Give Freely and Cheerfully by Jennifer Maggio

 Posted by on September 21, 2011  General  No Responses »
Sep 212011
 

In a day and time when many are taught from a very young age to be selfish, stingy, and demand that we “get ours”(or throw a fit trying), I thought it relevant to go back to the simple principle of generosity.  

Most of us are familiar with Acts 20:35 ”….it is more blessed to give than receive.” 

Do we really get that? Do we understand what that means?  I absolutely love to give gifts to my children at Christmas.  I love to see my four-year-old’s face beam with joy as she opens a new baby doll or dish set.  (My teens’ faces usually only glisten with cash these days, but nonetheless….). What about when we aren’t speaking about our own children, friends, or family?  What about the stranger who is begging roadside or the homeless woman who has two children to care for?   Do you give them? Do you enjoy giving to them?  Or do we run down the list of possible reasons why they “got themselves into that position?” Continue reading »

A Dad’s Point-of-View, by Bruce Sallan – A Story of Giving

 Posted by on August 31, 2010  General  No Responses »
Aug 312010
 

You Always Get More When You Give–A Story of Giving

I’ve learned repeatedly in my life that whenever I give to the world, whether by direct action or donations, I get back so much more than the effort or money involved. This is a life lesson that our kids should learn as so many of them, here in America, are living the “easy life” with no sense of the hardships most of the world has to bear and that most of mankind has historically suffered.

One of the unexpected benefits of my writing career and now my radio show is the opportunity to meet and interact with people I’d never have otherwise encountered. My “A Dad’s Point-of-View” Facebook page has around 2,500 “members” (or “likes” as they call it) from literally all over the world. Over 35 different countries are represented with many from Africa (why? I don’t know).

I actively participate on my Facebook page by welcoming every member with a thank-you note and inviting their participation on the page with, for instance, the suggestion to join one of the many ongoing discussions. On one occasion, I was invited to “chat” with some kids from Ghana. About 20 minutes later, I discovered I was chatting with two girls, seven and ten, who lived at a school in the small city of Agona Swedru. They were poor on a level most of us don’t understand. Continue reading »