Read: 2 Corinthians 9:6-15
“Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Reflection: A capital campaign … above and beyond giving … sacrificial giving. Someone will describe such a capital campaign giving in this way: “I know what that means … it means give until it hurts!”

Give until it hurts? Making a sacrifice actually means giving up something of meaningful value to you in order to give to something that means even more to you. It is giving something you care about to something you love even more. The lasting effect of such giving should not be “hurt,” but rather the joy discovered in giving yourself to those things that are most important to you.

Give until it hurts? Try giving until you discover some joy. The joy of making a difference in a God-given calling. The joy of aligning your life with God’s grace and will. The joy of a meaningfully and purposefully committed life. The joy of doing your part along with a whole community of faithful people. The joy of helping to make miracles — large and small — happen. The joy of seeing people’s lives change because of seeds you planted and nurtured. The joy of glorifying God.

Indeed, as Paul says to the church in Corinth, “you will be enriched in every way for your great generosity, which will produce thanksgiving to God.” (verse 11).

Give until it hurts? No one is being asked to hurt in this program. If that is where you are heading, then you are going about this decision in the wrong spirit. Be-sides, giving until it hurts is far too easy. If you want a real challenge — and a real blessing in your life — try giving in ways that mean so much to you that you dis-cover joy in your commitment.

Prayer: Lord, teach me greater joy and abundant thanksgiving in a meaningful, purposeful, committed life.

Action Item: Make a list of the reasons why you are GLAD to give — your own litany of rejoicing and thanksgiving.

Read: Mark 14:3-9
“But Jesus said, ‘Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me.’” (Mark 14:6)

Reflection: Can you picture the scene? This was a tense setting. Word was that the authorities were looking for ways to arrest Jesus. This was a place for serious conversation and for invited guests only.

And then came this woman with the perfume. Who invited her? And who gave her permission to pour the entire contents of a perfume jar on the head of the guest of honor? Can you imagine the smell? You know the way to use perfume. Just a little dab will do. But she poured out the perfume like football players dousing their coach with the Gatorade bucket. And why waste so much expensive perfume? As some said, it could have been sold — and the money could have been given to the poor.

We do not know this woman’s heart. Perhaps she had experienced the forgiveness of Jesus and felt so grateful for him that she had to find some way to bless Him. Whatever the reasons, Jesus defended her heart, and her lavish gift.

One could debate that the resources we need to invest in ministry could be spent on any number of things. Sometimes people may grumble, “A capital campaign? I want to give money to people, not to bricks and mortar.” In truth, investing in bricks and mortar is an important way to invest directly in impacting the lives of people. Doing such ministries effectively requires such tools. But instead of arguing the point of all that could be done, perhaps we should ask a different question. Is what we are doing honoring God? Is what we are accomplishing furthering the gospel of Jesus Christ? Does what we are doing bless Christ?

Very soon Jesus was stripped of His friends, His dignity, and His clothing as He was nailed to a cross. That dark day the only thing His tormentors could not get off of Him was the smell of that perfume on His head. As Jesus struggled to draw painful breaths upon the cross, did the sweet smell of that loving gift strengthen Him to be broken and poured out for us all?

Prayer: Lord, give me the grace to give to You as lavishly as You have poured Yourself out for me. Let me bless You, even as You have blessed my life.

Action Item: Make a list of the ways that your gift — and these projects — might bless God.

Read: John 3:22-30
“The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. He must increase, and I must decrease.” (John 3:29-30)

Reflection: John the Baptist was a great man. No less an authority than Jesus said so himself. John was the last of the prophets. When people heard him preach, they trembled. He attracted disciples, crowds, and the attention of the press. He even attracted the attention of kings and queens.

But when Jesus came, John never forgot his place. Despite being goaded by his disciples to be jealous of the early success of Jesus’ ministry, John remained stead-fast in his sense of place within God’s plan. He rejoiced in the following that Jesus attracted. He even helped his own disciples to join with Jesus. John 3:22-30 is John’s explanation of his own role to his disciples. Now my joy is complete. He (Jesus) must increase, and I must decrease.

Have you discovered this truth yet? Most of us think that joy increases as we increase — as our wealth and our prestige, our influence and our power increase. But in fact, just the opposite is true. Lasting joy is not found at the top of the corporate mountain or at the pinnacle of power. Joy is not a reward of accomplishment. True joy is found where John the Baptist found it — by finding one’s place in relationship to Jesus Christ.

Are you ready to find joy complete? He (Jesus) must continue to increase in significance and Lordship of our lives while we (our plans and ambitions) must decrease.

Prayer: Lord, lead me to find joy and abundant living as I give my life more fully to you.

Action item: Make a list of the things that really bring joy to your life. You will find that the things that bring joy are not things at all, but rather gifts given to you (like family, health, a sunrise, a friend). Perhaps the way to discover more joy is to give those kinds of gifts more fully to others.

Parkway Heights is committed to connecting, equipping, and sending people in all stages of life. Hear different members share their experience of the ministry of Parkway Heights as it has impacted them and their families.

Hear the perspective of members and friends about the future of Parkway Heights in this video segment.

New segments will be posted each day this week.

Read: Acts 4:32-37
“There was a man named Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”).” Acts 4:36

Reflection: The name “Joseph” is such a fine name. In Hebrew, the name means “God’s added blessing.” This was the name for the cherished son of the patriarch Jacob. This was the name for Jesus’ earthly father. So why would the apostles give Joseph of Cypress a nickname like “Barnabas?”

Barnabas, Acts makes note to tell us, means “son of Encouragement.” Apparently, this Joseph was such an encourager that a new name was in order. When the early church needed money to underwrite its ministries, Joseph sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles. When Saul of Tarsus (renamed Paul) needed a friend to welcome him into the church he once persecuted, it was this Joseph who was that friend who nurtured Paul into a ministry of his own. When the church needed to send someone to encourage the new believers among the gentiles, they sent this Joseph. When young Mark needed someone to believe in him and to give him a second chance to serve as a missionary, Joseph encouraged him. Any wonder that all of Joseph’s friends called him Barnabas — “son of encouragement”?

Parkway Heights needs generosity to underwrite its ministry. We need leaders — people who can speak up, step up, and help encourage others to passionate mission and generous giving. Your gift makes a difference to the church, but so does your faith, your story, your passion. Be a Barnabas! Look for ways to encourage the faith of others by sharing your witness, your passion, your faith. In doing so you multiply God’s grace and influence the faithful response of others.

Prayer: Lord, help me to feel so joyful about what I am doing to make a difference in your kingdom that I can be a witness and encouragement to others.

Action item: Make a list of your spheres of influence — people with whom you connect regularly and whom you have the opportunity to encourage. Find at least one way to share your passion and your faith about these projects with the people in your spheres of influence.

Read: Luke 19:29-35
“The owners said, ‘Why are you untying the donkey?’ (The disciples) said, “The Lord has need of it.” (Luke 19:33-34)

Reflection: I already give to the church. How can I find ways to give more?
Proverbs 3:9 encourages the faithful to “honor the Lord with your substance and with the first fruits of all your produce.” Your weekly or monthly income stream (your “produce”) may not be the only resource in your life to make a gift from. People often have valuable assets (your “substance”) beyond their income stream. By looking at all of your resources, not simply your income stream, you may dis-cover assets or substance in your life which, if untied, can help you to give a far more substantial gift than you thought possible.

Untied, the “substance” which they had been blessed with could now be an even greater blessing as a gift. Like the owners in Luke’s gospel who provided Jesus with a way into the city of Jerusalem, these people had a donkey — and the Lord had need of it.

Maybe it is time to untie your donkey, to free some of your substance and bring it. The Lord has need of it.

Prayer: Lord, help me to see how much I have been blessed with in my life — and to see how things may bring a whole new sense of blessing as a gift.

Action item: Do an inventory of your “substance.” Are there assets in your life that you could untie in order to enlarge your giving?

Read: John 15:1-9
“Every branch that bears fruit (God) prunes to make it bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)

Reflection: How can I find ways to give? Maybe I need to cut back in some overgrown areas of my life in order to bear better fruit in my life for God’s kingdom.

If you have ever grown grapes in your yard, then you will know that grapevines will naturally overextend themselves with prolific branching and leaf growth every year. If grapevines are not pruned, all of the branching and leaf growth can completely cover an arbor in as little as two growing seasons.

Unchecked, branching growth, while great for simply covering up space, is terrible for bearing fruit. Such overgrown grapevines will bear tiny, unusable fruit — if it is able to bear fruit clusters at all. The extensive branching and leafing drains the resources and energy of the vine from its primary purpose — bearing fruit.

Look at the pictures of a well-kept vineyard whose purpose is to bear good fruit. You will see thick, decades old grapevines pruned back to no more than four short branches so that all the energy of the plant is focused on growing great grapes. Pruning — heavy, regular pruning — is necessary to bearing good fruit.

How overextended is your life? What all have you branched out into? We may think that wildly branching out everywhere as fast as we can grow helps us to cover all the bases in life; but in truth, such unmanaged growth just keeps us from bearing any real fruit. Ask yourself, “Where could I cut back so I could invest the time and energy and resources available to me into bearing the kind of good fruit in my life that matters?” If it has been awhile in your life since you paid any attention to pruning, you may be astonished as to how overgrown and overextended your life has become. No wonder Jesus says that God will prune our lives to help us bear better fruit.

Prayer: Lord, abide more fully in me. Help me to prune and manage my life better. Re-shape my living to bear good fruit that would glorify You.

Action Item: Make a list of areas in your life that are overgrown. What branches can you cut out? What resources does that pruning free up for you to invest in bearing good fruit?

Wondering why the new building is so needed? Or what will be in it? Hear from members of Parkway Heights as they talk about what’s coming and why they are excited!

Click on the link below (or paste it into your browser) to see the video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao4AEmla5-o