Archive - September 25, 2006

Welcome!

September 25, 2006 in Spiritual Life with 17 Comments

This morning I moved.  This is the same blog (A Place for the God-Hungry) with a different address www.godhungry.org.

 

If you are a blogger, you might want to change the link address to this blog (and thanks by the way for linking to this blog).  If you simply bring this up on your browser, you might want to bookmark this new address.

 

Over the weekend, all of the content from my former blog home was transfered to my new blog home.  Over the next few months, you will notice some changes in the bar to the right.  You may notice as you go through the archives that the pictures which usually appeared on each post are in a different position and may just look different.  Nevertheless, the content is the same.  Some of you made comments on the last post which did not get transferred over.  That is only because the transfer had already been made before the comment was posted.

 

At the top right hand corner is a great tool for searching in this blog.  Try typing in "marriage" or "ministry" or "depression."  It quickly finds articles in which that word is used.

 

Right now, I feel awkward using Word Press.  Hopefully, the post will not sound as awkward as I may feel in posting it.

 

The other blog will remain where it is for a few months.  Then it will fade away.

 

Thanks for stopping by this blog. 

 
 

The Heart I Want: Generosity (3)

September 25, 2006 in Starting the Day with 1 Comment

You’ve seen this person.  Maybe you’ve known her or him.  Generous is not exactly the word that comes to mind when you think of this person.  It’s not about money.  No, it is about a spirit or an attitude in this person.  This man or woman seems to have a heart that is rooted in greed. 

 

This person may show little interest in your life.  He has a way of turning most dinner conversations back to himself.  He may see life in his town, city, school, or company as the center of the universe.  I once knew a family who moved to several different locations over the course of a few years.  It was interesting how each location became "the" place to live.  Every other place just seemed to be lacking.

 

Greedy people can be very nice and very pleasant.  You just need to know that you will not find very much generosity in these people.

 

  • Greedy people are not liberal with praise–especially for those who seem to be "ahead" of them.
  • Greedy people keep score.   They look at others around them and become concerned if they "get behind."
  • Greedy people do not lavish forgiveness.  Nope–they have a way of remembering in great detail who did them wrong.
  • Greedy people are not active in building others up.  Rather, they passively wait for others to build them up.
  • Greedy people do not give money with joy.  They often want to know there will be some kind of payback. 
  • Greedy people do not exude grace.  Instead, they have a way of critiquing everyone around them.

Living as a greedy person is to live in a small world.  This small world has "self" as the center of its existence.  In the end, a greedy person’s heart is small and cold. 

 

A number of years ago, our church had a worship service in which the children of our church were highly visible.  This was a special occasion which we knew the children would enjoy.  At some point during the day, one woman remarked, "Well what about people my age?  Why doesn’t anyone notice us?" 

 

I really understand the concern.  Because I have asked it in one form or another.

 

"What about me?"

 

When we focus on ourselves, our greedy hearts have a way of seeing everything with self at the center.  So, the question keeps coming.  "What about me?"

 

God has called us to have a large heart.  He has called us to have his heart which is rooted in generosity.  I want to know that my interaction with people reflects generosity and not greed.  I want to know that when people come away from being with me, they don’t remember a guy who was caught up in himself and in his little world. 

 

I think this has some real implications for my day, my week, and my life in general.  For those of us who follow Christ, this is a call to ask ourselves, "Am I more about generosity or am I more about greed?"

 

Might be worth thinking about.  Believe I will.