This week we kicked off "Give It Away" in a HUGE way! The purpose of this series is to teach all of us who call Capstone Church home how to use everything we have to serve, love, and reach people.
We did that in a HUGE way by giving an amount of money (totalling $2,500) to everyone in attendance on January 6. Everyone received an envelope with different amounts of money in it for the sole purpose of giving it away in order to be a blessing to someone else.
How did you use what God gave you? We want to hear your stories! Click on the "Comments" link below and then follow the instructions. To read how God led others to use their money, click on "Comments" as well.
Check back often to see what others are saying about "Give It Away." And thanks for sharing and for GIVING IT AWAY!
23 comments:
I am SO excited to give my $10 away. This is going to be an awesome experience.
I can't wait to see how the Lord leads everyone to give.
Had me nervous there for a little while. I've never actually given money away before. This is gonna be great! Can't wait to see where/who it goes to and to hear other's stories.
I have been excited since I left church Sunday with my envelope in hand! I thought about it all day and told so many people about what happened at our church!!!
I have also been nervously anticipating who my person in need would be. Would I really know when to give it away? What would I say? How would I do it? CAN I do it? How long might I carry around this $10 bill? A day? A week? A month? What if I never know who I am suppose to help? I'm around people in need everyday, but this must be for someone special right?
Today was a typical Monday. Really busy at work, pushed for time to get things done and be able to make my hair appointment at 2:45 on Augusta Rd., (I live in Greenville). Barely made it there on time, tired, stressed and I had to park in the worst space right next to the trash cans. The last thing on my mind was that $10 bill.
While I'm sitting getting my hair cut I notice my hairdresser keeps looking out the window into the parking lot. Then she makes a few comments to someone about giving her leftover lunch to that man in the parking lot. I can't see out of the window so I asked her who she was talking about. She said a homeless man was looking through the trash cans. (where I had parked) I asked if they see him a lot but she said no, never before... I thought this might be my special someone, but then I dismissed my silly thought. Not now... As soon as I thought, not now, she turns my chair to face the window and I see him! He was still there but was walking away with his buggy of trash...I could not do it! Surely not now! I'm sitting in the chair with wet hair! How will I explain that I have to get up right now and give this man $10? So I didn't... and he was gone.
Later, I pulled out of the salon on Augusta Rd. heading back to work. Then a few blocks away, there he was. Walking on the sidewalk down Augusta Rd. with his buggy of trash! I knew I had to do it! God wanted me to give it to him and I had to do it. I turned the car around.
I could see him 1 block away when I pulled into the first parking lot I saw. It happened to be St. Michael Lutheran Church! I was so scared but calm as I opened the car door. I thought, "Suzanne, what are you doing? He could carjack, rob or murder you!" But nothing was stopping me this time!With the engine running and door open I walked toward him and said "I would like to give this to you." He took the money, said thank you, then continued on his Augusta Rd. journey...
I'll probably never know how that $10 impacted his life...but I know what "giving it away" today has done for mine...
Gloria a Dios!
Suzanne Chapman
Thanks for that Suzanne. That was an awesome story.
Today I pulled my car over and met Mike. I see him often on my way to and from work. He's visibly had a hard life and struggles to keep a job. We talked for a little while then I handed him $10 and our card. It was strikingly funny how quickly he grabbed it and stuffed it in his pocket. I don't know if the stories he told me were true but his reality is a difficult one. His need is a job, he even gave me a way to contact him if I learned of possible work.
I gave mine away to a waitress named Melinda last night. She works the graveyard shift at IHOP, and I doubt she makes much off the crowd that comes in between 10 and 2, but she has a great attitude and a wonderful sense of humor. My friend and I were talking about what God is doing in our lives, and how personal He is, and every now and then as she cleaned the tables around us, her head tipped in curiousity toward our conversation. When I gave her the gift, she really didn't know what to say, and I didn't really say much either. "We're really glad to meet you, Melinda," I said, and she just grinned widely.
"Come back anytime." I know she knew at least for a few minutes that she was special, and I pray that she will understand through the gift how special she is to the God who sees.
God finally allowed me to give His money away. This past Saturday I had the privilege to meet a man named Willie. Willie told me he needed some help for his family. I asked what I could do to help him out, and his response was really easy. He said I need some kerosene to keep my family warm. I asked Willie if he would mind getting his jug and we go to the store together. As I told him that we would get the kerosene, his face lit up light a little child. After we had paid I handed the card to Willie and asked him if he could read it. He said he could and put it in his pocket. I told him if he had trouble reading it, to find someone who could and tell them about how God blessed your life. Willie was so thankful for the gift he had received, but I think I was more thankful for the gift God allowed me to receive! God is so awesome, and so is the church that follows His character!
Brent thomason
I have a friend at work whose mother is dying of breast cancer. The mother does not have insurance. The daughter and mother are both saved. During Christmas, I was led by the Holy Spirit to give the daughter money to buy her mother flowers. I believe in giving "flowers" while one is living. So my first thought was to give the money to the mother. I love the "Give it Away" program. Giving blesses all involved.
Connie Owens
Yesterday I gave my money away. The interesting thing about my story, through a series of circumstances I ended up with three envelopes totaling $110.
When Jerry was talking to us about Give IT Away I knew immediately that I was to take it to a lady that works at the laundry mat.
I thought that maybe I heard wrong and was looking for other places to give, since I knew nothing about this woman, not her name, not which day she works, not anything.
I went into the Laundry mat and she was nowhere to be seen. So I wasn't sure what to do.
Then I realized that the Lord had showed me to take it to the woman that works at the Laundry mat. He was never specific about which one. So I thought "ok" I went over to the young girl working there and asked if I could talk to her for a minute. I explained to her what I was doing and handed her the envelope. She looked rather shocked, but didn't say much, other than it was a real blessing.
I left wondering if I had done the right thing or not. Then later on I got to thinking, had the Lord not put the original woman's face in my mind, I would never had met the young girl. So now I pray the the Lord's will be done in this young girl's life. We may never hear or see her again, but we can trust in the fact that on January 15, 2008 the Lord revealed Himself and His kindness to her and hopefully that will change her life forever.
Because I am not very bold about approaching people, I was really concerned that I would be the one still holding onto my money 6 months later. I prayed about giving my money away and God sent someone to me! Tonight I stopped at Food Lion and was really frustrated that they did not have all that I needed. I would still have to go to Bi Lo and I was wishing that I had just gone there instead. While getting into my car, a poorly dressed, stick thin man came up behind me. He immediately started telling me he didn't want to frighten me. He held a kerosene can and said he had been out trying to get enough money to buy a gallon of kerosene. He said he was really cold but he had already gotten 87 cents and held it out for me to see. He told me he lived in a trailer on the next street with his wife and daughter. I told him I had something I had been wanting to give away. I reached into my bag and it felt like that envelope jumped into my hand. I gave him the $10 and asked him to read the card. He choked up and said that would almost fill up his heater. As happy as he seemed, I know I felt the greater joy! Desiree
It is the most encouraging thing in the world to read these stories. Thanks so much for sharing them, Capstone people! You are just echoing the same thing over and over with each story you post: Our God is amazing!
I missed the Sunday the envelopes were given out because I had my parents here from Colorado and my mother was sick but as soon as I listened to the sermon I decided I really wanted to participate anyway. Yesterday morning I checked my e-mail and found a message posted to Anderson freegifters from a woman who has four little boys from 1 1/2 to 10 years and her heat was out for the seventh time this winter, this time there were wires burnt at the breaker box so they were waiting for a repairman who has been very unreliable to show up. She was looking for space heaters to use until the heat came back on. She had had one offer to borrow some but did not have enough gas to drive to Belton to pick them up because her budget is limited and she has to pick her older children up at school because the attend outside of the bus zone for their school. It happens that I know who this woman is because she attends my MOPS group, I know her face and we have exchanged casual greetings but we have not yet gotten to know each other. I know that this was my opportunity, I was a little nervous because money is tight this month due to unpaid time off around the holidays but I decided to be obedient. I sent a reply giving my cell phone number because I was headed out to run errands. I went to purchase the carpet remnant I need for the event I am doing for my business this weekend I looked for something that would meet my size and budget requirements and finally found something that would work for me since most were either too small or too expensive. I went to find the clerk and he told me that the remnants were all half-price. God had just given me the money that I needed to bless this woman! She called me back and we set up a time and place to meet and I set off to purchase a small electric space heater for her family. When I went to look at the heaters I discovered that they were all 30-40% off! I was then able to buy a heater and tuck a little extra into the box for her to buy a little something extra! When I finally met up with her we started talking and she told me that her posting to the main group was an accident, she had intended to post the message to the freegifters chat group. I told her that it was not an accident but that it was God who wanted me to see that message to use me and my church to bless her. Thank you for encouraging us to look for ways to bless those around us.
Christi
My story is kinda involved. My intention was to find the first needy person and give them my envelope, but at Home Group someone was there that missed out on the Give Away, so I gave it to them to give away. I still have not heard the result of that giving yet.
But what I came to realize is once your heart and mind are ficused on giving, God will continue to bring people and circumstances into your life to give to.
Because of "Give It Away" I have been more atune to helping other. Saturday, in the freezing rain, my son and I are driving down the road and saw an older lady in shorts, carrying several bags from the store and an umbrella. I have to admit I thought it strange, but I don't stop and give rides to people so obviously that was not what I needed to do. But I didn;t get 2 blocks before I knew I need to give your a ride or least offer. We turned around, picked her up and drove her home packages, wetness and all. We shared a few funny stories and she was so appreciative.
Without my focus on God telling me to "Give It Away" I am not sure I would be as open to that sort of sharing and giving.
Cool thing is my son said after we dropped off this lady, "You know we really get something out of helping others. We get a feeling that we made a difference." That is a pretty great gift to receive.
Thanks, Christi, for sharing your story and for giving it away even though you weren't there that Sunday. That is powerful!
The Miranda family decided to pool our resources and then give away the entire amount at one time. When Kevin learned about what our family was doing he decided to contribute to our amount. We ended up with a total of $100 to “Give Away”.
We decided to send the money to a friend of the family. This friend has struggled financially for years and at times has needed tangible reminders that God has not forgotten her in the midst of her struggles. She is a single mom and up until the fall of 07 her ex-husband was paying child support and paying the mortgage on her house. This past fall he lost his job and has been unable to pay the mortgage on the house. This friend of ours works at a job that pays only $12.00/hour and therefore can not afford to keep the house. She hopes though, to be able to keep the house payments up long enough to be able to sell the house and avoid foreclosure.
We sent the money to her by mail and when she received the money in the mail she was completely surprised. She called me to thank me for the money and during our conversation I explained to her what the “Give Away “ was all about. Receiving the money in the mail was the third encouraging thing that had happened to her in the space of about 2 weeks and the third indication to her that God was still in control. She was very grateful for what Capstone had done and she even said that one day she hoped that she could pay the church back for what they had done for her. She will probably put the money back into improving the house in order to sell the house as quickly as possible.
Regardless of what she does with the money the money has already accomplished an even greater purpose by encouraging her in a stressful time in her life and reminding her that God has not forgotten about her needs. Thank you Capstone for allowing us to share God’s grace with our friend through your gift of money.
The Miranda Family
I have not given my money away YET but I have been asked to share a devotion tomorrow at work. Immediately I knew that I wanted to talk about "Give IT away" and Matthew 25. Not to brag on Capstone but to remind myself and my co-workers of what we are supposed to doing as Christ followers. I am pumped to share this and I am so blessed to be a part of an awesome church.
For many weeks a gentleman named Mike sat in a booth behind me at the restaurant I frequent every morning. Mike had some employment problems which resulted in financial problems. As well, his health was not the best. One late afternoon as I was conferring with my business partner, we heard steps on the nearby stairway. It was Mike who topped the stairs for a visit with my business partner. Unbeknown to me, Mike was my business partner's Dad. Several weeks later and about ten days after I received my $20 gift from the church, I stopped once again to confer with my partner. I asked about his Dad because I had not seen him in some time. My partner related that his Dad's health was declining, he lost his job and was unable to scrape enough money together to buy his medications. It was precisely that moment I knew where the $20 was to go. I opened my billfold, took out the $20 and gave it to my partner. I told him to give it to his Dad and not to tell him where it came from. My partner was very appreciative. But this is not the end of the story. As I later thought about Mike and his need, I remembered a scripture--I Chronicles 21:24. King David speaking: "I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing." The $20 cost me nothing. The next time I saw my business partner I gave him $50 for his Dad along with the Capstone card. The rest of the story is up to Mike.
OK I'll share my story but it's not exciting like some of the other stories I've read and heard. One thing that this give away has taught me is to wait on the Lord, if you pray and ask Him "show me where to give my money away, and to whom. Pastor Jerry said we were to wait and you would show us what to do with it. You would let us know without question when and where to give it. Well I finally gave it away last week at home group. After waiting patiently all this time He finally showed me, and it was a double blessing for me. As you know Robin Barns mother passed away last week. so my home group decided to take up a collection to donate to the cancer society in her mothers name. I thought great I can finally get rid of this money. But as you may not know my own Mother passed away last April from cancer, so it was a double blessing for me I could help someone in my home group maybe bring a little comfort and closure, but at the same time it helped me knowing that I was remembering my Mother and doing something positive for her.
I gave one of my $10 to Patricia, a lady at the Soup Kitchen. I've spoken with her three out of the last four weeks. God just has been dealing with me concerning her. What could I do to help this lady? She's alone, hungry, and sick. I don't know if this lady knows Christ. I know $10 will help feed her stomach and love from Capstone will help feed her soul.
I finally got to give mine away. It's funny that God uses even the method of how you give it away to speak to you.
The person I got to give the money to didn't even know who it came from. God told me to do it anonymously. When He told me to do it He said, "Give it to ____, do it anonymously and trust Me to work the blessing.". I did what He told me to do and I'm trusting He got the result He intended. :)
I finally gave it away...check out my post on my blog...God sure did ruffle my feathers...
I tried to give it away several times before someone would take it. The first little man was very elderly but was afraid to commit to taking it because he thought it came with strings attached and that he really did not need it. Reminded me of reasons people say no to the Lord. The man who took it needed to buy medication and had no money. I suspected this and told him about our give it away. He was very excited because he is trying to get off an addicton and felt this was another road block he could get over to do that. He saw the hand of God working to help free him- all this from a meager ten dollars. Reminds me of reasons people accept the Lord. Jill Spencer
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