{"id":304292,"date":"2016-12-13T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/what-is-your-generosity-currency\/"},"modified":"2025-01-09T13:24:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T18:24:41","slug":"what-is-your-generosity-currency","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/what-is-your-generosity-currency\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is Your Generosity Currency?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">John Stanley reminds us we all need to be generous with the three currencies we possess: relational currency, our strengths and talents, and our resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>John Stanley reminds us we all need to be generous with the three currencies we possess:  relational currency, our strengths and talents, and our resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-12-13.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"24.61M","filesize_raw":"25803207","date_recorded":"2016-12-13 12:00:00","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2934,2866],"tags":[4285,6155,4710,4615,5192],"podcast_series":[8181],"cwp_profile":[9436],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-304292","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-relationships","category-spiritual-disciplines-essentials-faith","tag-generosity","tag-gifting","tag-giving","tag-gratitude","tag-love-language","podcast_series-connected-for-good","cwp_profile-john-stanley","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/304292\/what-is-your-generosity-currency","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/304292\/what-is-your-generosity-currency","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"EOR9rC0nc0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/what-is-your-generosity-currency\/\">What Is Your Generosity Currency?<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/what-is-your-generosity-currency\/embed\/#?secret=EOR9rC0nc0\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;What Is Your Generosity Currency?&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"EOR9rC0nc0\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"John Stanley reminds us we all need to be generous with the three currencies we possess: relational currency, our strengths and talents, and our resources.","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2016-12-13.pdf","transcript_content":"<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Any time disaster strikes, the American people demonstrate that we are, indeed, generous people; but author John Stanley says we still have a-ways to go.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> We are the most generous nation on the planet, and we give 2-percent of GDP away in our charitable giving every year. In 2015, it was 2.1. In 2014, it was 1.9. But it has kind of levels off at that 2-point GDP rating for five decades\u2014five decades we\u2019ve been stuck at 2-percent of GDP. We\u2019re not digging deeper as a nation.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Tuesday, December 13<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I\u2019m Bob Lepine. Do you think of yourself as a generous person? Are there ways you could excel still more? We\u2019ll spend time talking about that today. Stay with us.<\/p>\n<p><strong>1:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. I\u2019ve heard you talk many times about how your dad marked you with a responsibility to be a generous person. You saw him being faithfully generous, and that had an impact on your life; didn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes. I still remember over the holidays of riding with him in his pickup truck.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t very warm. It was cold in that pickup truck, and I could remember kind of scratching the frost off the window watching him walk into a home that was pretty sparsely decorated with a ham or a turkey, with some folks who couldn\u2019t afford much.\u00a0 And I don\u2019t know that my dad could afford to give the turkey or the ham away; but he marked my life. He was a generous man. He thought of others.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019ve got a guest on the broadcast today who\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>2:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014is a generous man. He has written a book called <em>Connected for Good: A Game Plan for a Generous Life<\/em>. John Stanley joins us again on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. John, welcome back.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Thanks.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> He\u2019s been married to Jaime since 1981, two adult children, and gives leadership to the Legacy Group. I\u2019m going to ask you a tough question, John. If you could only keep one memory of one generous moment when you have given someone something, what memory would you keep and why?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> What first comes to my mind is the moment that my daughter, Karen, and four of her friends\u2014they were all 22 or 23\u2014and they came to me, and they said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got this idea.\u201d They had all grown up together at Camp Manito-wish up in Northern Wisconsin doing high adventure travel. They said, \u201cWe\u2019ve got this idea. Before we start our lives, we\u2019d like to do a big expedition.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>3:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cHere is our idea\u2014we\u2019d like to get two canoes and take the five of us and spend 90 days and paddle for 1,200 miles in Northern Saskatchewan in the Arctic Ocean. Do you think we can do it?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>So, I didn\u2019t see it as generous then; but as I look back, the blessing that I gave them of confidence was just totally generous to them. And they did. So, that was just a\u2014it was a blessing, and it was a relational gift. This was a story that kind of illustrates that we\u2019ve got lots of different currencies which we can be generous and not just cutting checks and volunteering time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> John, you\u2019ve rubbed shoulders with a lot of people, and you challenge them to a generosity game plan. You talk about three categories. We talked about one earlier which is using our relational equity with others as a way to be generous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>4:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> If you would, explain what you mean by that one; but then, I\u2019d like you to go to the other two that you talk about and unpack both of those.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes. My friends and clients have taught me that there are three currencies with which we can be generous. The first currency, as you say, is our relational equity.\u00a0 When we build bridges between other people for their benefit\u2014not our own\u2014that\u2019s an act of generosity. And we can solve a lot of problems in our world if we will spend that before we ever volunteer our time or cut a check.<\/p>\n<p>So, just think about people in your life who have something in common that would benefit from a connection; and if you create an opportunity for them to connect, that\u2019s an act of generosity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019ll give you an illustration of that. As I was reading your book and thinking through that, I couldn\u2019t help but reflect back on my own life; and I thought, \u201cNow, how has God given me the opportunity to do the very thing John\u2019s talking about?\u201d\u00a0 Bob, you\u2019re familiar with this. You were a part of this.<\/p>\n<p>We invited a man who\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>5:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014this is not his full-time, vocational work. He, I think, works in computers or software down in the Dallas \/ Ft. Worth area. His name is Dwayne Washington. We invited him to come into the studio and tell his story of how he was mentoring African American boys in the inner city in Ft. Worth. We just told the story, and we invited listeners who would like to do something similar in their communities to give Dwayne a call.<\/p>\n<p>So, about\u2014I don\u2019t know\u2014a couple weeks after he\u2019d been on the broadcast, something\u2014maybe, it was God\u2014kind of said, \u201cWell, give Dwayne a call and see if anybody has called.\u201d So, I called him, and he said, \u201cHas anybody called?! People all over the country\u2014we weren\u2019t ready for this.\u201d Now, I have no idea what ended up happening out of that; but I think he got a couple of hundred phone calls of people who wanted to begin tackling a problem in their community\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>6:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014with a positive solution.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ve got to tell you that was extremely gratifying.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, that was a great act of generosity. Did you think of it as generosity?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I really didn\u2019t. I wish I could claim credit for it. It just happened because we used <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> to tell a story. Yet, it got me thinking about\u2014\u201cWhat is this broadcast?\u201d We\u2019re setting you up to tell your story to encourage other people to be generous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Sure.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So, it doesn\u2019t have to begin thinking that\u2014\u201cI\u2019m doing this generous thing.\u201d It just may be that you are doing the thing that is very clearly the right thing to do next.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> The right thing to do\u2014that\u2019s right\u2014yes, yes. Yes, so, that\u2019s the first currencies with which I think we should be generous.<\/p>\n<p>The second currency is to be giving away and spending what we\u2019re best at\u2014our strengths. So, I like to start out by saying, \u201cYou know just stop volunteering\u2014just stop.\u201d\u00a0 If you\u2019re trading time for obligation at your local YMCA or the local school\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>7:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014or the church, don\u2019t do that anymore. Only spend what you are best at. Discover what you are really good at\u2014your strengths\u2014and volunteer with that.<\/p>\n<p>Why is that? Because when you do that, you\u2019ll have just tremendously gratifying volunteering experiences, and chances are you\u2019ll do more of it; right? And the people that you\u2019re serving will value it and get more out of it.<\/p>\n<p>So, this is born out of something that Eric Swanson taught me about the state of liminality. Liminality means\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Limited\u2014is that?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Liminality means that which has always worked is not working quite so well anymore; and that which will work is not yet fully known\u2014the state of liminality. So, in the context of generosity, that\u2019s the state in which we are living right now.<\/p>\n<p>We\u2019re the most generous nation on the planet, and we give 2-percent of GDP away in our charitable giving every year. In 2015, it was 2.1.<\/p>\n<p><strong>8:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In 2014, it was 1.9. But it has kind of levels off at that 2-point GDP rating for five decades\u2014five decades we\u2019ve been stuck at 2-percent of GDP. Now, GDP changes, of course; but we\u2019re not digging deeper as a nation if that\u2019s the only currency we\u2019re measuring.<\/p>\n<p>The second currency is our volunteer time.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Wait.\u00a0 Before you move off of that\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014you ran across a guy who wants to increase the 2-percent.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes. Adam Meyerson at Philanthropy Roundtable said, \u201cLet\u2019s go to three.\u00a0 What would it take to increase by 1-percent?\u201d And that was a big challenge to a lot of donors sitting in the room and\u2014\u201cWhat would it take?\u201d We\u2019re not making much progress on that, I must say.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> But the point that we\u2019re making here is that if that could occur, that 1-percent could do so much good in so many needy places around our nation\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> It could.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014and around the world.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> I would go a step farther, and I would say that extra 1-percent could do so much for the generous person.<\/p>\n<p><strong>9:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> See, how the recipient wins; but the first person that wins is the person who gives. So, the second proof point\u2014back to proof points\u2014is that one in four of us volunteer. That means three out of four of us don\u2019t even give away an hour a year.\u00a0 We\u2019ve been stuck there for four decades. So, we\u2019re stuck in this state of liminality where all we\u2019re measuring is our charitable giving and where we\u2019re volunteering.<\/p>\n<p>So, that is why I\u2019m challenging folks to start with this relational equity and then volunteer with only your strengths because, maybe, we can get that one in four to two in four volunteers if we\u2019re giving away what we\u2019re best at.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, here\u2019s the thing\u2014the things we are good at, we typically enjoy doing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Exactly.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> That\u2019s your point; right?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So, give us an illustration from your life.\u00a0 What\u2019s a strength that you have that you just absolutely grin from ear-to-ear?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, when I help my church, for example, do a strategic planning exercise\u2014or they ask me to facilitate a meeting\u2014it\u2019s just heaven to me.\u00a0 When they ask me to\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>10:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014chair an endowment committee\u2014\u201cPlease!\u201d\u00a0 Right? Or chair a building campaign\u2014\u201cOh, please!\u201d\u00a0 Right? But ask me to facilitate a meeting or lead a strategic planning\u2014\u201cWow! Now, you\u2019ve got me.\u201d Anyway, so, yes, those are giving away your strengths is the second currency with which we can be generous.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And the third?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> The third currency is our resources.\u00a0 So, this is\u2014people who are listening\u2014\u201cWell, finally, we\u2019re talking about money.\u201d Yes, we\u2019re talking about money, but we\u2019ve got so much stuff as Americans. We\u2019ve got boats, and we\u2019ve got second homes.<\/p>\n<p>And I\u2019ve got a good friend in Kentucky, mid-30\u2019s. He and his wife have three young children. He\u2019s a very successful business guy. They have a nice home, but their second floor\u2014the second story of their home was completely empty. And they have a heart for college students. So, they had been volunteering at the campus ministry program, and they built out their second floor of their home.<\/p>\n<p><strong>11:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s what they call the bonus room. And three years later, five nights a week, it\u2019s filled with college students.<\/p>\n<p>And what these college students are seeing is a young adult couple with three kids just doing life together; and many of these college students have never seen that. They come from broken homes, and they\u2019ve never seen people do conflict and resolve it.\u00a0 They\u2019ve never seen a family work together. You know he tells me\u2014he says, \u201cYou know we clean house on Tuesday. If kids get there on Friday, it\u2019s not clean.\u201d [Laughter]\u00a0 Right?<\/p>\n<p>So, there are just seeing life, but they are just totally sold out to college students. And they are spending a resource that they have which is their second floor\u2014lots of examples of that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Talk to the person who is afraid to step out and start giving either their relational equity, their strengths, or their financial resources\u2014and maybe, focus about the financial because I do think it does keep a lot of people from venturing out\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>12:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014to experiencing a blessing.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Well, I would say\u2014I would challenge them to stop cutting checks until you have discerned and prayed through your heart\u2019s desire. What is God putting on your heart to create some change? So many of us are tired of making a difference.\u00a0 We want to create some change. We want to win some of these problems that need solving. So, if God has put a desire on your heart to create some change and not just tip and make a difference\u2014so, first of all, figure out what this heart\u2019s desire is.\u00a0 Then\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You talk about clipping out the headlines of the newspaper.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> What stirs you?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes. Yes. Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I talk about\u2014\u201cWhat do you pound the table about\u201d\u2014saying\u2014\u201cSomething has to be done about this.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Exactly. Yes. This is a heart\u2019s desire that you are pounding the table about. This is\u2014that\u2019s a heart\u2019s desire for change.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> So, nail that before you begin thinking about what you\u2019re going to give.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Nail that. Then, find the organization, the leader, in whom you can trust; and back the\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>13:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014jockey not the horse; right? Don\u2019t go for the largest institutions necessarily. Find the person that\u2019s matching your heart\u2019s desire and back that person. That\u2019s so very important.<\/p>\n<p>So, there are three kinds of qualities of a great recipient of our charitable gifts that can never be compromised. And those three are leadership, leadership, leadership. You know a beautiful building, a great strategic plan, a big endowment\u2014none of those things matter. It really all comes down to leadership. So, back the jockey not the horse with your charitable gifts, for sure; but have them based on your heart\u2019s desire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You talk about, in your book, how people who are effective at generosity have a sense of urgency about them.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, there is a sense of urgency because there is a big problem they are trying to solve. And if there is not a sense of urgency to solve the problem, then, the acts of generosity are going to be tips not investments. They are going to be tipping and not making any\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>14:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014major, major plays with their relational equity, with their volunteer time, or with their resources.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> It\u2019s interesting that you\u2019d make that differentiation because I think back\u2014Dennis has shared a story many times\u2014and you\u2019re probably unaware of this\u2014but back when you and Barbara were first married, one of the first acts in your marriage kind of set the bar that you weren\u2019t going to be about tipping; you were kind of all-in on what God had called you to. Was it the first Christmas that you spent together?<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Boulder, Colorado.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Tell John what you did.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, we had heard another man who had signed over the title deed of his life\u2014he and his wife early in their marriage after they came to faith in Christ. They were not Christians when they started their marriage, but they formalized that. And you know, I looked at that guy\u2019s life and I thought, \u201cGod has used him in a great way. Maybe, God would choose to use us in a small way if we just take God for what\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>15:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u201cHe challenges us to do which is to die to self and sign it all over.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> And you did this, not just in your heads.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Oh, we did it on two pieces of paper. We didn\u2019t even have furniture. We didn\u2019t have much money. We were making 560 bucks a month living in Boulder, Colorado at the time. Barbara got in the kitchen, and I got in the living room. We sat down on the two pieces of furniture that we had and on a piece of paper signed over the title deed\u2014I think it was December 1972, and it was all these things that we valued, then, which were laughable now\u2014just signed them over.<\/p>\n<p>We said, \u201cWe give them all to You, God, and whatever else we hope to have. Our lives are Yours. Use us for Your purposes.\u201d And we signed our title deeds\u2014both of us.\u00a0 Barbara signed hers. I signed mine, folded them together, and put them in an envelope that remained sealed until 1990\u201418 years later.<\/p>\n<p>And we were on sabbatical in Northern Minnesota, and\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>16:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014we opened those envelopes up and looked at what we\u2019d signed over. And it really was almost a joke. What we had given God\u2014what we had thought was important then and what God had given us now\u2014we had six kids.\u00a0 We were hoping for a couple.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I don\u2019t want to keep going on and on, but the point was\u2014I think we just don\u2019t know what God\u2019s up to in our lives if we can somehow, not settle at once and for all, because it sounds like we settled at once and for all when we signed it over. No, we had to keep going back and resettling that issue of ownership multiple times in our lifetime; but I\u2019m convinced that became the bedrock of our marriage and later on our family.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> And one of those times you had to go back and revisit that was the first time the issue of book royalties came up; right?\u00a0 You had to decide, \u201cWhat are we going to do with the royalties from these books?\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, much to our kids\u2019 grumbling, they didn\u2019t care much for it because they saw a check that was pretty good sized; and they thought, \u201cThat could buy us a car, Dad.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>17:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>But we gave it back to FamilyLife. We invested 100-percent of all royalties back to FamilyLife\u2014haven\u2019t ever accepted a penny. So, you know that was just a choice we made, deciding to do that on the front end and never dreamed in our lives we\u2019d be able to give away what we\u2019ve given away\u2014let alone be paid to write. If you met my English teacher, you\u2019d understand why. [Laughter] She\u2019s probably rolling over in her grave, too, right now.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> I\u2019ve got an English teacher who did the same way\u2014yes.\u00a0 [Laughter]<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> If you had an exhortation to give people who are listening right now around generosity, what one or two things would you challenge them with as they think about being a generous person, a generous couple, a generous family?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes, I would really challenge them to pray through this notion of being transactional versus being transformational. Most of the time we measure generosity, it\u2019s a transaction that we\u2019ve had.<\/p>\n<p><strong>18:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>And if an individual, couple, or family can begin with this relational currency first and not worry about the resources\u2014starts with the heart\u2019s desire, focus on relationships and then acts of service and then finally resources\u2014you\u2019ll discover that you will always have enough\u2014if you start with the heart\u2019s desire.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And in training their children to be generous?<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Kids do have the currency of what they\u2019re best at; and that\u2019s where I would start with children\u2014is starting with them giving away what they\u2019re best at. Make it just as simple as you possible can. Then, go with the resources and back up under relationships. And a relationship, you know, with a young person is about being a good friend. That\u2019s where it begins. It\u2019s the same currencies for a child.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> 2 Corinthians 9, Paul says, \u201cThe point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>19:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014\u201cwill also reap bountifully.\u201d I think the question is\u2014\u201cWhat kind of person do you want to be?\u201d You want to be a reaper. Then, you\u2019ve got to sow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> And we\u2019ve seen, over the years, people who have been generous with our ministry\u2014we\u2019ve seen, not only how our ministry has benefited, but we\u2019ve watched how those people have grown and how those people have\u2014God\u2019s worked in their lives in response to their generosity.\u00a0 It really is fascinating to watch.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It is. In fact, this radio ministry started because one couple came in here to Little Rock and said, \u201cWhat do you got?\u201d So, we showed them what we had, and they said, \u201cWell, what else you got?\u201d We said, \u201cWell, we\u2019ve got this radio program we\u2019d like to start.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cAnd how much is that?\u201d It had a lot of zeros behind it. They said, \u201cOkay, we\u2019ll pray about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a long story, but it\u2019s one of the God stories of FamilyLife\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>20:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014of how God clearly put an exclamation point and His signature on a check for us to be able to do this broadcast. And every month, we\u2019re able to do what we do because Legacy Partners give monthly and other donors give and give generously. And I just want to say, \u201cThank you. Thanks for standing with us and thanks for being one who sows bountifully.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> You know, Dennis, you have helped with that heart\u2019s desire with the radio program. You\u2019ve helped those donors fulfill their generosity game plans.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Never thought about it that way, but\u2014yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Yes. This is a generosity game plan that they have in their heart that you\u2019ve helped them create.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> Well, and if a listener to this program would say, \u201cYou know, we like what you guys do; but honestly, the real passion of our heart is over here\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Give.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014then, we\u2019d say, \u201cOkay\u201d\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Give generously over there.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014\u201cgive there\u201d\u2014right.<\/p>\n<p><strong>John:<\/strong> Bless it. That\u2019s so important. Oh, yes, yes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>21:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> And I think this is where your book can be really helpful because it helps people identify\u2014\u201cWhat are the things that matter most to me, and how can I invest there and be generous there and get involved in whatever the group is doing? How can I be a catalyst to see this work expand\u2014whatever the work is?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Again, I\u2019d encourage listeners\u2014get a copy of John Stanley\u2019s book, <em>Connected for Good<\/em>.\u00a0 You can order it from us online at FamilyLifeToday.com, or you can call 1-800-FL-TODAY to order your copy.\u00a0 Again, the website is FamilyLifeToday.com, or call 1-800-358-6329.\u00a0 That\u2019s 1-800- \u201cF\u201d as in family, \u201cL\u201d as in life, and then the word, \u201cTODAY.\u201d\u00a0 Ask about the book, <em>Connected for Good<\/em>, by John Stanley when you get in touch with us.<\/p>\n<p>And let me just say\u2014if your passion, your interest does happen to be what <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is all about, this is a\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>22:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014great time for you to be generous with this ministry. Our goal at FamilyLife is to provide practical, biblical help and hope for marriages and families. We want to effectively develop godly marriages, godly families because we believe godly marriages and families can change the world one home at a time.<\/p>\n<p>If you hear that and you think, \u201cThat\u2019s important. It\u2019s been important in our life.\u00a0 God\u2019s used this ministry in our life. We want to see FamilyLife be able to do more with more people,\u201d you can help us right now by making a yearend contribution in support of this ministry. In fact, the donations that come in over the next three weeks are going to determine for us just how effective we can be as a ministry in 2017.<\/p>\n<p>We have some friends who have recognized that importance. They\u2019ve come together and agreed they\u2019re going to match donations we receive this month, not just dollar for dollar;\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>23:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014but when you give a donation of 100 dollars, they are going to give 200 dollars out of the matching gift fund.\u00a0 If you give 500, they\u2019ll give 1000. Whatever it is, the gift you make will eventually be tripled.<\/p>\n<p>And our friend, Michelle Hill, has been paying attention to what\u2019s going on with this matching gift opportunity this month; and Michelle, give us an update.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Michelle:<\/strong> Well Bob, we do have a lot of generous listeners who tune into FamilyLife Today! So far this month we\u2019ve received over four hundred thirty two thousand dollars, from two thousand six hundred thirty four listeners, folks like Jeffery from Louisiana, who said he was excited to triple his gift because FamilyLife Today benefits his wife and daughter\u2026so thanks to Jeffery! And for other folks? Remember we still have a ways to go to that total of one and quarter million dollars.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Bob:<\/strong> And it\u2019s easy to make a donation just go online to FamilyLifeToday.com or call 1-800-FL-TODAY\u2014<\/p>\n<p><strong>24:00<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u2014to make a donation over the phone; or write a check and mail it to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> at Box 7111, Little Rock, Arkansas; and our zip code is 72223.<\/p>\n<p>Now, tomorrow, we want to talk about what it is that good dads do. What makes a dad a good dad? Are there some common characteristics? Rick Johnson thinks there are, and we\u2019re going to explore those with him tomorrow. Hope you can tune in for that.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>I want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, along with our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I\u2019m Bob Lepine. We will see you back next time for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p><em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. Help for today.\u00a0 Hope for tomorrow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>We are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?<\/p>\n<p>Copyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2016 FamilyLife. 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