Inspiring Generosity

Inspiring stories and beautifully typeset quotations about generosity. WARNING: This book might change your life. The desire to act generously arrives like an uninvited guest, unexpectedly, like a lightning bolt, in a mere moment. A gesture, a news story, a quotation in a book, a passing remark can change everything. For many, that moment is enough for generosity to move into their hearts and minds and become central to their lives. This book will help readers open their hearts to the power of their own innate generosity, their desire to make a difference in the world, to help make someone's day a little brighter or their world a bit more secure. It will kindle a spark in readers' hearts that moves them into the sunshine of a more generous life. If one life is more generous, we all prosper. That is one of generosity's most wonderful qualities: it is utterly contagious. Inspiring Generosity is an invitation to savor a sampling of the very best inspirations on the subject of generosity. It includes fourteen contemporary stories of "generosity heroes" whose lives have been transformed by the power of generosity. Sprinkled throughout these stories are writings, poems, and quotes from Shakespeare, Hafiz, Emily Dickinson, George Eliot, Wendell Berry, Sharon Olds, Naomi Shibab Nye, Donald Justice, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Steinbeck, James Joyce, Leo Tolstoy, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, Goethe, Seneca, Albert Schweitzer, Anne Frank, and many others.

Inspiring stories and beautifully typeset quotations about generosity. WARNING: This book might change your life. The desire to act generously arrives like an uninvited guest, unexpectedly, like a lightning bolt, in a mere moment. A gesture, a news story, a quotation in a book, a passing remark can change everything. For many, that moment is enough for generosity to move into their hearts and minds and become central to their lives. This book will help readers open their hearts to the power of their own innate generosity, their desire to make a difference in the world, to help make someone's day a little brighter or their world a bit more secure. It will kindle a spark in readers' hearts that moves them into the sunshine of a more generous life. If one life is more generous, we all prosper. That is one of generosity's most wonderful qualities: it is utterly contagious. Inspiring Generosity is an invitation to savor a sampling of the very best inspirations on the subject of generosity. It includes fourteen contemporary stories of "generosity heroes" whose lives have been transformed by the power of generosity. Sprinkled throughout these stories are writings and quotes from Shakespeare, Hafiz, Emily Dickinson, George Eliot, Wendell Berry, Sharon Olds, Naomi Shibab Nye, Donald Justice, Winston Churchill, Mother Teresa, Maya Angelou, Gandhi, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., John Steinbeck, James Joyce, Leo Tolstoy, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, Goethe, Seneca, Albert Schweitzer, Anne Frank, and many others.

Through a broad scope of quotations, poems, and true-life stories, Inspiring Courage offers inspiration to help us authentically live life to the fullest, even against all odds. How can we manage to move forward in the face of hardship, when the odds aren’t in our favor? Inspiring Courage offers us a beautiful companion to the challenges of daily life—it is a book of inspiration and a resource for finding strength when the very notion of courage seems unfathomable. This collection of quotations, poetry, and uplifting accounts of ordinary acts of life-changing courage—often in the face of fear—are carefully selected to open us up to living life fully, from a place of strength and love. In this book we are inspired to all kinds of courage: courage to live a human life, courage to face disaster, and courage to help an ailing world. Included are stories of ordinary people who have faced illness, loss, and discrimination, and taken on political challenges and the environmental crisis. Selected poems and quotations include figures like Martin Luther King, Jr., Mark Twain, the Buddha, Maya Angelou, Rainer Maria Rilke, Pema Chodron, Rumi, Wendell Berry, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and many more.

God’s purpose in calling us to lives of faithful stewardship and generosity isn’t merely to sustain the church. Rather, the continued existence of the church is essential to sustain the powerful, transformative message of our faith. Lovett H. Weems Jr. and Ann A. Michel present the Bible’s redeeming and transforming message of generosity, stewardship, and abundance in this comprehensive guide to Christian financial responsibility. The book provides practical advice to pastors and church leaders tasked with funding ministry and inspiring others toward responsible stewardship and greater generosity. It addresses church fundraising, stewardship campaigns, budgets, financing capital needs, endowments, and innovative approaches to economic sustainability. The book integrates the theological and practical dimensions of finance to empower congregational leaders to think critically about stewardship from a Christian perspective, help them use their personal and congregational possessions in the light of faith.

Are you ready to embark on an inspiring journey to discover one of the greatest, most overlooked superpowers? In Generosity Wins, you’ll follow along with aspiring executive Emily Gardner on her quest to discover the superpower—generosity—and to inspire others to embrace it as well. Written in a business fable style, Generosity Wins blends a page-turning story with an abundance of true-life insights from some of today’s top business and thought leaders. While Emily is a fictitious character, the highly accomplished people she interviews are very real. The hard-won expertise, wisdom, and abundant science they share with Emily are sure to resonate with you as you navigate your own career and personal life journey. Along the way you will discover: Why generosity is a superpower and how to use it. Generosity’s role in fostering purpose-fueled happiness, emotional well-being, confidence, and passion. How generosity, with no expectation of return from the recipient, ignites your success. Why generosity will define the next generation of leaders. How the benefits of generosity compound for the giver, the receiver, and communities. Why technology is accelerating the benefits and power of generosity. Authors Monte Wood and Nicole Roberts passionately believe that generosity is core to who and what it means to be uniquely human. The clear path they chart in these pages begins with one insight; you have the power. Prepare yourself for radical new perspectives and a profoundly positive impact far greater than you imagined. Be courageous!

The general practices related to church funding aren’t producing the same results they have in the past. There is a general acceptance that something has changed but little talk or interest is coming from traditional church leader training sources such as denominational entities and seminaries. Pastors are largely left to their own devices to “figure this out.” They need a lifeline. While some churches are experiencing exponential growth, some churches - despite their best efforts - have been unsuccessful at moving beyond survival mode. Coupled with increased competition from other nonprofits and a decline in the commitment to give to the church first, churches risk losing the funding they need. A growing number of leaders are beginning to discover there is another way and are struggling to understand what makes one church generous and another not. There is a need in the market to offer a simple, working definition of “generosity” and reveal the “secrets” some church leaders seem to have simply stumbled upon which are resulting in unexplainable ministry growth and unprecedented church funding even in the midst of tough economic times. The content of this material was developed and refined by Jim Sheppard and Chris Willard through years of ministry leadership in the local church, consulting with church leaders across a broad spectrum of church settings, and through participation in and leadership of the Generous Church Leadership Community facilitated by Leadership Network. Of particular benefit will be the collection of observations and best practices gleaned during the Generous Church Leadership Community that originated within real-life church leadership situations and scenarios by highlighting specific challenges, methods, and successes.

Improve yourself – and your workplace – withGRIT Leading With GRIT is a practical and proven guide fortransforming the workplace, offering pragmatic insight onvalue-based strategies that improve the individual and thebusiness. Based on the author's proprietary principles of GRIT– Generosity, Respect, Integrity, and Truth – this bookdescribes how working toward individual improvement produces betterorganizational results than traditional approaches that focus oncollective improvement. Readers are introduced to GRIT with aframework that can be applied in any workplace scenario, and areprovided with strategies for applying GRIT to communication andintra-office operations. Each chapter includes activities thatassist with implementation, moving beyond the theoretical frameworkcommonly taught in business school to provide a more practicalapproach to personal development. The principles of GRIT are exactly the sort of instructionleaders are encouraging, and companies worldwide are willing toinvest large sums. The approach stands out for its unique, personalapproach that melds values-based principles with business conceptsto produce spectacular results. This book is the complete guide toGRIT, with an emphasis on practicality. Learn why the principles of GRIT have proven so effective Apply GRIT in communications for better productivity Discover how each person impacts those around them Cultivate a positive, constructive attitude for less stress andmore growth GRIT helps readers make themselves and their workplaces happierand healthier, decreasing stress, sparking personal growth,retaining employees, and developing mindful leaders. In essence,Leading With GRIT is a handbook for improving the bottomline by improving the lives and outlook of those who contribute toit.

Rich with inspiring stories and practical suggestions, I Like Giving will help you create a lifestyle of generosity. Choosing to live a generous life can transform you and the world around you. Something incredible happens when giving becomes your own idea, not something you do out of duty or obligation. When you move from awareness to action, miracles happen. As you make giving a lifestyle, you’ll realize you’re not only loving life more, you’re also creating a more generous world— a better world for all of us. Inside you’ll find tips about: • Thinking of giving as something you get to do, not something you have to do. • How to raise kids with a sensitivity to others’ needs. • Making a difference without being a millionaire. • Practical ideas for ways to give to people around you every day. I Like Giving shows you how to experience the joy of giving because we all have something to give. Beyond money or things, giving can be a listening ear, a touch, or simply the gift of time. Giving is living.