Thoughts on Giving

There are three kinds of givers: the flint, the sponge, and the honeycomb. Which kind are you?

To get anything from the flint, you must hammer it. Yet, all you generally get are chips and sparks. The flint gives nothing away if it can help it and even then only with a great display.

To get anything from the sponge, you must squeeze it. It readily yields to pressure, and the more it is pressed, the more it gives. Still, you must push.

To get anything from the honeycomb, however, you must only take what freely flows from it. It gives its sweetness generously dripping on all without pressure, without begging or badgering.

Note, too, that there is another difference in the honeycomb. It is a renewable resource.

If you are a “honeycomb giver” your life will be continually replenished as you give. And as long as you are connected to the source of life, you can never run dry. When you freely give, you will receive in like manner so that whatever you give away will soon be multiplied back to you.

- From God’s Little Lessons for Leaders (Tulsa, OK: Honor Books, 2001), 73.

What a joy as Vicki and I trained coaches from all over New York state. Vicki is an incredible teacher and a great Life coach. Men and women from across the state not only received teaching but also had opportunity to receive coaching as the participants coached each other as part of the days work.

If you are desiring coaching in your own life both Vicki and I have some time slots available during from now through December. Contact us and we will work with you.

Wow! Please forgive me for not keeping you posted on the last few weeks of travel.
The trip to China and Manila was absolutely the best. 6 business leaders and 3 pastors traveled with me. The time in China included unbelievable freedom to share the most important values of my life with with people. The response was huge.
Manila was a chance to host the first ever Business leaders summit where we taught Prosperity with Purpose principles. The team of corporate teachers we had with us absolutely knocked it out of the park. We are still hearing reports of impact.
I can not tell you how moved I was by the material all the team members shared. I found myself taking detailed notes that I will use in the way I handle my resources. If you want a copy of the power point notes let me know and I will email them to you. Topics include Prosperity with Purpose, How to Break The Poverty Mindset and more.
Tuesday we held a pastors school where the team of Church leaders taught and they nailed it. If you are a church leader interested in receiving the notes let me know and I will email them to you. The subjects covered include, Enlarging Your God given Dream, The Barnabas Factor, How to Minister to Professional People and Business Leaders, What Business Leaders Like and Dislike.

I just arrived home from a wonderful weekend with my mother, sister and brother-in law. I always love when my speaking allows me to spend time with family. I especially enjoyed my time with them this trip. We stayed two nights in central Wisconsin on Little Silver Lake. This was where as a boy I hung out many weekends. Dad had built a simple cottage on the lake and as kids we loved every minute of time together there. When we went as kids we worked mowing the lawn, painting, trimming trees in the morning and swam in the clearest water you could imagine all afternoon. Lifes a little easier now when I go. Most work is done and the cottage has been replaced by a much more comfortable house built a few years ago. I do not get there very often but when I do the memories are sweet. I even got a round of golf in.
I had the privilege of speaking Sunday at Fox Valley Christian Center and hanging with Steve Nickel who cast the vision for this wonderful Assembly. Steve is a great leader and a tremendous thinker. I always walk away with more after being with him. I also hung with his son Josh and had the joy of dreaming with him. I believe it was a very important meeting and conversation that I have already set up a conference call to discuss the possibilities with the executive team of Trinity.
The Fox valley is filled with memories as well. It was here that God gave me the privilege of speaking year after year and seeing lives changed by His word and power. I looked out at people this weekend who came to follow Christ because of those meetings and was able to see a boy who 11 years ago was healed of blindness. Thank you for the opportunity to be with you Steve.

I wish all of you could have been with me at Trinity College Faculty retreat. The energy was tremendous. The passion of the professora as they approach the 2008 student boby is contagous. They will start classes with over 300 students. This is a major jump over all projections as new students fill the campus. Team Trinity is the feeling that fills the campus. This atmosphere is what every future leader desires to grow in.

What a trip and event we had in Malawi. Mike Love and Dean did a fabulous job of setup for the first YC Malawi. The teams of youth from Canada were incredible. I love Canadians! Shane, Darcy, Kelly, David, Percy and the list goes thank you for being the only Jesus some in that country may see until heaven.
We had over 5000 decision cards to follow Christ turned in over two weeks of outreach by the teams and the 3 days of outreach.
Jesse Young from Sarasota FL accompanied me and it was ajoy to have him with. His assistance was needed.
The last day was impacting when we visited a village where a baby had been born and the mother died in child birth. We brougfht the first cereal to the child who now was 6 months old being raised by Grand mother. The dirt floor huts and many needy children were deeply moving.
Thank You for praying for me as I traveled. Thank you also for praying for my health before leaving on this important trip. Many of you heard I had surgery after speaking the Lake Geneva family camp in Alexandria Minnesota. The surgery to remove an abscess in my belly was a concern since it left me with an open wound that finally closed completely the day I left for Africa. I am still paying the bills it cost $20,000 to get a second belly button. The insurance paid a lot but as you know the system demands a chunk from us. Pray with me as figure out who owes what. It looks like the last bills are coming in.
What is interesting about this whole medical situation is we were having many healing occur at the camp meeting. I was trusting God even as I watched the lump within me grow to the size of a baseball. It was in the hospital a word came through Vicki that I would come out of this with a new empathy for the hurting. Wow is she right.
This was my first experience in the hospital and I would not trade it. I understand like never before. I am not interested in another trip through this but I guarantee I will be different as I visit, talk and pray for the physically wounded.

What an incredible weekend I have experienced in Chicago and Memphis over the last two weekends. Both weekends were filled with God's presence. On both weekends I met with people for a pre evening rally coaching session. WOW! The question and answer time was marked by people moving forward in their personal and spiritual life. In Illinois people made commitments to follow Christ and others became aware of the power of the Holy Spirit in their lives. In Memphis people also received Christ's mercy, grace, and forgiveness and were deeply moved by the realization that we are the treasury of the Holy Spirit and that His power is ours. Divinity in dirt. the Holy Spirit incarnate, God in flesh. He dwells in us.
I was deeply moved on Sunday morning when I read James 4:5 "Do you think that the scripture saith in vain, the Spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy". If a drug addict abrubtly decides to stop doing drugs what happens? Unless that person has a miraculous deliverance, it probaly won't be to long before his body begins to crave those chemicals. In the New Testament, the image of this would be dipicted by the Greek word epipotheo, which is a compond of the words epi potheo. The word epi means over, the word potheo is the word desire. When these two words are compounded together the new word epipotheo portrays an intense desire, a craving, a hunger, an ache, a yearning for something, a longing, for something. It describes an intense, abmormal, excessive yearning.
The word epipotheo is used here in James 4:5 to describe the desire the desire of the Holy Spirit has for us. He yearns for us. He crys out, give me what I crave for, which is us. He wants more, more, and more of us. Every day He wants our time, our attention, our devotion, and our fellowship. His gifts, His word, His power, are all directed toward us. He is in love with Us.
Wow! What a truth!
Welcome Him in, give Him more of you.
Post the questions you have as you read this.