Hello World!
So if you read the last post, I still had that fourth Starbucks card to give out. For some reason the same day I handed out the other three, I did not find a fourth person to give it to. I thought perhaps I was going to get pulled over by a cop on the way home and need to give the card to the cop.
LOL.
Hey, God indeed works like that sometimes.
The next work day I forgot the Starbucks card at home. Doh! I figured, Okay God, you know what you're doing. Left up to me I would have given it to someone of my own decision - but alas, God had plans.
Today I remembered to bring the card with me.
I remembered at the last minute.
Because it is the last day before my vacation I decided to drive and park downtown rather than park at old town and take the trolley into work. As I was walking towards my building I remembered the Starbucks card and figured maybe this was the moment. I remembered there are usually homeless inside the Starbucks in my building. So I was thinking maybe I would go in and see if there was someone homeless in there now.
Now let's take a brief moment to realize that my focus is on helping the homeless. Perhaps God has to work within my focus too - which is on the homeless. So while I let God tell me who to give the card to, generally speaking my eyes are scanning towards the homeless.(Though I would give the card to someone not homeless if it struck me to do that)
I guess I figure I need to change my attitude towards the homeless.
So, Low and Behold, there was an elderly man sitting on the bench in front of Starbucks - he sort of looked like Santa Clause truth be told. Starbucks puts benches out in front of the store and many times that is where the homeless hang out - usually drinking a cup of Starbucks coffee.
Well I walked up to the man and said hello and handed him the Starbucks card. Now the card is in a little white envelope, so most people do not know what I have just given them.
Then here is the dialog that continues:
Man: Can you spare some money, I am really hungry and would like to buy a sandwich?
Jay: That is what this is for (the Starbucks card)
Man: What is it? (He did not know the card in his hand was a Starbucks card)
Jay: That is a Starbucks gift card. You can buy a sandwich with it.
Man: How much is it for?
Jay: $8
Man: Oh thank you! Thank you so much! How did you know I was hungry? I don't know how you could have known.
Jay: Because God Is Watching.
Man: Oh. I think I am crying. Thank you so much. Do you have a minute to talk, please I really want to talk to you for just a minute.
Jay: Yes. But I work in this building and I do have to get to work.
We actually did not end up talking because the man was speechless. There was tears evident in his eyes. The man was really hungry and he probably was asking God for food.
It was a wonderful moment. It was worth the 2 days wait.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
I met Curly, but not Joe or Moe
Hello world.
Yesterday I re-discovered Buddhism. On Netflix I can stream movies instantly to my TV or computer. So I was watching The Four Noble Truths. The 14th Dalia Lama, in 1996, gave his first teachings to the West on the four noble truths in London. They recorded it and I was watching it. It is long. About 4 parts of an hour each.
I discovered that most everything I believed was metaphysical mumbo jumbo was actually Buddhism. Of course my training over the last 15 years goes into more advanced knowledge than the four noble truths and the eightfold path - but I imagine those advanced teachings are also part of more advanced Buddhism teachings.
While I do not match the makings of a Buddhist - they have some strict rules that I am not ready to adhere to - I certainly consider my belief system to be Buddhist. I understand there are a couple different followings of Buddhism and they vary on key belief points. With my quick internet search of the description of the 3 or 4 major sects of Buddhism, I find the beliefs that I accord to most is the Mahayana Buddhism.
So in accordance with my 10% Tithing Experience and my strong desire to help others in need, I decided I would celebrate my new Buddhist path. The basics of Buddhism is there are FOUR Noble Truths and an Eightfold path to travel to reach complete understanding and experience of those 4 Noble truths.
Thus - I decided I would lessen the suffering of FOUR people during my lunch hour with $8 dollar Starbucks gift cards.
The lady at the Starbucks counters was wondering how I came to the number 8 which she found odd. I told her simply eight is a great number.
I had passed a man, assuming to be homeless, who was singing Christmas Carols and holding out a can for donations. The man did not beg, he just sung the songs - terribly I might add. He was the first person of the four I gave a gift card too.
I had to listen to my inner self to know which street to walk down. I did not want to walk my normal path. This was divine work and I told God I would do the walking but he would have to bring the 4 people to me.
The second man was a black man. I wasn't even sure he was homeless. But I knew he was getting a gift card and I pulled one out. As I passed him he asked if I had any spare change. I gave him the gift card and shuck his hand.
I always tell people "God is Watching". I just want people to know that they are not alone.
The third person was the man in the title - Curly. I talked with Curly for a long time, longer than planned. I think I must have been standing talking to Curly for twenty minutes. Curly needed someone to talk to. I gave Curly a gift card. But Curly went on about great a day he was having and he was blessed because he was listening to his music on his wireless headphones. His only complaint was those double AA batteries are expensive!
I asked Curly how much the batteries are and he said about $2.99. He then asked me if I had $3 for AA batteries. I said absolutely and gave him the only $3 I had in my wallet.
I have not met a homeless person yet who did not believe in God. It will happen eventually, but so far my "God Is Watching" has been taken with good acceptance.
I still have one $8 Starbucks gift card to hand out. I tried walking around searching for whoever God was going to present to me. I was even late on my lunch ten minutes. Nothing.
Patience is an important asset when doing Gods work - so I imagine God is working on it and I will know when to give the last card when God tells me.
Yesterday I re-discovered Buddhism. On Netflix I can stream movies instantly to my TV or computer. So I was watching The Four Noble Truths. The 14th Dalia Lama, in 1996, gave his first teachings to the West on the four noble truths in London. They recorded it and I was watching it. It is long. About 4 parts of an hour each.
I discovered that most everything I believed was metaphysical mumbo jumbo was actually Buddhism. Of course my training over the last 15 years goes into more advanced knowledge than the four noble truths and the eightfold path - but I imagine those advanced teachings are also part of more advanced Buddhism teachings.
While I do not match the makings of a Buddhist - they have some strict rules that I am not ready to adhere to - I certainly consider my belief system to be Buddhist. I understand there are a couple different followings of Buddhism and they vary on key belief points. With my quick internet search of the description of the 3 or 4 major sects of Buddhism, I find the beliefs that I accord to most is the Mahayana Buddhism.
So in accordance with my 10% Tithing Experience and my strong desire to help others in need, I decided I would celebrate my new Buddhist path. The basics of Buddhism is there are FOUR Noble Truths and an Eightfold path to travel to reach complete understanding and experience of those 4 Noble truths.
Thus - I decided I would lessen the suffering of FOUR people during my lunch hour with $8 dollar Starbucks gift cards.
The lady at the Starbucks counters was wondering how I came to the number 8 which she found odd. I told her simply eight is a great number.
I had passed a man, assuming to be homeless, who was singing Christmas Carols and holding out a can for donations. The man did not beg, he just sung the songs - terribly I might add. He was the first person of the four I gave a gift card too.
I had to listen to my inner self to know which street to walk down. I did not want to walk my normal path. This was divine work and I told God I would do the walking but he would have to bring the 4 people to me.
The second man was a black man. I wasn't even sure he was homeless. But I knew he was getting a gift card and I pulled one out. As I passed him he asked if I had any spare change. I gave him the gift card and shuck his hand.
I always tell people "God is Watching". I just want people to know that they are not alone.
The third person was the man in the title - Curly. I talked with Curly for a long time, longer than planned. I think I must have been standing talking to Curly for twenty minutes. Curly needed someone to talk to. I gave Curly a gift card. But Curly went on about great a day he was having and he was blessed because he was listening to his music on his wireless headphones. His only complaint was those double AA batteries are expensive!
I asked Curly how much the batteries are and he said about $2.99. He then asked me if I had $3 for AA batteries. I said absolutely and gave him the only $3 I had in my wallet.
I have not met a homeless person yet who did not believe in God. It will happen eventually, but so far my "God Is Watching" has been taken with good acceptance.
I still have one $8 Starbucks gift card to hand out. I tried walking around searching for whoever God was going to present to me. I was even late on my lunch ten minutes. Nothing.
Patience is an important asset when doing Gods work - so I imagine God is working on it and I will know when to give the last card when God tells me.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Helping A Mother 4 The Motherless
God works in mysterious ways.
On my craig's list ad for Operation Santa Clause a writer for Ocean Beach newspaper called me and wanted to volunteer to help out and to write a story about what we were doing.
Galina was her name and she gave me a link to her online stories. The paper is a real paper - but her stories are also published online.
One of here stories was about a women who has 8 foster kids - i think 8 is the right number. She is a trooper. The title of the story is "Mother for the motherless".
Talking to Galina at our Operation Santa Clause meeting last Saturday, I told her I am always looking for opportunities to help others. She then mentioned LaShawn. Galina wanted me to know she is very deserving of any help we can offer her.
I decided then that if God could make a way for us to help her out this Christmas, we would.
There wasn't any money left over from Operation Santa Clause to help LaShawn.
But God can make things happen.
My work Christmas bonus this year was above what I expected and I decided I would tithe my 10% of it to LaShawn.
I got LaShawn's contact information from Galina and tonight I delivered her a little gift from God.
I had that 22lb turkey my work gives to staff everyone year for Thanksgiving. I had been asking God to help me donate that to someone in need this holiday season.
So LaShawn got that 22lb turkey and a Christmas card with 10% of my holiday bonus.
Who knows what that means to LaShawn and her familiy - only God knows.
What I love is how God brought us all together. God brought in Galina and Galina brought in LaShawn.
Another great deed that should bear fruit in a world going through difficult times.
On my craig's list ad for Operation Santa Clause a writer for Ocean Beach newspaper called me and wanted to volunteer to help out and to write a story about what we were doing.
Galina was her name and she gave me a link to her online stories. The paper is a real paper - but her stories are also published online.
One of here stories was about a women who has 8 foster kids - i think 8 is the right number. She is a trooper. The title of the story is "Mother for the motherless".
Talking to Galina at our Operation Santa Clause meeting last Saturday, I told her I am always looking for opportunities to help others. She then mentioned LaShawn. Galina wanted me to know she is very deserving of any help we can offer her.
I decided then that if God could make a way for us to help her out this Christmas, we would.
There wasn't any money left over from Operation Santa Clause to help LaShawn.
But God can make things happen.
My work Christmas bonus this year was above what I expected and I decided I would tithe my 10% of it to LaShawn.
I got LaShawn's contact information from Galina and tonight I delivered her a little gift from God.
I had that 22lb turkey my work gives to staff everyone year for Thanksgiving. I had been asking God to help me donate that to someone in need this holiday season.
So LaShawn got that 22lb turkey and a Christmas card with 10% of my holiday bonus.
Who knows what that means to LaShawn and her familiy - only God knows.
What I love is how God brought us all together. God brought in Galina and Galina brought in LaShawn.
Another great deed that should bear fruit in a world going through difficult times.
Holiday Food Drive @ my work
I am constantly listening to God for opportunities to do his work.
My company is big on charity and this year, like the ones in the past, we had a holiday food drive for the San Diego Food Bank.
This year they decided to offer one raffle ticket for each food item donated or for each $1 donated online (up to $20).
So I went shopping and bought 45 items - Mac-N-Cheese, tuna, rice, etc. I got my 45 raffle tickets and fed a lot more families.
Then one hour before the work Christmas
party, I went online and donated another $20.
Total raffle tickets was 65.
At the holiday party they have all the gifts on display and bags in front of each of them. You can put your raffle tickets in any bag you want - increasing your chances of winning that particular gift.
I put the majority of my tickets in two bags - a digital camera and a digital frame.
I won both!
The camera was a Costco camera valued at $140 and the digital frame had a value of $80.
It was a wonderful feeling finally winning something at a work raffle - I never have won anything at any company party.
Of course in my mind the first thing I thought was should I re-gift one or both of these or perhaps give one of them to another coworker who did not win.
BUT - we must learn to receive as well as give. I decided God wanted to give to me and so I am going to receive these gifts with an open heart and no guilt.
I really wanted that digital frame and camera. WooHoo!
This is just another drop of abundance entering our lives from the law of money.
My company is big on charity and this year, like the ones in the past, we had a holiday food drive for the San Diego Food Bank.
This year they decided to offer one raffle ticket for each food item donated or for each $1 donated online (up to $20).
So I went shopping and bought 45 items - Mac-N-Cheese, tuna, rice, etc. I got my 45 raffle tickets and fed a lot more families.
Then one hour before the work Christmas
party, I went online and donated another $20.
Total raffle tickets was 65.
At the holiday party they have all the gifts on display and bags in front of each of them. You can put your raffle tickets in any bag you want - increasing your chances of winning that particular gift.
I put the majority of my tickets in two bags - a digital camera and a digital frame.
I won both!
The camera was a Costco camera valued at $140 and the digital frame had a value of $80.
It was a wonderful feeling finally winning something at a work raffle - I never have won anything at any company party.
Of course in my mind the first thing I thought was should I re-gift one or both of these or perhaps give one of them to another coworker who did not win.
BUT - we must learn to receive as well as give. I decided God wanted to give to me and so I am going to receive these gifts with an open heart and no guilt.
I really wanted that digital frame and camera. WooHoo!
This is just another drop of abundance entering our lives from the law of money.
Operation Santa Clause - Huge Success!
We received over $800 in cash donations, $260 in toy donations, and a $25 gift card donation - for a total donation of $1085! All in less than 8 days.
We spent about $980 cash on presents and Visa cards, plus we used the toy and gift card donations. We were able to provide Christmas for all Ten families for about $1265.
The social worker came to pickup the ten hefty bags of presents and I imagine the girl scout troupe who volunteered to wrap all the gifts are still wrapping them right now
This was the San Diego Grass Root Giving first major charity effort. I would have liked to have seen more volunteers helping out, but you cannot expect people to drop everything on a hats notice.
I really feel God was working through me to accomplish this wonderful thing. We really accomplished something great this holiday season. I cannot even imagine the good this will cause for those ten families and also all the people who donated money or came to our meeting organizing the efforts for this.
God works in mysterious ways and makes differences in people's lives in unique and unexpected ways.
We spent about $980 cash on presents and Visa cards, plus we used the toy and gift card donations. We were able to provide Christmas for all Ten families for about $1265.
The social worker came to pickup the ten hefty bags of presents and I imagine the girl scout troupe who volunteered to wrap all the gifts are still wrapping them right now
This was the San Diego Grass Root Giving first major charity effort. I would have liked to have seen more volunteers helping out, but you cannot expect people to drop everything on a hats notice.
I really feel God was working through me to accomplish this wonderful thing. We really accomplished something great this holiday season. I cannot even imagine the good this will cause for those ten families and also all the people who donated money or came to our meeting organizing the efforts for this.
God works in mysterious ways and makes differences in people's lives in unique and unexpected ways.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Operation Santa Clause - Update
Operation Santa Clause is going very well.
We received about $185 in donations on Saturday. That was just awesome.
Two people who promised checks came through on Saturday too - one for $300 and one for $150. Like they say, nothing in guaranteed until money is in the hand. So really all in all we received $635 on Saturday.
We've been successful in getting people to spread the word to friends and family via email and face-book. I think we have received about 7 donations via Pay Pal - some from people I have no idea who they are - which is wonderful.
We are over $1160 now (Including some toy donations!)
We received about $185 in donations on Saturday. That was just awesome.
Two people who promised checks came through on Saturday too - one for $300 and one for $150. Like they say, nothing in guaranteed until money is in the hand. So really all in all we received $635 on Saturday.
We've been successful in getting people to spread the word to friends and family via email and face-book. I think we have received about 7 donations via Pay Pal - some from people I have no idea who they are - which is wonderful.
We are over $1160 now (Including some toy donations!)
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
A Lot To Report
Hello World!
I've been a busy little bee, as one friend put it.
I created a new effort on my San Diego Grass Roots Giving meetup site. It is called Operation Santa Clause.
Yesterday morning I was mentally brainstorming ideas for December. I wanted to do something for this Holiday season - better late than never.
There is a Starbucks in my work building and as I picked up my Grande White Mocha I saw these little ornaments with kids names on them and 3 gifts they wanted.
Well you almost always have a few minutes to wait before your toasty beverage is ready. So I read the piece of paper explaining these little ornaments. Starbucks is partnering up with a charity to adopt an orphanage in Russia. All the gifts will be flown to the orphanage in time for Christmas.
I grabbed an ornament and wanted to be part of that.
I got to thinking, we should do that!
When I got to my desk I did a quick Craig's List search and discovered a charity who needed people to adopt foster families for Christmas. Same thing - buy 3 gifts for each kid, but they also request gift cards for the parents and a gift the whole family can enjoy together.
Well I got to cracking. I know God will meet me half way on these things - but I am of the opinion I need to get it started first.
I emailed the charity and got a response about ten minutes later.
End of story - we are adopting TEN families! They were ecstatic.
Then I found out the deadline was 4 days away! Ooops!
I got an extension to 8 days. Still, that is not much time.
According to my calculations, we need a minimum of $1100.
I have been working non-stop since then.
Today we have a dedicated Operation Santa Clause website accepting paypal donations.
We have a Craig's List ad pointing to the website.
We have collected $400 within 24 hours.
That means we are 25% there!
Only 75% more to go!
I have engaged in an aggressive email and FaceBook campaign seeking to spread the word as far and fast as possible.
People in China are going to know about Operation Santa Clause by tomorrow. Kidding. But then again, maybe not.
If I had more time I would create a You Tube video. Shucks!
So I am looking to God for some miracles here. I certainly am doing all that I can think of.
There are really two major tasks involved in Operation Santa Clause.
1. Raise $1100-1600.
2. Buy all the presents and gift cards and organize them for pickup.
Both are daunting.
But I really think we're going to be making a huge impact in those ten families lives.
I know God will be there to fill the gaps.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Grass Roots Giving - We are up to 6 givers
Wow.
I created the meetup an hour ago.
Already 3 people have joined our efforts as givers.
Woo Hoo!
Including the three newly recruited givers, me, my wife, and our friend Wayne - we are now at 6. And it is only day 1.
I created the meetup an hour ago.
Already 3 people have joined our efforts as givers.
Woo Hoo!
Including the three newly recruited givers, me, my wife, and our friend Wayne - we are now at 6. And it is only day 1.
Introducing San Diego Grass Roots Giving
I had a conversation with my wife and our friend Wayne last night about collecting donated blankets/sleeping bags and hand delivering them to the homeless downtown.
As it turns out Wayne has a strong desire to give back to those in need. Wayne really like the idea, as did my wife Lynn.
So today I created a new meetup on meetup.com called "San Diego Grass Roots Giving".
It is not about religion, it is about answering cries for help. This is a completely non-denominational, non-religious effort. Member of the meetup will be called "givers". Givers can be deeply religious or atheists.
Need knows no religion.
The first meetup is scheduled for January 3rd at noon at our apartment clubhouse.
I have titled it "Operation Warm Winter".
In the meantime, I am hoping to recruit some more "givers" to the meetup group so we can grow our little charity efforts.
The meetup page is:
http://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-Grass-Roots-Giving
Within 1 hour of posting the Craig's list ad we got a response. A lady has two blankets to donate.
I am working with her a time and place to pick up the blankets.
This is just the beginning.
As it turns out Wayne has a strong desire to give back to those in need. Wayne really like the idea, as did my wife Lynn.
So today I created a new meetup on meetup.com called "San Diego Grass Roots Giving".
It is not about religion, it is about answering cries for help. This is a completely non-denominational, non-religious effort. Member of the meetup will be called "givers". Givers can be deeply religious or atheists.
Need knows no religion.
The first meetup is scheduled for January 3rd at noon at our apartment clubhouse.
I have titled it "Operation Warm Winter".
In the meantime, I am hoping to recruit some more "givers" to the meetup group so we can grow our little charity efforts.
The meetup page is:
http://www.meetup.com/San-Diego-Grass-Roots-Giving
Within 1 hour of posting the Craig's list ad we got a response. A lady has two blankets to donate.
I am working with her a time and place to pick up the blankets.
This is just the beginning.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
We Donated Some Cans Of Food
This time of the year everyone is participating in the annual food drive for the San Diego Food Bank.
Our apartment office has a barrel for donations. We decided to look in our cupboards and donate some stuff.
About six months ago I was concerned over the H1N1 flu and stocked up on some can goods - so we had abundance to spare.
We donated about 4 hearty cans of soup, a big can of Bush's beans, a couple cans of corn, and a couple cans of pineapple chunks.
Every little bit helps.
At work we are also participating in the food drive. For every item you donate you get a raffle ticket. At the Christmas party on December 18th they will raffle some prizes.
I plan on donating more at work in the coming weeks.
Our apartment office has a barrel for donations. We decided to look in our cupboards and donate some stuff.
About six months ago I was concerned over the H1N1 flu and stocked up on some can goods - so we had abundance to spare.
We donated about 4 hearty cans of soup, a big can of Bush's beans, a couple cans of corn, and a couple cans of pineapple chunks.
Every little bit helps.
At work we are also participating in the food drive. For every item you donate you get a raffle ticket. At the Christmas party on December 18th they will raffle some prizes.
I plan on donating more at work in the coming weeks.
Gift Cards For The Homeless?
I just had to include this idea.
Personally, when I give money to the homeless I leave it up to God to worry how the money is spent.
However, I also don't want to support unhealthy habits, such as drugs.
I read a great idea! Instead of giving cash in hopes to provide food for the homeless, you can purchase gift cards for a restaurant nearby.
Then you give those gift cards away.
If you want to give a homeless person coffee to warm them - give a Starbucks card.
If you want to give a homeless person a meal - give them a McDonald's gift card.
I just thought that was a good alternative.
Personally, when I give money to the homeless I leave it up to God to worry how the money is spent.
However, I also don't want to support unhealthy habits, such as drugs.
I read a great idea! Instead of giving cash in hopes to provide food for the homeless, you can purchase gift cards for a restaurant nearby.
Then you give those gift cards away.
If you want to give a homeless person coffee to warm them - give a Starbucks card.
If you want to give a homeless person a meal - give them a McDonald's gift card.
I just thought that was a good alternative.
The Bookstore For A Little Research
Today I spent some time at the bookstore researching tithing/giving. I know the road is going to be challenging and I need to keep my spirits up. I looked for books about people who give. I ended up in the Christian section. I think I also found a book in the business section.
What I normally do is find 3-4 books and then sit down at the cafe and skim them. One of the books was about spiritual abundance through giving; a lot of it validating my tithing quest. The author was telling a story and then at the end of that story explain what she discovered from the story.
What I liked about it was the stories. The stories were about average people who discovered that giving to others enriched their lives.
One story was a lady whose hands hands were very cold and she was five minutes from home. She was dreaming of them becoming warm against her fireplace. Then she passed a homeless man with a sign asking for food. But what she noticed was his hands - they had no gloves on them and it was freezing cold.
This made her think of her 23 year old son that succumbed to drugs and ran away a few years ago. Her son would not talk to her no matter how hard she tried. She imagined that he, too, is probably homeless and may be in the same straights as the homeless man in front of her.
So this lady goes into the store and buys some food items. She gets to the cashier and decides to go back for a few items.
Finally she checks out at the register and goes back to her car. She drives up to the car and rolls down the window. As the homeless man reaches his hands in the window for her offering, he is surprised when she gives him not food but warm gloves.
That is all she gave him. But it was a special thing for her. The homeless man accepted the gloves in thanks.
Now some of you are probably wondering why she did not give him food too. I thought the same thing. But who knows.
In her heart she felt she was giving one of Gods sons warm gloves to keep him warm. She silently prayed that God would take care of her own son as she has just taken care of His son.
I like that story.
I have been reading these types of stories to keep my spirits up.
What I normally do is find 3-4 books and then sit down at the cafe and skim them. One of the books was about spiritual abundance through giving; a lot of it validating my tithing quest. The author was telling a story and then at the end of that story explain what she discovered from the story.
What I liked about it was the stories. The stories were about average people who discovered that giving to others enriched their lives.
One story was a lady whose hands hands were very cold and she was five minutes from home. She was dreaming of them becoming warm against her fireplace. Then she passed a homeless man with a sign asking for food. But what she noticed was his hands - they had no gloves on them and it was freezing cold.
This made her think of her 23 year old son that succumbed to drugs and ran away a few years ago. Her son would not talk to her no matter how hard she tried. She imagined that he, too, is probably homeless and may be in the same straights as the homeless man in front of her.
So this lady goes into the store and buys some food items. She gets to the cashier and decides to go back for a few items.
Finally she checks out at the register and goes back to her car. She drives up to the car and rolls down the window. As the homeless man reaches his hands in the window for her offering, he is surprised when she gives him not food but warm gloves.
That is all she gave him. But it was a special thing for her. The homeless man accepted the gloves in thanks.
Now some of you are probably wondering why she did not give him food too. I thought the same thing. But who knows.
In her heart she felt she was giving one of Gods sons warm gloves to keep him warm. She silently prayed that God would take care of her own son as she has just taken care of His son.
I like that story.
I have been reading these types of stories to keep my spirits up.
God has turned on the abundance faucet
I know there will be critics of this part of the tithing experience, but abundance is part of the game.
As we start giving more we will inevitably start receiving more.
Today we gave a homeless person a warm jacket and some cash for food. We also donated 2 bags of clothes and a bag of shoes to the Goodwill.
As we were getting out of our car at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, there was a $5 bill on the ground and no one in sight to whom it belonged to.
So we picked it up and assumed it was a drip of abundance from God.
These little drips of abundance are starting to show up in the most unexpected places.
As we start giving more we will inevitably start receiving more.
Today we gave a homeless person a warm jacket and some cash for food. We also donated 2 bags of clothes and a bag of shoes to the Goodwill.
As we were getting out of our car at the Barnes & Noble bookstore, there was a $5 bill on the ground and no one in sight to whom it belonged to.
So we picked it up and assumed it was a drip of abundance from God.
These little drips of abundance are starting to show up in the most unexpected places.
The Jacket Found A HomeToday
Today was a cold day. Tomorrow will be even worse as a storm hits San Diego, followed by another storm coming after it in in four days.
I thought today was a good day to find my old heavy jacket a new home.
This tithing idea was started with the original thought of giving that jacket to a homeless person downtown.
Me and my wife went to Coco's for breakfast and then afterward we drove downtown looking for someone to give the jacket to.
Now keep in mind this is a very heavy leather jacket full of thick lambs wool. The kind of jacket that will keep you warm in the deepest snow. It was water proof and had a detachable hood.
We found a homeless man named Mark. We gave Mark the jacket and whatever cash was in my wallet at the time. Mark was very thankful. We talked to Mark for about 2 minutes as Mark told us a little about himself. We both shook Marks hand.
People have reservations about touching a homeless persons hands, but the way we saw it this was Gods work and it needed to be personal. Mark turned out to be very friendly.
I hope that jacket brings a little bit of God in Marks life and keeps him warm in the colder days to come.
For me this fulfills my promise to donate the jacket to a homeless person downtown. It was important to donate the jacket in person and not through a charity. I wanted to see the difference in person it makes.
Me and my wife thought it was a coincidence that his name was Mark, after one of the writers of the four gospels.
Anyways, the journey continues.
I thought today was a good day to find my old heavy jacket a new home.
This tithing idea was started with the original thought of giving that jacket to a homeless person downtown.
Me and my wife went to Coco's for breakfast and then afterward we drove downtown looking for someone to give the jacket to.
Now keep in mind this is a very heavy leather jacket full of thick lambs wool. The kind of jacket that will keep you warm in the deepest snow. It was water proof and had a detachable hood.
We found a homeless man named Mark. We gave Mark the jacket and whatever cash was in my wallet at the time. Mark was very thankful. We talked to Mark for about 2 minutes as Mark told us a little about himself. We both shook Marks hand.
People have reservations about touching a homeless persons hands, but the way we saw it this was Gods work and it needed to be personal. Mark turned out to be very friendly.
I hope that jacket brings a little bit of God in Marks life and keeps him warm in the colder days to come.
For me this fulfills my promise to donate the jacket to a homeless person downtown. It was important to donate the jacket in person and not through a charity. I wanted to see the difference in person it makes.
Me and my wife thought it was a coincidence that his name was Mark, after one of the writers of the four gospels.
Anyways, the journey continues.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
The World Is Full Of Charity Opportunities
Now that my mind is open to charity I have noticed there are so many opportunities to give.
- I have a friend who is running in a jingle bell run/walk for arthritis.
- At work we are participating in the holiday food drive.
- At church they are taking donations and food items to provide food baskets for needing families this Christmas.
I am realizing I will need to start budgeting our donation money so we can cover several charities.
I did get a personal email, not a form letter, from a coordinator at the San Diego Food Bank thanking us for our generous donation. I did not realize this but for cash donations from their website, every $1 you donate provides for 5 meals!
The reason $1 goes so far is the cash donations allow them to buy food in bulk from whole-sellers.
I looked at their website and there are volunteer opportunities. Their main warehouse is in Miramar, which is 15 minutes from my house. You can volunteer to pack food sacks for delivery, sort out the food bins, back office help, etc. They have an easy volunteer process and opportunities literally every day of the week - night and days, weekends too.
So I think I will volunteer soon.
We also organize a married couples group in San Diego and I am working with the San Diego Food Bank to see what opportunities we can coordinate with our group. I know there are many generous people in our group and it seems like a great idea to provide some giving back opportunities.
- I have a friend who is running in a jingle bell run/walk for arthritis.
- At work we are participating in the holiday food drive.
- At church they are taking donations and food items to provide food baskets for needing families this Christmas.
I am realizing I will need to start budgeting our donation money so we can cover several charities.
I did get a personal email, not a form letter, from a coordinator at the San Diego Food Bank thanking us for our generous donation. I did not realize this but for cash donations from their website, every $1 you donate provides for 5 meals!
The reason $1 goes so far is the cash donations allow them to buy food in bulk from whole-sellers.
I looked at their website and there are volunteer opportunities. Their main warehouse is in Miramar, which is 15 minutes from my house. You can volunteer to pack food sacks for delivery, sort out the food bins, back office help, etc. They have an easy volunteer process and opportunities literally every day of the week - night and days, weekends too.
So I think I will volunteer soon.
We also organize a married couples group in San Diego and I am working with the San Diego Food Bank to see what opportunities we can coordinate with our group. I know there are many generous people in our group and it seems like a great idea to provide some giving back opportunities.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Synchronicity
Hello World!
Have you ever heard of synchronicity? Basically that is what people call coincidences. Me and my wife live by the idea that There Are No Coincidences.
An couple examples of synchronicities.
One day you and your friend are sitting on the couch watching TV. In your conversation with this friend you say, "I wish it would stop raining outside." One second after you say that a commercial on the TV says, "Is it still raining outside?" That is synchronicity. Your head does a double take and you look at your friend and ask them, "Didn't I just say that a second ago?"
You and your friend are at the mall. You look at your friend and say, "I wonder what happened to Jill? We haven't seen her in ages." Then 5 seconds later Jill passes you by. You wave her down and you and your friend say, "Wow! We were just talking about how long it has been since we saw you Jill! What a coincidence!"
That too is synchronicity.
Tithing is a spiritual law that God created. Harmony is the result of not breaking the law. We all know what happens when you break the law - disharmony. In reality the only laws you can break are man-made laws. You cannot really break Gods laws - you can only break yourself against Gods laws. Let me offer you an example to illustrate this.
Imagine one of Gods laws is a huge redwood tree. This redwood tree is a thousand years old and has withstood the test of time. It is fifteen feet thick. All you have is your hands. Now. Break the tree.
You won't be doing any damage to that tree with just your bare hands. What you will be doing is breaking yourself against that tree. Your hands will get scratched. If you hit that tree hard enough you will break your bones.
That is how Gods laws are. Perhaps there is a way to break Gods laws - but it is not within our power to do so. Perhaps there are beings beyond our understanding that can break those laws - but there really is no point pondering how to break them. The laws were designed by God to shape our growth and thus they are designed for us.
Synchronicity, I feel, is a sign that you are on the right path. It means you are not breaking yourself against Gods laws; you are working in harmony with them. The results of working in harmony with Gods laws is abundance on every level - spiritually, mentally, physically, in your relationships, and financially.
Tithing works not because you are tricking God. It is not sucking up to the big guy thinking you will get more than you give. It works because you are working with the law and not against it. The law requires constantly giving back from where you received. It requires constant circulation of money.
Abundance is your right. Abundance allows you to be more productive. God wants you to live abundantly.
The reason abundance enters your life when you consistently tithe is because you are reconnected with the law. Abundance is the natural order of things - lack of abundance is the same as disease - it is disharmony manifest.
Our purpose with tithing is to reconnect with Gods law and remove the disease of lack of abundance from our lives. We want to live more productive lives. Rather than idly praying for more abundance, we know that we must put our efforts forth and apply the law.
Have you ever heard of synchronicity? Basically that is what people call coincidences. Me and my wife live by the idea that There Are No Coincidences.
An couple examples of synchronicities.
One day you and your friend are sitting on the couch watching TV. In your conversation with this friend you say, "I wish it would stop raining outside." One second after you say that a commercial on the TV says, "Is it still raining outside?" That is synchronicity. Your head does a double take and you look at your friend and ask them, "Didn't I just say that a second ago?"
You and your friend are at the mall. You look at your friend and say, "I wonder what happened to Jill? We haven't seen her in ages." Then 5 seconds later Jill passes you by. You wave her down and you and your friend say, "Wow! We were just talking about how long it has been since we saw you Jill! What a coincidence!"
That too is synchronicity.
Tithing is a spiritual law that God created. Harmony is the result of not breaking the law. We all know what happens when you break the law - disharmony. In reality the only laws you can break are man-made laws. You cannot really break Gods laws - you can only break yourself against Gods laws. Let me offer you an example to illustrate this.
Imagine one of Gods laws is a huge redwood tree. This redwood tree is a thousand years old and has withstood the test of time. It is fifteen feet thick. All you have is your hands. Now. Break the tree.
You won't be doing any damage to that tree with just your bare hands. What you will be doing is breaking yourself against that tree. Your hands will get scratched. If you hit that tree hard enough you will break your bones.
That is how Gods laws are. Perhaps there is a way to break Gods laws - but it is not within our power to do so. Perhaps there are beings beyond our understanding that can break those laws - but there really is no point pondering how to break them. The laws were designed by God to shape our growth and thus they are designed for us.
Synchronicity, I feel, is a sign that you are on the right path. It means you are not breaking yourself against Gods laws; you are working in harmony with them. The results of working in harmony with Gods laws is abundance on every level - spiritually, mentally, physically, in your relationships, and financially.
Tithing works not because you are tricking God. It is not sucking up to the big guy thinking you will get more than you give. It works because you are working with the law and not against it. The law requires constantly giving back from where you received. It requires constant circulation of money.
Abundance is your right. Abundance allows you to be more productive. God wants you to live abundantly.
The reason abundance enters your life when you consistently tithe is because you are reconnected with the law. Abundance is the natural order of things - lack of abundance is the same as disease - it is disharmony manifest.
Our purpose with tithing is to reconnect with Gods law and remove the disease of lack of abundance from our lives. We want to live more productive lives. Rather than idly praying for more abundance, we know that we must put our efforts forth and apply the law.
The First Sign Of Abundance Came Yesterday
The magic has already started.
After work I checked the mail and low and behold there was a check in there from the US Treasury.
Now we were not expecting anything from the US Treasury so it was a nice little bonus check. The amount is not as important as the significance - which is that God can provide abundance for you that would be impossible for you to figure out.
The check amount was about $8. We owed taxes in 2008 and I guess we overpaid.
Now I know some of you skeptics out there aren't buying any of this. You would probably say God had nothing to do with it and that check would have arrived no matter what.
Well I am not out to prove you wrong. That is right, the goal here is not to convert people. It takes a lot of hard work and years of experience to develop a set of beliefs that you have faith in and I am no match to changing your beliefs. I also have no interest in trying either.
But I do think perhaps someone out there in this world may read this and a little light bulb will go off in there head. In fact that is what synchronicity is all about. Seek and ye shall find. If the right person reads this blog, even if it is only one person out of thousands, then this blog will have served its purpose.
However, the purpose of this blog is two fold. One purpose is for me and my wife. This is an experiment for us. I know we have received some criticism about this blog and our little experiment, but the blog helps us track our progress, express our fears, hopes, desires, and happiness. As our experiment continues through 2010 we can look back and see what the results were from our Tithing.
The other purpose of this blog is to enlighten others to the laws of money. Sometimes people need to see it to believe it. If anyone has ever wondered if Tithing indeed does work miracles in their finances, and they come across this blog and see our results - it may make a difference in their lives.
I know some of you out there find this whole idea controversial. There really is not much I can do about that. Just understand that perhaps this blog may not be for you.
In my heart I know what we are doing here is a good thing. I have to go with my heart.
In this world when you decide to make your mark, people will always be coming around with erasers! It is very true. There is no such thing as easy. Your ideas need to be strong enough to withstand the criticism of others.
I believe in this blog. I respect every one's opinions - but that is all they are, opinions. Just like this blog is nothing more than my opinion.
So we continue on our little quest. I absolutely know where this roads leads. But it is not an easy road and there will be challenges. Keep checking back to this blog to see how the days and months ahead transform our lives.
After work I checked the mail and low and behold there was a check in there from the US Treasury.
Now we were not expecting anything from the US Treasury so it was a nice little bonus check. The amount is not as important as the significance - which is that God can provide abundance for you that would be impossible for you to figure out.
The check amount was about $8. We owed taxes in 2008 and I guess we overpaid.
Now I know some of you skeptics out there aren't buying any of this. You would probably say God had nothing to do with it and that check would have arrived no matter what.
Well I am not out to prove you wrong. That is right, the goal here is not to convert people. It takes a lot of hard work and years of experience to develop a set of beliefs that you have faith in and I am no match to changing your beliefs. I also have no interest in trying either.
But I do think perhaps someone out there in this world may read this and a little light bulb will go off in there head. In fact that is what synchronicity is all about. Seek and ye shall find. If the right person reads this blog, even if it is only one person out of thousands, then this blog will have served its purpose.
However, the purpose of this blog is two fold. One purpose is for me and my wife. This is an experiment for us. I know we have received some criticism about this blog and our little experiment, but the blog helps us track our progress, express our fears, hopes, desires, and happiness. As our experiment continues through 2010 we can look back and see what the results were from our Tithing.
The other purpose of this blog is to enlighten others to the laws of money. Sometimes people need to see it to believe it. If anyone has ever wondered if Tithing indeed does work miracles in their finances, and they come across this blog and see our results - it may make a difference in their lives.
I know some of you out there find this whole idea controversial. There really is not much I can do about that. Just understand that perhaps this blog may not be for you.
In my heart I know what we are doing here is a good thing. I have to go with my heart.
In this world when you decide to make your mark, people will always be coming around with erasers! It is very true. There is no such thing as easy. Your ideas need to be strong enough to withstand the criticism of others.
I believe in this blog. I respect every one's opinions - but that is all they are, opinions. Just like this blog is nothing more than my opinion.
So we continue on our little quest. I absolutely know where this roads leads. But it is not an easy road and there will be challenges. Keep checking back to this blog to see how the days and months ahead transform our lives.
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