So, apparently I'm not very good at actually posting anything here anymore. However, I came across a couple articles today on MSNBC and couldn't resist getting up on my soapbox a little. On the one hand, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that "charity news" has its own separate subheading on the website. That's the first time I've seen that, and I learned several encouraging things-- like that there is now a game out there like SimCity that helps kids build and manage their own nonprofits. Ok, that's pretty neat... especially as it got good reviews. All too often, I get discouraged when I read about this stuff (giving to nonprofits.) Some of that comes from the fact that I have a very vested interest in the overall pulse of the country when it comes to charitable giving since that's how I get paid :) And it's upsetting to read about many charities that have abused their tax-exempt status and how that's affecting morale overall. But especially when I read about giving within the church, it's a little disappointing. Here are a couple things in particular that I wanted to comment on: "Individuals and households accounted for $199 billion of the total — giving away nearly 2 percent of their incomes on average, it said." The thing is, many people would say that that's a lot- 2%. Lots of Christians, too. (The national average among Christians is about the same, maybe a little higher, maybe the 2-3% range.) The thing that I've found in general is that people like to feel generous without needing to sacrifice anything. That may be harsh, and in many cases is untrue, but 2-3%? Come on, guys! We're unbelievably rich. And besides, what ever happened to tithing? (A tithe would be about 10%) I read recently that if the church simply tithed and gave 70% or so of that to battling poverty, it would be completely wiped out. That certainly gave me pause... "Similarly, recent surveys by the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University found that people making less than $50,000 a year make most of the donations to U.S. charities and that the median gift after major disasters is $50 – the kind of donation that comes from cookie jars rather than bank vaults." This is the most fascinating quote of any of these articles, I think. Ok, I'm going to go out on a limb and risk offending people here... know that that is not my intent, but I just need to be blunt about this. My job, or more accurately, my paycheck, is dependent on others' generosity. I don't apologize for working in full-time ministry which is not a money-making profession. I think there is much to be said for community collaboration for the things that as a community we truly value. As part of my job, I meet with people to explain what I do and why, and to invite them to partner with my financially if they feel so led. This is never intended to be a pressure thing. It's just how the bills get paid :) Often I'll ask someone (if the conversation has gone reasonably well) if they know anyone else who might be interested in hearing what I just shared with them. Often they say yes... but here's the kicker... they immediately start qualifying anyone they think of based on how much money that person has. It drives me nuts! First of all, because that's not the point... if they can't give, they can't give, it doesn't mean I don't want to meet with them. Secondly, it's counterlogical, but I often don't want to meet with people who have lots of money. It would be unfair of me to suggest that this is true across the board, because it's not. But this quote resonates with my experience... the more money someone has, the harder it is for them to give it away. Of course you read about multimillionaire philanthropists. But most people who give generously are just ordinary people. I am in danger of getting riled up and far more self-righteous about this than I really should be, so I'm going to stop now... But not before I tell you about my two new favorite websites. It has nothing to do with the rest of this post. But it's pretty awesome. Especially if you like books or CDs | 
