This morning when I got up I had no idea what I was going to write my blog on today. I came into the office later than usual because we have a Council meeting this evening and I didn't want to waste gas going home and back. So, I just ran out and got a bowl of Orange Chicken from Panda Express. Here's what my fortune cookie said: "You are generous and always thinking of others." I wish that were true! I do consider myself to be a pretty generous person...just last Sunday Jim and I tipped $20 on Mother's Day to the waitress on a $18.00 breakfast. Unless I'm in a super hurry, I usually let people go ahead of me in traffic. I often pay for someone's order behind me in the drive through. I donate blood. Those are all examples of easy things we can do to be generous.
 
We are almost halfway through our Stewardship Campaign: Building a Culture of Generosity. The concept in being generous lies in our perception of abundance. If we have a lot...it's easier to be generous to others. If we don't have much...we tend to want to hold on to it. To be honest, almost all of us live in a state of abundance. Sure, some seniors might be on a fixed income and have to watch every penny, but for the most part we have more than we need. A couple months ago I had a member of this congregation hand me a large sum of money to help with the mortgage principal deferment. I was shocked and I said, "Don't you need this for something?" They said no, they were just saving it for something special and now seemed like the time to give it away. My friends, that is GENEROSITY!

As we work through the next couple weeks of our stewardship campaign, I invite you to think of the blessings you have... your abundance. Then out of a grateful heart, show that generosity to others!

See you Sunday!