Will You Take the Thirty-day Generosity Challenge?
‘A stimulating and vital book that encourages Christians to treat giving both as ‘obligation’ and ‘opportunity’. A means of blessing others and being blessed ourselves.’
Rev Canon J. John
**Part of The Big Church Read**
At sixteen, Wendy Pawsey was pregnant, homeless and unemployed. Today, she is an Elim minister and Head of Giving at the Evangelical Alliance, with a successful career in wealth management behind her. Whether in personal, professional or pastoral capacities, few know better than Wendy the power of financial generosity to change lives!
In Generous with a Capital G, her accessible, thought-provoking and biblically rich new book, Wendy inspires us all to rethink the difference our money can make. Whether great or small, our financial resources can make a unique impact for the kingdom of God, and deepen our own relationship with the Lord.
Talking about money is something UK Christians, and especially church leaders, can find hard to do. But Paul was very happy to talk about a specific gift of giving – ‘if [your gift] is giving, then give generously’ (Romans 12:8). Of course, not everyone may think they have this gift. But just as we all ‘encourage’, even if that gift, also mentioned in 12:8, is not ours, so we can all grow in the grace of financial generosity. And if we understood the impact giving has on our own faith, we would be eager to do so!
‘Books on giving and being generous usually fall into one of two categories,’ comments Steve Long, former Senior Leader of Catch the Fire Church (Toronto). ‘Shame on you for not giving or “Here’s how to do it because it worked for me”. Generous with a Capital G is neither of these. Here stories of generosity are historical, accurate, simple, varied and inspirational. The challenge that Wendy presents is really an opportunity to catch the heartbeat of Father God who so loved the world that He gave.’
In her role with the Evangelical Alliance, Wendy loves working with people whose hearts are being opened to this ‘heartbeat of the Father’. ‘I get to meet people,’ she say, ‘when they’re being prompted by the Holy Spirit to give.’
For the book, Wendy surveyed Christians from across denominational backgrounds about their own financial giving, and the effect such generosity has had on them. These inspiring testimonies of changed hearts and lives illustrate how following the wide-ranging (and sometimes challenging!) biblical teaching that Wendy explores can impact us.
‘We all know the verse, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Corinthians 9:7),’ comments Wendy, ‘and my prayer is any changes you make to your personal giving, or any influence you exert in this area for the charity, organisation or church you represent, will be done wholeheartedly and joyfully, helping you grow as a disciple and positively impacting the world we inhabit in the name of Jesus. ’
At the end of the book, Wendy includes a Thirty-day Generosity Challenge, to encourage and enable readers to rethink their giving. Will you take the risk of being a cheerful giver, and discover the joy of being generous with a capital G?
‘Full of practical ideas, true stories and challenging questions, Wendy’s cheerful style inspires us to a generosity that will outlast our lifetime.’
Ruth Walker, mentoring and strategy specialist; non-executive director, charity board member and chair
Generous with a Capital G by Wendy Pawsey (ISBN: 9781912726837) is published by Instant Apostle and is available on 13th September 2024 from bookshops and online retailers. Christian Life, paperback, 192pp, £12.99.