December 26, 2016

The hourglass of 2016 is running out of sand.

It doesn’t get any better than 2016: Christmas and New Years are on Sundays, so folks can do their holiday thing with other people on the weekends, reserving the week between for pure, unadulterated self-interest, for most people.

Proof: send the drone you got yesterday for Christmas over the local mall, and look at the images appearing on your screen monitor. The traffic back-up is epic: fighting for access to the Consumer’s Cathedral is just a preview to the “early shopper specials” awaiting the faithful inside.

It’s a huge week for spending, but it’s also the seven-day window when philanthropy is most likely practiced in America. Retail spending is easier to track, but the best guess is that over 40% of charitable giving happens during December each year, with the last week – beating the tax-year deadline – representing the final surge.

We have these conversations every week, all year long. My Point of View comes into your life on Mondays, and the chance to look together at life through the lens of a biblical worldview is one of my continuing contributions to our work with leaders.

You’re aware of what we do with The Master’s Program: we help Christian leaders explore, expose and – ultimately – exploit their Kingdom Calling. Those photo teasers that come every week – on the bottom of the Point of View – allow you to “click” and be redirected to learn more about what we do for leaders like you, all year long.

We’re a non-profit ministry organization – legally designated as a 501(c)3 entity – dependent on people we serve to support us in what we do. Because our partners are most likely to do their giving during December every year, this is the only month we solicit your stewardship for the work we do.

You’ve got year-end challenges of your own, even as you try to squeeze some holiday happiness out of these last few days of 2016. On your to-do list this week is some last-minute giving decisions to finish your philanthropy for the year.

Would you take a minute to scan our Ministry Montage by clicking here? We have an incredible catalog of emphases that have sprung from 20 years spent investing our ministry into leaders who are now leveraging their lives for impact that is eternal.

After you get a sense of our scope and significance – measured in those partners who have been launched through their TMP experience – would you consider including us in your year-end giving? You can click here to see your options; any of them will allow you to receive a receipt to include in your 2016 tax preparation.

Desperate? Not at all. Dependent? Utterly so. We serve friends like you, all year… and then trust friends like you to help restore the reserves we’ve expended all year in doing that work. Our need during December is a bit over $350,000; that’s our year-to-date shortfall. For 20 years, God has used friends like you to meet that challenge and put us on-course for a new year of service to leaders in the Kingdom.

No pressure; just honest disclosure: asking your friends for God’s money – placed in their hands to steward on His behalf – is humbling, but worthwhile. I’m making the request; you’ll decide your response. Whatever your decision, thanks for allowing me to have these conversations with you each week.

I’ll see you here next Monday!

Bob Shank