When I am generous with my time, my treasure and my talent, my focus becomes "other" centered. It opens the eyes of my heart and I find myself looking for Jesus around every corner, under every rock, in the eyes of the face in front of me. Perhaps I'll find him there, perhaps I won't.
Generosity acts, it risks, it involves itself, it gives of itself, and it follows through. The good Samaritan was good because he was generous—financially, personally, and sacrificially generous. This is what Jesus commended—not love in the abstract, but the Samaritan's hard-core, tangible, costly acts of generosity.
If there is anything that has surprised me about the people of Granger Community Church, it's this. When I look around at who is serving in various volunteer capacities—changing diapers in the nursery or greeting guests or showing people to their seats or cleaning restrooms between services—I see a lot of people who don't look like they belong.
There you go, you get the idea. So who are these people who don't look like they belong? Is it the guy with the tats? Or the dreadlocks? I suppose it could be but no, that's not who I'm thinking of.
To learn more about the way we do things at Granger, and get practical tips for creating excellent first impressions, healthy groups and a vibrant kids' ministry, come to workshops on October 13 & 14. Register by September 14 and grab early bird discounted pricing for everyone on your team.