Philanthropy is a condition of the heart !

Lots of people tell me .."OH I wish we could travel and do what you do!" , but the truth is that if we take a moment and look around us we will see a hurting world right here in front of us. Many times it seems as though I have a one track mind for Central Asia, and that is something that I need to be careful of... It is my desire that I would impact and empower people where ever I am.. Take Christmas for example... The pie Challenge was about kids in Central Asia, but if you have ever experienced the thrill of giving , you would recognize that it brought something a little special to us here as well.. A feeling of accomplishment... All I need to do is look at the # of people that were on the blog at midnight on the 27th and you KNOW that there was fun in the giving.

This Christmas day, we continued a long standing tradition here in my home town... For the last few weeks in our church we have had a bunch of tinfoil roasting pans in the back foyer...in each pan there was a small piece of paper with a food item on it ... turkey, stuffing , potatoes..... every thing was listed... then people would simply pick up the pan and on Christmas day at 1:00 they bring it full, hot , and ready to serve to the town hall...

The original intent was those that were in need of a little fellowship or food over Christmas could come out and have a meal... Over the years this has begun to catch on, and what is exciting to see is that for many it is no longer a time to quickly drop off the pan and go, but now those that are bringing the food are staying for the food and fellowship as well...

What a way to reach the community and bring them Hope in what could other wise be such a lonely time... The power in giving really stood out to me a few days before Christmas when I heard some of the youth talking about the event... some of them were saying that it was this meal that they were most looking forward to this year... they said that "everyone was so relaxed there, and it was just a real nice time...I just don't know how to explain it"

Some times we do not fully understand the power of Philanthropy, the almost drug like euphoria that comes from giving... as hard as it can be to put your finger on it, and put it into words, you can not deny that when done with a pure heart , it is as much of a blessing for the giver as it is for the receiver....There was a very wise and beloved King that when encouraging those around him to practice Philanthropy he said " For so much as you have given to the least of these, so you have given unto me !"... He understood..... And this past year has proven to me that so do many of you...

iam1ru