06 October 2010

Extravagant Generosity - Day 3

Sorry this didn't get posted yesterday...

Seeds With Wings
A sower went out to sow his seed... - Luke 8:5

As soon as I started reading today I remembered the afternoons I spent outside my grandfather's house in Illinois watching the "helicopter seeds" fall from the trees. I would pick them up by the "wing" and toss them in the air to watch them spin back to the ground. It was great fun.

In light of the concept of generosity, these "seeds with wings" inspire me to figure out where the seeds I am planting are going to sprout. Schnase says, "So much of our impact, even when we live immensely fruitful lives, affects those closest to us....We naturally have the greatest impact upon those closest at hand, our families, spouses, children, grandchildren" (14).

It is vital for us to plant seeds of generosity within our span of care on a daily basis, but it is also important for us to give our seeds "wings" so that they can be carried by the movement of the Spirit to places we may never travel and to help people we may never meet. Do your seeds have "wings"?

Questions for Reflection:
1) Think of two or three of the most influential people in forming your own soul and character other than your relatives. What made them effective? What can you learn from their generosity and the legacy they have left for others?
2) Where in the world beyond your own church and home are the signs of your congregation's ministry? Of your own?

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