Living Generously

Ride the Big Waves

When the tsunami alarms began to sound on the small Japanese island of Oshima, everyone ran to the hills. But 64-year-old Susumu Sugawara ran to his boat, the Sunflower, and steered it into deeper waters. Here's his story (in part) as told to CNN:

"'I knew if I didn't save my boat, my island would be isolated and in trouble.' Then the first wave came.

"Sugawara says he is used to seeing waves up to 5 meters high, but this was four times that size. 'My feeling at this moment is indescribable,' he says with glistening eyes. 'I ...

Just a Little Bit More

John D. Rockefeller, the ultra-wealthy oil tycoon, was asked exactly how much money would be "enough." His answer was the oft-quoted maxim, "Just a little bit more." And this from the richest man in American history! In today's dollars, his fortune would likely top $500 BILLION. When he died in 1937, his wealth accounted for 1.5% of the total U.S. economy. That's some serious cash!

My guess is that you're not in Rockefeller's league, and you probably won't be anytime soon. We're going to have to take his word for it—whether ...

Spend and Be Spent

John Wesley, one of the great revival preachers of the eighteenth century, is known popularly for a number of things. This is the man who had his "heart strangely warmed" and became the preacher who would declare not that the parish was his world, but "the world is my parish," a sentence he fulfilled by traveling some 250,000 miles mostly on horseback, preaching 40,000 sermons and seeing countless thousands come to real faith in Christ.

In each aspect of his devotional life, his preaching, and his organization of converts, he had a method—and his emphasis on having ...

Is the Tithe for Today?

The word tithe is one of the most powerful and controversial words in the church—its very mention can start a heated argument. Some believe it is part of the law of Christ (Galatians 6:2); the rest desperately hope that it was superseded by the New Covenant and has been abolished like the sacrificial system and the dietary laws!

What was the tithe?

Eliminate Debt-Dependence

I once spoke to a large group at a vibrant church in Texas. In one session people were allowed to anonymously write out their questions so I could answer them without embarrassing anyone.

As I sorted through the stack, my heart was moved by the stress, pressure, and pain that was so carefully masked behind the smiling faces looking back at me. I actually had to hold back tears. Here is a sample of the questions I was asked:

"I have about $3,000 in credit card debt. Should I pay this off before I save for my emergency fund ...

Our Hearts Follow Our Money

There are many aspects of my life in Christ that I readily admit I need to improve. But my giving has not been one of them. I don't say that as a matter of pride; it's just that I've taken the opportunity to grow in the Lord in this area. Having traveled on two Life Action summit teams myself, I've heard the giving principles taught a time or two (or twenty) before.

In working on this issue of Revive, however, the Lord has shown me that I need to step it up considerably—in my heart ...