This article is from Paul David (PD) Kurts, regional pastor of GCI's Mid-Atlantic Region. PD also serves in the North Carolina Air National Guard. [caption id="attachment_1187" align="alignright" width="150"] Emma Lee and PD Kurts[/caption] Some years ago I was watching a television program on the National Geographic channel, which depicted a pygmy tribesman trying to catch a monkey (you know, the other white meat) to feed his family. I sat in amazement watching the simple trap he set. He dug a hole in the ground about a foot deep but only a few inches wide. Then he dropped a bunch of peanuts into the hole and walked away. Sure enough, an hour or so later, a monkey came out of nowhere and inquisitively approached the hole. What... Read the article
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Dear pastors and ministry leaders: [caption id="attachment_21" align="alignright" width="150"] Greg and Susan Williams[/caption] My father was an apple grower. One of his personal pleasures was loading up the pickup truck at the end of the harvest season to take apples to the widows and elderly around the area. He gained great joy from distributing free apples and was reluctant to stop. It's a sad irony that he sustained a debilitating injury by falling from a ladder while picking apples to take to the shut-ins. He spent the last six years of his life in a nursing home as a paraplegic. One of his regrets was his inability to keep providing apples and service to others. [caption id="attachment_1157" align="alignright" width="150"]... Read the article
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This month's Equipper (see the five articles linked below) focuses on our calling to follow the Spirit in cultivating generosity in our personal lives and within our congregations. Enjoy! -Ted Johnston, editor From Greg: Live and preach generosity Greg Williams discusses our calling as church leaders to practice and teach the spiritual discipline of generosity. [caption id="attachment_1166" align="aligncenter" width="448"] Used with permission[/caption] Nurturing a culture of generosity Randy Bloom shows how pastors and ministry leaders can develop a culture of generosity within their congregations. The life-giving power of generosity Paul David Kurts writes about how we can live out our calling to be generous, like God is... Read the article
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This sermon summary is from Ted Johnston, Equipper editor. It addresses the theme of this issue of Equipper---cultivating generosity. Introduction [caption id="attachment_998" align="alignright" width="150"] Ted and Donna Johnston[/caption] One of my favorite songs in the late 80s was Don’t Worry Be Happy in which Bobby McFerrin sings, “In every life we have some trouble… but when you worry you make it double. Don't worry, be happy” (to watch a music video and sing along, click here). Wouldn’t you like to have life free of worry, care, anxiety… just happy? Jesus seems to get at this issue as he talks with a group of his disciples. Hear the word of the Lord: Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you... Read the article
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by Susi Albrecht and Nancy Akers [caption id="attachment_340" align="alignright" width="221"] Teach children how they should live, and they will remember it all their lives. (Proverbs 22:6)[/caption] It's an ongoing, often passionate debate: What do kids need from a church? Some say parents should seek out mega-churches so their kids can attend large, well-funded programs. Some say it's better for children to be folded into smaller churches, benefiting from friendships that span generations by necessity. Good arguments can be made for both sides. Thankfully, God is capable of working with and through churches of all sizes. Arguing over which is better is futile. As we read in 1 Corinthians 12:12-27, unity and diversity in the... Read the article
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This article is from CAD team member Randy Bloom. Randy serves as the Regional Pastor of the Eastern Region of GCI-USA. [caption id="attachment_981" align="alignright" width="150"] Randy and Debbie Bloom with their daughter and grandson[/caption] This we know: Our God is generous! We know this because we see all that, by grace, the Father has generously done for us and shares with us in Christ, by the Spirit (Ephesians 3:1-8; 2 Corinthians 8:9). It’s reasonable, then, to consider generosity as one of the hallmark characteristics of a Christian. Generosity is one of our core values. All we have (including our finances) belongs to God, yet he freely shares what is his with us so that we can live abundantly (John 10:10 NKJV)---a... Read the article
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