LeTourneau NOW, Volume 24, Number 4, May 1970 Page: 3
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Capsule Adventures In Giving and Living
In his book entitled TRY GIV-
ING YOURSELF AWAY, publish-
ed by Prentice-Hall, Inc., Engle-
wood Cliffs, New Jersey, Mr. David
Dunn tells of t h e gratifying
experiences that have resulted
from this practice.
"Your giving-away will, of course,
have to be done in your own indi-
vidual way, based on the things you
have to give.
Fortunately each of us has a dif-
ferent assortment of gifts, so there
could never be anything standardized
about giving - away, even though
every one of us were to take up the
hobby. Some of us have spare time;
others have surplus mental or physi-
cal energy; others have a special art,
skill or talent; still others have ideas,
imagination, the ability to organize,
the gift of leadership.
All of us can give appreciation,
kindness, interest, loyalty, under-
standing, encouragement, tolerance
- and a score of other little portions
of ourselves. Each of us should "ma-
jor" in the items in which we are
"long," and fill in with the others.
Perhaps you will catch the idea
faster if I explain how I practice my
hobby.
If I particularly enjoy a book, a
magazine article, or a play, I write a
note to the author, telling him or her
of my enjoyment. Sometimes I re-
ceive an appreciative acknowledg-
ment; more often I do not. It doesn't
matter in the least; I am not collect-
ing autographs; I am just keeping my
giving - away machinery in good
working order.
*5 *
One Sunday afternoon I fell to
thinking of an elderly gentleman in
failing health whom I had not seen
for a long time.
"Why not surprise him by calling
him up?" I asked myself.
"I was thinking of you and I want-
ed to have a little chat," I explained
when he came to the phone. We had
an enjoyable five-minute visit.
His wife told me, a few days later,
that my call had done more for him
than a whole bottle of his tonic. "You
know," she explained, "the telephone
almost never rings for him any
more."
Tiny episodes, all of these; but theyare collectors' items in my hobby of
giving myself away.
You may do such things yourself,
quite naturally, without stopping to
think of them as "gifts." If so, you
are to be congratulated. But, judging
from my own experience, I'll wager
that you could do more of them, if
you would make a real hobby of self-
giving. And I'll promise that you'll
be happier - in proportion as you
give."
Should not we, who have received
the greatest gift of all, Eternal Life
Through Christ, be eager, first to
share the Gospel with all people and
also follow Mr. Dunn's example of
practical service. -Editor
Joyful Commitment
It is interesting to notice that two
different words are used in the New
Testament for "steward."
The first one views the steward as
a guardian. He may have the care,
tutelage or guardianship of children
and administer the household (Gal.
4:2; Matt. 20:8).
The other word stresses the fact
that the steward is a manager, deal-
ing primarily with property. The
owner would entrust him with the
management of his affairs, taking
care of receipts, disbursements and
other financial affairs. The steward
was a trustee of another person's
property.
Many Christians have been deeply
concerned with the first aspect of
stewardship, the responsibility to
share Christ with others. At the same
time - and to make this possible -
a corresponding emphasis must be
placed on the second aspect of stew-
ardship, related to the management
of treasure, time and talent. Both as-
pects of stewardship must be given
thoughtful consideration in order to
be a "faithful steward" (I Cor. 4:2).
The latter needs to be stressed. The
following is a striking description of
stewardship: IT IS WHAT I DO
AFTER I HAVE SAID: I BELIEVE.
In one of his parables Christ speaks
of a nobleman who gave to each of
his servants "ten pounds" (perhaps
$2,000) to invest while he was gone.
One servant "played it safe," did not
invest nor gain, and refused to make
his master's interest his own. He is
condemned, because he could at least
have put the money in the bank toearn interest - and the high rates of
interest paid in those days should
not be overlooked.
In another parable Christ mentions
a man going into another country,
entrusting talents (about $1,000 per
talent) to his servants, distributing
them in proportion to their ability. It
is the servant who had only (!) re-
ceived one "talent" who failed. Per-
haps he was negligent because of the
apparent insignificance of his trust
. . . but he is without excuse. The
"one-talent-man" is condemned as
"wicked" and "slothful." He did not
waste his master's goods, he was not
in debt, but he failed to plan and act
-failed as a steward. Ingenious love
was absent. He viewed his master as
a "hard man." Such a caricature of
God led to fear and sterility.
Peter emphasizes that every Chris-
tian is a, steward, and as such we will
all be called to give an account of our
stewardship.
Both aspects of stewardship are im-
portant. To witness and to share
Christ with others does not absolve
us from the stewardship of money; to
support the Lord's work financially
does not free from the obligation of
personal involvement.
STEWARDSHIP
MEANS THAT GRACE
IS TRANSFORMED INTO SERVICE
AND USED IN EVERYDAY LIFE
The total obligation of Christian
stewardship can be realized today in
new and imaginative ways. There are
better methods than to "hide the tal-
ent in the ground" or to "lay the
pound in the napkin," or perhaps for
that matter, "put the money into the
bank."
Stewardship is a privilege, a re-
sponsibility and a challenge. Stew-
ardship involves the total man. Once
again,
STEWARDSHIP IS WHAT I DO
AFTER I HAVE SAID: I BELIEVE.
Excerpt from "Stewardship And Effective
Giving," Charitable Giving Publication
By Permission
To learn how to participate in
the R. G. LeTourneau Memorial
and Development Fund-write:
LeTourneau College
Development Office
P. O. Box 7505
Longview, Texas 75601
A facts folder will be sent by
return mail upon your request.
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LeTourneau College. LeTourneau NOW, Volume 24, Number 4, May 1970, periodical, May 1970; Longview, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth1527157/m1/3/: accessed July 17, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu.; crediting LeTourneau University Margaret Estes Library.