Global Leadership Summit #2

Mmmm ... Trade vs Aid, and how to lend money most effectively into a majority world environment ... It all sounds so simple in a seminar room ... My experience in Senegal, and elsewhere, seems to give me a different expectation ... But, the challenge is to not become cynical and unaffected by the poverty around us in our global village ... How can the Christian dollar in my hand be most effective? ... Here are some thoughts which might be helpful pointers.

A/ Recognise that what I have is His not mine ... I am a steward.
B/ Trust in His ability to provide for my needs, and give generously ... Beyond that which I can afford.
C/ Make giving a priority, the thing I do first each month not last, distributing out of the firstfruits and not from what is left over.
D/ Be deliberate, intentional in my giving.
E/ Be joyful, what a privilege it is to be free to give.
F/ Ask Him 'what do you want me to do with this money you have given me!' - and then do it!!

If we all did this I am sure it would make a difference.

Check out www.kiva.org For an excellent way for everyone to support micro-enterprise initiatives around the world - with the opportunity to connect the donor and the recipient - thus personalising the process, and making a source of blessing for both.

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Who are you? I have never been a great fan of labels when it comes to describing members of the body of Christ. eg. he is anglican, she is Baptist, they are Charismatic, etc. etc. I remember once causing a man to become increasingly hot under the collar when he asked me who I was? To which I replied I was a disciple (follower) of Jesus. He was meaning which Church did I attend (presumably so he could classify me and decide whether I was bona fide or not) and my answer did not bring him peace, but I refused to go any further. Why? Because, as I said, I am not a great fan of labels, but also because for me there is a very important distinction between primarily identifying myself with Jesus and identifying myself with Church. Of course, I recognise that by becoming a follower of Jesus I become part of the body of Christ, but that can be very distinct from being a member of a Church. To me this is the crucial difference between vibrant faith and dusty religion. ...

Homes I have lived in #3

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Helpful read ...

Sacred Pathways: Discover your Soul's Path to God - Gary Thomas When you became a christian did you look around other people's lives and seek to model some of their spiritual disciplines? Did you find that somehow they didn't work for you in quite the same way as they seemed to work for them? Did this lead you to a place of discouragement? Did you think that, somehow, the things that bring such life to other people but don't bring life to you must mean that there is something wrong with you? Or that maybe God doesn't love you as much as He loved those people whom you sought to emulate? These are very real questions that all c hristians probably grapple with at some point. As we grow and mature in Christ we eventually reach a place of liberty where we realise that we are unique and therefore we shouldn't be surprised when our Father deals uniquely with us - and the way we most easily 'connect' to Him is also unique. Or perhaps we find over time th...

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