Intersection

I am pumped to welcome Kerrie Clark to the blog world and have her share her experiences from giving week. If you are not familiar with giving week be sure to check it out here. Kerrie is a wonderful friend and dear partner in ministry. She serves at the Hilltop Community Church as one of the office secretaries. She is an awesome mother of three children. Kerrie is a great encourager, relationship builder, lover of people, and friend. You can connect with Kerrie on Facebook and Twitter.

As I thought about what I wanted to give during Giving Week it became apparent to me that opportunities were in front of me everywhere I went…

At the grocery store…I gave my place in line…Shopping for a family of 5 makes for one full shopping cart and as I got in line that morning, I couldn’t help but notice the woman who got in line behind me had only a few items. I smiled and asked if she’d like to go ahead of me. At home…I gave a listening ear…As my teenage son talked to me about friends, school and the future, I resisted the urge to interject my own opinions, my own thoughts and my own ideas.  I just listened.

As I waited in line with my “Giving Week Starbucks Card” in my purse, I turned to the three people behind me told them it was giving week and asked them if I could buy their coffee for them. “What a great way to start the weekend!” one of them said. We introduced ourselves to each other, and chatted while we waited in line.  They all either work or live in El Segundo and I won’t be surprised if we see each other around town again. It was awesome!

Recently, my family and I gave some time to a dear, elderly couple from church.

Giving Week made me rethink how I live each day…how I need to be aware of those things that are right in front of me (or behind me…as the case may be). A few weeks ago Jordan shared his thoughts on living inspired. It made me realize that I needed to live life more aware of the people around me. Giving week helped me to live that out! Thanks Jordan!!

I am very glad that my friend and partner in SoCal Youth Ministry,  D.J. Iverson, participated in Giving Week. He always brings unique insights, creativity, and passion to everything he does. D.J. is a very gifted individual in leadership, art, ministry, and so much more. He writes very humble, real, and challenging posts on his blog. Be sure and check out d.j.’s blog and connect with him on twitter. Below are his reflections on Giving Week.

Last week my good friend and fellow SoCal Youth Ministry Mafia member, Jordan, challenged his readers to give to someone unexpectedly.

I was excited at first because I know there are so many opportunities in my life to give to others. But that’s the problem, there are SO many opportunities to give. I didn’t know where to start, so took a few days to process through my thinking behind how I give, and asked God to open my eyes to the places where I needed to give, as opposed to the places I could give. My mailbox is full of giving opportunities to great and worthy causes. There are hundreds of charities all over the world that could do more to change the world with my money than I ever could alone. And then I came across a passage in 1 Timothy 3 that got me thinking.

Paul is writing the letter to Timothy, a young leader in the Church. In the third chapter Paul is giving his charge to those who seek to be overseers or deacons in the church. Paul calls this a noble task, and then sets the bar very high for those who seek to lead. And right there in the middle of this charge Paul says that a leader must manage his own family well because, “If anyone does not know how to manage his own family, how can he take care of God’s church?”

This got me thinking. I gave to several different people last week; I gave my neighbor some food. I gave the guy in rehab who sells papers at the corner some coffee on a rainy day. And I gave one of my kids a $10 card to Jamba Juice to give to a friend. I bought lunch for a few people, made some Kiva loans, and possibly did a few more things that I don’t remember. All of those things felt good, and I hope they cause others to know the love of Christ.

But what about managing my own family?

It hit me like a brick that all of those opportunities to give were great, and I was able to give with a cheerful heart, but they wouldn’t mean much if I wasn’t taking care of my own family. What kind of example am I being if I focus on the rest of the world and leave the people I love the most unattended? This completely changed my motivation for giving. It wasn’t about taking advantage of an opportunity, it was about giving to the people that I love the most.

So I bought my sister some Gerbera Daisies, her favorite flowers. She’s working at a prestigious accounting firm in Boston and she isn’t even 24. More importantly, she’s making great relationships there and is active in her church. Most Importantly, she has an amazing love for God. I couldn’t be more proud of my sister, and she needs to get gifts from her brother.

I also bought my Mom some flowers (yellow roses, the state flower of Texas) because I love my mom, and she deserves to have flowers for her house. She taught me the importance of knowing God’s love, and taught me how to show God’s love. She needs to get gifts from her son.

Giving to others is important, and I need to set an example of this in my life. But the most important giving is the giving that starts at home. That’s what I learned this week by being called to give purposefully.

One love, one heart.

I am excited to have Kyle Reed guest post reflecting on his experience from giving week. If you are not familiar with giving week be sure and check it out here. I recently met Kyle through twitter. One of the things I appreciate most about Kyle is his passion for building community. He humbly connects people and shares challenging thoughts on his blog, “Thoughts About Nothing.” Be sure and check out his blog and connect with Kyle on twitter. Please enjoy Kyle’s thoughts below.

Being apart of a movement is exciting and fun. Having the chance to share that moment is even better. Earlier this week reminded me of the opportunity to share and give to others. I was encouraged by Jordan’s challenge of #givingweek and I wanted to get involved. I have been mentoring a student for the last five months. This experience has been great and challenging. Earlier this week we decided to make a plan for our future and ask the question: “What if?” This challenge was inspired by a post by Donald Miller. This challenge fit into our plan of mapping out the future and we were excited to see what was to come.Check out the video below of the “what if challenge.”

What if from Kyle L Reed.

It was a pleasure to be apart of #givingweek. I want to thank Jordan for sending me a gift card to Starbucks. It was the gift that continued to give. When I received the card on Wednesday I decided I was going to give it away to someone else. I have a friend that is a minister in the area and on Thursday he walked into Starbucks. I decided he was the perfect recipient of this gift. After giving him the card and him immediately making great use of the gift he was able to pass it on to someone else. There was a man that came in to buy coffee, as he got his drink and went to add sugar in his drink he spilled it everywhere. My pastor friend decided to help this guy out and used the gift card that Jordan gave me that I gave my pastor friend and now he was giving it to a guy that we later talked to for about twenty minutes about life. You never know how God will bless your giving.

I am very excited to welcome Chrissy Conway to the blog world. Below is her guest post reflecting on her experience during giving week. You can connect with Chrissy on facebook and twitter. If you are not familiar with giving week check it out here.

This past week was giving week and I was one of the first 5 people to respond so I earned myself a guest post on Freestyle and $10.00 to Starbucks to share with someone. I recently gave some time to kids from my church and stayed with them for 4 days while their parents were out of town. Later that week, one of them came up to me with a card from their parents, and inside was a sweet thank you note along with a Starbucks gift card for $20.00.

I decided to share the $10.00 card with my mom. Every time we go surfing we go to Starbucks after…its our little tradition. The time we spend in the car on the way home sipping out hot coffee in our freezing wetsuits means so much to us both. I work at an apartment complex in Marina del Rey in a small office of 5 people including myself. Working in the office allows me to know a large amount of personal information about people, one being that I pretty much know every residents financial situation.

After thinking about it, a couple that I moved in about a year ago came to mind.  Their financial situation has unfortunately caused them struggle a little in the rent department. My $20.00 Starbucks gift card also came to mind. I decided to leave the gift card along with a little note on their door. The note said,

“Freely as I have received, Freely I give… God has blessed me with this Starbucks gift card of $20.00-I hope that it blesses you. Things may be hard now but God is always watching out for you and he is always with you.” I also included this…

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” -Matthew 6:25-27

I taped it on the door, rang the doorbell, and got the heck out of there! It was one of the best feelings and I hope it blesses them as much as it has blessed me.

We have four more guest bloggers that will post their reflections on Giving Week starting this Monday. For now here are two other bloggers that shared their experience from Giving Week on their blogs. If you are not familiar with Giving Week check it out here.

@zjluben: Zach is a great friend and partner in ministry. He is a deeply spiritual person and I always appreciate his devotion to his relationship with God. He serves in youth ministry at the Long Beach Church of Christ. You can connect with Zach on Facebook and Twitter. He wrote a great post reflecting on Giving Week, and how his wife lives a giving life. Check it out here.

@ReadyGoGetSet: I just met Adelle recently through twitter. The tag-line on her blog is “life happens when you’re making other plans.” Even though we’ve only communicated a little I can tell that she enjoys living life to the fullest. You can connect with her on Facebook and Twitter. Also, she wrote a great post reflecting on Giving Week and the practice of giving. Check it out here.

Below are reflections from Diane Grinely. She is a wonderful friend and partner in ministry. For more on Diane click here.

I LOVE Giving Week!  I have always loved giving “just because.”  After finding out I was one of the 5, I decided early on that I was going to do something a little different for Giving Week and stuck the Starbucks card in a note to my daughter, Kaleigh, to encourage her while she studies for finals (thanks for the card).

Instead of using the card for a “coffee break” with someone, I decided to give something to someone I don’t know. Immediately after deciding that, I thought of the secretary and office staff at the Foursquare Church in El Segundo. I thought it’d be nice to bring them a basket of treats from Henry & David to encourage them.  I know that church staff does A LOT that people don’t know about, so I wanted to let them know that they are not alone and they are appreciated. Yesterday morning, my dog, Kona, and I went to the Foursquare Church and delivered the goodies.  We met Tara and gave her the basket.  She was delightful, and she nodded her head in agreement when I told her I knew about all that she does that no one sees. I told her about your idea for Giving Week, and she just had a beaming smile across her face.

Sometimes we feel that giving of our time can be daunting.  But I think it’s because we feel that we have to spend a lot of time or it doesn’t count for anything.  A couple of weeks ago, two people left me a note at different times hoping I have a great day. The notes are still on my computer screen and cheer me up every day.  The few seconds they took have made me feel like walking on air ever since.  That’s a lot of mileage from a few seconds.  When we make giving an attitude rather than a project, the smallest moments in time can give so much.

Thanks for the inspiration and for letting us be a part of the fun! -DG

We are a few days into giving week and I am thankful for everyone that is participating. It is great to hear the stories of how giving unexpectedly has blessed so many people. Be sure and share your experiences from giving week on facebook, twitter (#givingweek), or on your blog. Also, The Giving Week Video is now on YouTube so be sure and share it with your friends. Below is a little about the five recipients of the Starbucks card. I will speak about two today and three more tomorrow. I am excited for them to share their stories as guest posters later this week.

@kylelreed: I recently met Kyle through twitter. He has a wonderful blog entitled “Thoughts About Nothing.” I think his title is an expression of his humility because on his blog he presents some very thought provoking observations and great challenges. It is great to see someone in their twenties really go after it in the blog world. Everyone should check him out on twitter and take time to read his blog.

@djiverson: D.J. is a great friend of mine and partner in the SoCal Youth Ministry Mafia. He serves as the youth minster at the North County Church of Christ located in San Diego. He is a very gifted individual with talents not only in ministry and leadership but also in art and graphic design. He has a great spirit of love and has become known by his phrase KYAL: Know You Are Loved. Everyone should take time to check out his website. Also, you can connect with D.J. on twitter.

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When was the last time you gave something meaningful to someone? When was the last time you gave to someone when it was not a holiday? Giving Week will begin tomorrow. There is no better time than this week to give  to others. All the details on Giving Week as well as a special way you can participate will be given tomorrow morning at 9:00am. So be sure and swing by right at 9:00am because the first five people to respond will have a special opportunity to participate. I am looking forward to this week!

We are now well into listening week and it has been great to see people share their experiences on twitter, facebook, and their blogs. Thanks to everyone that has sent me personal E-mails and facebook messages sharing your stories. May we continue during the rest of the week to intentionally listen to the people around us. If you are not familiar with listening week and haven’t checked out the video be sure and take a look here.

I work in youth ministry, and on Tuesday I had the opportunity to listen to one of my students. One of the goals of listening week is to listen to someone you would not normally listen to. Students are people I would normally listen to, but the circumstances were such that I did not have the time to really invest (so i decided that it counts for listening week). I was about to start one of our weekly youth events, and the franticness before one of our weekly events does not allow good space for deep and full listening. Right in the middle of all the crazy preparations, I received the news that this student had just lost her sister to a drug overdose. When she arrived I put everything on hold, and spent some dedicated time listening, crying and praying with her in a different room.

Yesterday, Chrissy and I went to the post office to mail some of my taxes. We started chatting with one of the postal workers. Chrissy asked, “how’s your day going really? I’d really like to know.” We got to listen for a few minutes about how it has been very busy for her during tax season, they were understaffed, and yet how she enjoys her work. When we left we looked back and saw her smiling. We shared a wave goodbye.

I’m looking forward to hearing your stories of how you have blessed someone this week with your full listening presence.