The Daily Meaning
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Anti Tipping Fatigue
In a culture where people are experiencing tipping fatigue, push the pendulum all the way to the other side via outlandish giving through the lens of tipping.
“Mom, Can You Take Me To Wal-Mart?”
Finn steps into Sarah's SUV after a long day of 3rd-grade life. He heaves his bookbag over his shoulder, then slings his coat. It's finally time for him to relax, grab a snack, and do his typical Finny things. This day, though, he requested a detour: "Mom, can you take me to Wal-Mart?"
Grocery Carts and Little Signals
There was a grocery cart return station 20 feet from our cars, but he decided to just haphazardly disregard his cart out in the open?!?!
The Cure for Self-Pity
Our lives were in such disarray that I felt more like Scott Calvin taking Charlie to Denny's on Christmas Eve than anything that resembled a happy little family.
Let the Truth Be the Truth
In total, it's reported that Taylor Swift gave away $197 million in bonuses over a few days. $750,000 to dancers, $100,000 to truck drivers, and so on. Just like that, Taylor gave away nearly $200,000,000 (out of her own pocket) above and beyond what her team was already paid for their jobs. Unreal!
Extravagant With a Capital "E"
When it comes to giving, it's not enough to give just enough. When done with the right heart and for the right reasons, giving should be extravagant. It should be sacrificial. It should create a moment.
Small Gifts, Huge Punch
I rarely know the impact, if any, I'm having along the way. So when I receive something like this, it's like hooking an IV directly to my soul.
Screwing Up My Own Recipe
In other words, I lived a "normal" life and fell right into the hands of our culture's toxic perspectives. I was the epitome of our modern materialism.
Exercise the Muscle
During my 10-year stretch as a youth group leader, I taught hundreds of high school students about generosity. It was always one of my favorite topics to engage students with! In one of my favorite talks, I discussed a concept I like to call "exercising the giving muscle."
I Like I Like Car
While I don't remember all the particular moments and experiences that triggered the generosity journey within me, I do remember stumbling upon a YouTube channel called I Like Giving.
Where Should It Go?
I have a tough question for my fellow Christian friends. If everything we have belongs to God (a core principle of our faith), why would we give all our assets to our family when we die?
Make It Hurt a Little
His face immediately formed a look of disgust. "Why would you just give them away?!?! You could have gotten at least $600 for them!!!"
The No Lending Rule
Sarah and I have a rule in our marriage that's so engrained into our being that I forget it's considered weird. We will NEVER lend money to someone. Nobody. No amount. For any reason. There's not a single exception we would ever make to this rule.
The Many Paths to Neither-ville
The primary reason for Neithers being Neithers is a core belief in personal responsibility, independence, and autonomy. That's 100% true, and I'll die on that hill. However, that's not the only path to Neither-ville; there are many paths! That's why our collective aggregation toward Nither-ville is so pervasive.
Givers, Receivers, Neithers, and Eithers
We got a problem. I know that's not correct grammar, but it sounds better. We got a problem!
Riddle Me This
For the first time in my life, I stumbled into someone (on TikTok of all places) discussing a topic I've spent far too much time thinking about. It's a topic I've had opinions on for decades, and finally, it's part of the public discourse!
Just Notice
That single exchange tremendously moved the needle for me. Their actions didn't cost them anything, and yet, made all the difference in the world.