own gifts more just by serving them. Supporting Glory House is a perfect opportunity to shine God’s light to some wonderful people who will in turn pay it forward by shining an even brighter light of a restored life that glorifies God and points people to Jesus.
“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16 (NLT)
Take a look and Ms. Jerry Kay’s, Ms. Amanda’s, and Ms. Emily’s stories…
Ms. Jerry Kay:
Ms. Amanda:
Ms. Emily:
2017 #GivingTuesday Goal
This year Glory House has a goal to raise $14,000 on #GivingTuesday. $14,000 is the amount of money it takes per month to keep Glory House running. Reaching this goal will enable this ministry to continue bringing Hope, Healing, and Direction to women and their families everywhere. Meeting their goal will also help Glory House finish 2017 strong financially.
Take A Practical Step to Support Glory House this 2017 #GivingTuesday:
I would love for you to join with me in supporting this life-changing ministry on this #GivingTuesday! Please pray about giving towards their $14,000 goal. If you are ready to give now, you can click on the secure Glory House PayPal link below…
Know someone else who could either benefit from Glory House or who would be interested in supporting this ministry? Share this post via the sharing links below!
“Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” 1 Timothy 6:18 (NIV)
A 5 Day Lesson in Generosity
There are many, many things that I need to work on and improve upon in my life. Thankfully God doesn’t convict us or work on too many of our flaws all at once! He doesn’t want to overwhelm us, and he meets us where we are. This week I thought I would share with you something that God has been teaching me the last few weeks. It’s the concept of generosity.
Recently, in my church small group we’ve been doing a book study on Andy Stanley’s Enemies of the Heart. It’s been a very convicting study. I started the book thinking that I didn’t really struggle with some of the “heart issues” he discusses. However after further study, I found myself saying, “Crap. I totally struggle with that.”
Greed
Unfortunately, greed was one of those heart issues. I never really considered myself a greedy person. After reading the book, however, I discovered that greed and selfishness are issues that I still need to conquer. Tithing has never been an issue for me since I was taught that growing up. Also, I’ve always been giving with my time and gifts. Sometimes though, I have a harder time letting go of money, material things or even my desire for superficial things in life. Sometimes I struggle with contentment.
NOTE: God wants us to be blessed, prosperous, and have good things. However He does not want those things to become idols or lord over us. Nor does He want them (or the desire for them) to pollute our hearts with greed and selfishness, causing us to become less effective in loving Him and our neighbors.
With each heart issue Andy Stanley covered a practical step to overcome that issue. (You know how I love practical steps! 😉 ) According to the book, the best way to overcome greed is by practicing generosity.
He listed a few examples in the book of ways to apply generosity. First and foremost though, he suggested that we pray and ask God to show us how HE would have us carry out acts of generosity. For after all, we are just managing His assets/money anyway. I also remember hearing another pastor give similar advice many years ago. He suggested that you pray each day and ask God to show you how you can be more generous that day.
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