giving my best

I'd make a great rich person. I'd still clip coupons, look for sales, and avoid ridiculous purchases from the SkyMall catalog (personalized steak branding iron, anyone?).

And I would still give money to people and missions I really believe in. One of the blessings of my work for Christian Standard is how frequently I talk to people involved in creative, life-changing ministry. One of the curses is not being able to donate extravagantly to each of them.

For example, did you know Christian Missionary Fellowship's new Hope Partnership is addressing the poverty and filth of Nairobi's slums? In partnership with CMF missionaries and locals, the initiative provides AIDS education, food and clothing, microloans, health education, family counseling and much, much more to this devastated region.

Or how about Restore Community Church, the congregation funded in part by offerings from last year's NACC? The church launched last Sunday with over 400 people, 40 of whom immediately signed up to join a small group.

Or there's Central India Christian Mission; director Ajai Lall and his team recently attended a "mega" evangelistic meeting in Chhattisgarh where Ajai preached 18 times in one week and over 10,000 people made decisions for Christ (in a country where such a decision can mean death threats and rejection by one's family).

Ajai also recently preached with policemen aiming AK-47s at him--and then received the friendship and support of the supervising police chief who heard the sermon. A student from Savannah College of Art and Design (who also attends Savannah Christian Church) made a film about the experience which CICM is now sharing. (More on this one in an upcoming Buzz.)

And those are just conversations from the last two weeks--if I searched my memory and my laptop I could find dozens of other examples.

I've told God I'll give big chunks away if he chooses to make me rich. For now, He's saying no, so I do what I can--and use forums like this to encourage you to give, too.

In fact, why not stick your tongue out at the government this spring and donate part of that tax rebate to ministry? By most global standards, we're all rich, and we can make a huge difference.