Zachary Middleton
Th.M Student
Dallas Theological Seminary

I will never forget, one specific moment working as a fundraiser for a non-profit organization (NPO); it was a moment I will describe as pure parental bliss. This moment occurred when a mother who had been previously approached by our organization surprisingly returned to generously give money to support our cause. However, during her return trip she sought to involve her family in the process. Her daughter who had been absent during her mother’s initial interaction with our group was now present to witness her mother’s big-hearted display of giving. The mother intentionally wanted her daughter to be present so that she could replicate in her daughter the personal stewardship practice of giving. In this article I would like to make a case for why we all should consider financially giving towards a purpose.

Give to set a model for your children.

Although what the woman did in the previous paragraph was rare, it echoes the advice shared by financial experts. Denver based philanthropic adviser and Denver Post columnist Bruce Deboskey gives this advice in his February 2011 column. Involving your children- young or grown – in your philanthropy is one of the best ways to pass on your values about community, giving back and helping others. Kids learn not only by example but also by actively participating in their family’s giving plan. This trend of instilling the principle of giving in our children is also seen in Dave Ramsey’s “Financial Peace Junior”. In this series a child is taught the value of not only working, spending, and saving but also the importance of giving at an early age. Personal Finance expert Suze Orman states it this way: “The single most important step in raising a money-wise child is simply for parents to be money-wise adults themselves”. In my personal life one of the hardest points of transition for me has been creating new stewardship norms as a (semi) independent young adult. I didn’t realize how much my personal expenditure patterns directly replicated my parents. I was brought up in a family that segmented a large portion of their resources to eating out; I segment a large portion of my resources to eating out. The same can be said about education, entertainment, leisure activities, and travel. Though I am fully responsible for the financial choices (be they good or bad) that I have made, there is no doubt that there is a direct correlation between my parents spending habits and my own. I encourage you to think about developing good stewardship patterns that include purposeful financial giving. Your children (or future children/sphere of influence) are watching and vicariously learning.

Give for your own personal happiness.

In the popular TED.com (TED is an acronym which stands for Technology, Entertainment, and Design) talk which featured Micheal Norton entitled “Micheal Norton: How to Buy Happiness”, we the importance of giving. During this video, the charismatic Harvard Business School professor unveils how the key to happiness is found in giving to others. He discovers this through a case study experiment, where he and his researching team give money to two similar groups of people in many different contexts. To the first group he tells the group they can only spend the money on themselves; the anti-socials. To the second group he tells them they must spend it on others; the pro-socials. One overarching theme seen in college students, in the corporate structure, on a recreational team, in first-world Canada, in third-world Uganda, and also seen in a 2008 Gallup poll of 136 countries is those who give to charities are happier than those who do not give. According to this research, money doesn’t buy happiness; however giving will make you happier.

Give to advance the purpose for which you feel passionate.

Lastly, I would encourage you to purposefully patronize your passion. What do you believe in? What is something you know, that you wish others knew and or practiced? What issue burdens your heart? What as Crawford Loritts would say has you up late at night weeping, pounding the kitchen table? What are you passionate about?

My passion (author’s perspective may not reflect the perspective of Straight Road International) is for Jesus Christ. I believe that “For God so loved the world, that he gave (my emphasis) his only Son (Jesus Christ), that whoever believes in him should not will not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16. So I believe that whenever I give to a God-glorifying cause, I am replicating the model my heavenly father has given me. My personal happiness though beneficial is merely a temporal fraction of the perpetual joy I receive through glorifying the creator who is the ultimate giver. I believe that my giving goes to no greater place than when it seeks to advance the kingdom of God through Jesus Christ.

I will charge you to consider giving financially to a cause that you care or are passionate about. As evidenced by your reading of this newsletter, you care about financial and health literacy. Consider gathering your family and friends together for the purpose of collectively financially supporting Straight Road International. Show your children (or direct circle of influence) how they can be happy in advancing the cause of health and financial stewardship.

Shenille Straker
President
Straight Road International

Your Environment Depends On It!

There are may things that I am looking forward to in my life or things that I would like to happen in my lifetime. One of those things is getting more people involved in recycling. I think that we as a society should have more people involved in recycling in our communities and all over the world. Just imagine how a world with garbage everywhere would look. How would you handle the feeling of dirt and filth surrounding you and others? There are many people that don’t like to be dirty by choice, so can you imagine being in an environment that is unclean?

All over the United States, many states and large corporations coordinate recycling days. These days are set aside to promote recycling in local neighborhoods and communities. Governmental organizations like the National Guard and the Air Force have also created initiatives aimed at helping reduce the amount of garbage by recycling.

Many people think, Why should we recycle? Pollution affects humans, animals, and the natural habitats that we live in. There have been numerous incidents where animals and other wildlife were negatively affected because of human pollution. We should take more responsibility about our actions and become more caring about the world we live in. We were placed here to temporarily watch God’s stuff. So what ever we have is not ours, but will also benefit generations to come. People should recycle if they want to live in a clean and healthy environment and also think about what they will be leaving for the next generation. I have a question: What do we do when all the natural resources are gone? That question is very hard to answer, because there is really nothing we can do. We can try to substitute for the missing materials, but even that can be difficult to do when certain natural resources cannot be replaced. So we must think very hard about what you do, and the outcome of it. It is quite often the little things we do in life that can be or lead to a big effect later on. So, we must learn to be responsible in our behaviors and watch out for our neighbors.

Recycling is very easy to do and can be fun at the same time. There are many other ways to recycle rather than turning in cans, even though that helps. There are recycling services in each major city and town that offers people the opportunity to volunteer to help in their efforts. These people are doing their part in helping the world to become a better and cleaner place. They sometimes schedule days to pick up recycled materials and take them to a local recycling center.

Rubber Safe Playground Company is one of the many companies that helps in the recycling effort by providing playground-shredded rubber. This method of recycling was designed to increase the cushioning effect of the ground if a child should fall. Other companies focus on restoring old houses into more efficient ones using recycled wood, tiles, roofing, etc. Recycling also saves natural resources by making products from recycled materials instead of virgin materials. When we recycle we conserve land and reduce the need to drill for oil and dig for minerals. These are but a few examples…

You can help make a big difference through recycling by starting small. All you have to do is just recycle and tell other people about it. Anything that helps reduce garbage and helps the environment is perfect. Don’t forget to use your creativity to make recycling fun if you think it is boring. Make sure to tell others how they can help to make a difference on earth and try to get them to recycle also.