Today was my first Sunday back in church since Easter.  What a difference it has made already.

Pastor Chris explained to us that God has called him to have the church paid off by February of 2010…all 8.5 million dollars.  As impossible as it may seem, the church has all the faith we need to get this done.  I have no doubt that Christ the Rock will come through.  With the church paid off completely, we can give all of our focus to giving to our community, changing our community, and setting an example for other people to follow.

I don’t think I have ever been prouder of my church than I was today.  Some generous soul donated $30,000 to get the ball rolling on this, and a brilliant mind thought of the perfect way to use it.  Volunteers handed out envelopes to every person in the congregation.  Anywhere from $5 to $500 was found in them.  The catch?  We cannot use this money for personal things, or give it to people we know.  Rather, we are to go out into our community and give it to people who need it.

This was based on an event that happened at Starbucks not too long ago.  Someone in the drive-thru line payed for the coffee that the person behind them ordered.  A nice gesture, but do you know what was so amazing about this? It went on for four hours.  FOUR HOURS of people paying for each other’s coffee.  I have to wonder how it changed their days.  Those unsuspecting people grabbing a quick cup of coffee were greeted with a surprise at the drive-thru window and they passed the gift on.  Imagine this in a larger perspective. It could change our city, our country, and even our world.  As Chris said, something as small as $50 may help someone keep their car for another month.  $500 could save someone from foreclosure. $5 could change someone’s view on life completely.

I received money in an envelope today, and it isn’t mine to keep. But let me tell you, I have never gotten so much joy from even a paycheck than I got from that small envelope.  I am going to give.  Christ the Rock  is going to GIVE.  After all, isn’t that what a church is supposed to do?  Give back to the community.  Let God shine through us by giving hope to others in need.  God is all over this…I think other churches should be, too.  This event should not just belong to Christ the Rock. It should permeate through these cities and towns until all the people of all the churches are giving.

I mean, how blessed are we to have the ability to give back? Let’s take this big give to the next level.