Fundraising visualized

If you were to visually represent your fundraising, what would you draw?

A marathon runner?  A line chart?  A clock?  A sad face?  Maybe a treasure hunt?

As for me, my fundraising probably looks most like a drawing that one of my sons made for me recently:

If you look closely, you'll notice that there is some degree of organization and purpose.  Most of the colors have bounds.  Some are localized and some spread out more.  A couple colors and patterns are repeated.  Not too many areas are drawn overtop of others.  But beyond that, it's quite random.  Nothing really looks like anything we'd recognize in the world.  It's valuable because one of my sons did his best to draw something nice for me, but it's not worth much otherwise.

Yeah, that's what my fundraising usually looks like.  I try to stay organized.  I try to do each of the things I want to do using each of the "colors" God has given me.  I try to vivdly explain my vision in compelling, winsome ways for prospective donors such that they're left in awe and I'm left with monthly pledges.  But, if I'm honest, the pictures I paint probably look like the semi-random, mildly colorful doodlings of a child.  They're valuable because one of God's sons did his best to draw something nice for Him, but it's not worth much otherwise.

Yet... the support comes in anyway.  Why?  Because God doesn't use our immature scrawlings as the basis for our support; He uses the exquisite skills and palette of Jesus Christ.

For by [Jesus] all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things were created through Him and for Him. -Colossians 1:16

[Jesus] upholds the universe by the word of His power.  -Hebrews 1:3

Though my life and work look chaotic, uncertain and occasionally childish, His life and work is flawless, deliberate and absolutely kingly.  Though I regularly struggle to say something effective, Jesus spoke words made up of power itself.  Though I spend hours and days wondering what in the world to do, Jesus perfectly created the world itself in hours and days.

God's Son did His best to draw something nice for Him - and whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise - that is the result.  A result that He credits to you and me.

So it's okay for us to admit that our best fundraising efforts are worth less than a child's scribbles - because Jesus takes that same canvas and powerfully transforms it, moment by moment, to look more like this:

Why I don't need help in fundraising

Fundraising is hard.  It's TOO hard, in fact, and the basic premises of this blog is that no Christian fundraiser can do it without the Lord's purposeful, ongoing intervention.  And so most blog entries are full of reminders about our need for Him.  To learn how that need works, we turn to the Bible.

In the Bible we see many exhortations to confidently trust in Christ's work, to hold fast to the faith, to do good works and, of course, to encourage ourselves when things get rough.  Consider this passage from Hebrews:

Therefore, since I have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for me through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since I have a great priest over the house of God, let me draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with my heart sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and my body washed with pure water. Let me hold fast the confession of my hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let me consider how to stir myself up to love and good works, encouraging myself, and all the more as I see the Day drawing near.    Hebrews 10:19-25, MSV (Me Standard Version)

We are so desperately in need of God's grace during fundraising, and this passage helps us see our need to remember truth and act on it regularly.

Now, don't misunderstand me.  Just because I said that WE are desperate and that WE see OUR need, I don't want you to assume that WE actually need to interact at all.  WE (that is, you and I, individually) have everything we need in Christ.  Well... and I suppose I need my support team too.  And once in a while, hotels.  And mechanics.  But mostly Jesus.  Cause he died for you!  And me!  Individually!

There are some Christians who claim that God also gave us community to help address our needs.  But you and I (individually) know that's not true!  Community was God's design for church services and the occasional small group Bible study, so long as it doesn't get too personal.  The point of such a Bible study is so that the person in the group who knows the most about Jesus can explain to the rest of us (individually) how we (individually) should understand it.

"Community Christians", as I'll call them, will claim that God's trinitarian nature itself is proof of God's approval of community.  What they fail to realize is that God is DIFFERENT than us!  I mean, you and me, that is.  Like, individually.  And I'm all for relying on each member of the Trinity for my growth in holiness and my raising of funds.  So when I get discouraged, run low on contacts or find myself getting bitter, I just need to force myself to remember what God did for me.  Then things get better!

Well, naturally, things don't get better easily!  Cause my heart is deceitful and I'm often blind to my sin.  But, not TOTALLY blind, of course.  I see most of it.  Or, at least a good bit of it.  Cause I've confessed to plenty of sin and every once in a while I yell at someone.  So I just ask God to help me see it, and every few months I do.  Like when I yell at someone and then remember it next time I pray.  I'm still trying to figure out why I yell here and there, but I'm sure it will come to me as I seek Christ.  I'll just keep "considering how to stir myself up to love and good works" and "encouraging myself" as Hebrews says.  The yelling will eventually go away.  Just like my other sins.

Anyhow, those Community Christians don't really know what they (together!) are talking about.  They read translations written by OTHER Christians.  Did you know that most translations are written by big groups of so-called scholars?  If they were really scholars, they'd each write their OWN translation.  Now, I realize I'm a little hypocritical here, cause I don't ACTUALLY know Hebrew or Greek.  But I'm working on teaching myself.  And then I'll know for sure what the Bible really says.  So I'm not worried.  I already know most of it, and I don't need others telling me what it says.

Okay, so the main point of today's post is that I don't need help in fundraising because Jesus is enough.  Hopefully I've made that point clear to us.  I mean, you.  Clear to you.  Cause I already figured it out.  And now you have too.  So, get back to work, and remember: rely on Jesus and no one else - and keep encouraging yourself in that, doing so all the more as you see the Day drawing near!  What a day that will be for us!

Individually, of course.

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(Aren't you glad that Hebrews isn't quite written that way?  But... do we act like it is?)

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.    Hebrews 10:19-25, ESV

[Update: Since some people have been worried that I was being serious in this post, let me assure you that the Me Standard Version is not something I actually advocate using =)  To get a more straightforward view on what I actually think, check out this post.]

Judgmentalism

I'm a judgmental person. I confess this to my great shame. I have brought it before the Lord on many occasions and, by His grace, I've seen growth - but it is a struggle I've had for as long as I can remember and I expect to have it for a long time to come.

This blog entry is therefore written primarily to myself, though it may also benefit others who struggle similarly.

I have judged just about everyone I know for one reason or another, including my wife and my dearest friends. It should thus come as no surprise that I judge my donors as well.

I have judged donors for not being faithful to give as they've said, for not getting back to me as they'd promised and for not calling their friends as they'd committed to. I have judged them for talking too much and for talking too little. I have judged their marriages and their other relationships. I have judged them for how their children have behaved and I have judged  them for how their pets have behaved. I have judged them for what their homes have looked like and how organized their kitchens have been. I have judged donors for their reactions to my presentations, my stories, my financial "ask" and (wretched man that I am!) I have even judged them for how much they have given.

It scares me that, upon reading that last paragraph, I can think of much more to add. If anyone ever asks me why I continue to cling to the cross of Christ daily, perhaps I can simply show them this blog entry.

Why am I writing all this out? Two reasons:

1. That I can be reminded of my desperate need of God's grace.
2. That I can be reminded of the basic truth below that I so easily forget.

The truth: I ought never judge someone until I've walked a mile in their shoes.

Here are practical examples I've seen over the years of that truth in action:

• One couple who didn't give monthly as they'd committed to had failed to pay their electric bill more times than they'd failed to support me.
• One couple who didn't call their friends as they'd committed to told me that the wife had just been diagnosed with cancer. They still called for me the following week.
• One couple whose marriage was falling apart had no solid, Bible-teaching church nearby. (I have a solid, Bible-teaching church five minutes away and I STILL fail to love my wife as I ought.)
• One older donor who talked too much has a husband (also her pastor) that doesn't listen to her. I did.
• One donor who talked too little grew up with parents who rarely said a kind thing to him, so he learned to keep his mouth shut. The fact he spoke at all to me was a huge step of faith for him.
• There are too many examples to list regarding kids. You simply can not know about someone's child-rearing situation - even if you had a dozen kids of your own. Every child and every situation is unique.
• A donor whose house is messy spends two nights a week serving at the local food pantry.
• A donor whose kitchen was unorganized regularly invites homeless people for meals.
• And what can I say about people giving...?

And [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury and watched the people putting money into the offering box. Many rich people put in large sums. And a poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which make a penny. And he called his disciples to him and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the offering box. For they all contributed out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on." (Mark 12:41-44 ESV)

The point is that I've wrongly judged people for all manner of reasons - having never walked a mile in their shoes. The fact is, though, that I could never walk a mile, let alone a step, in someone else's shoes. But Jesus did:

Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV)

And right there is my hope: despite my wickedness - my ongoing wickedness - I can draw near to the throne of grace with confidence, and there I will find sweet mercy and rich grace.

If you've read this far, would you check in with me from time to time? I need others to ask me about the judgmentalism in my heart - and I also need others to remind me of the mercy and grace that awaits me when I repent (1 John 1:9)

If you're looking for help in this area too, stick around. My hope is that the lessons I learn will flow out into this blog as well.

Let's grow to love mercy together.