Last Sunday, Jackie spoke about tithing and gleaning as God given spiritual practices of generosity. She read about gleaning from Deuteronomy 24:18-22 and you can also read about it in the book of Ruth. The basic principle behind gleaning was and is to “set aside a portion of what you do for those who can’t afford what you do.”
We have heard from several of you but wondered what we, the body of IBCers, have to glean. What do we have as IBCer’s to glean and how can we network it for its greatest kingdom impact.? Let’s hear from you!
We would love to learn from the real world, practical things that you’ve discovered.
russ
The idea of applying the gleaning concept in the context of my life is very compelling. I think it would be cool to always have a gleaning 'track' going in my life… perhaps personally and in my job/ministry.
So I find myself asking…
In what way are others able to glean from my life/skills/talents/time/resources personally?
In what way is my place of employment applying this principle? What could/should we be 'leaving in the fields?'
In what way is my local church family applying this principle?
I find this concept to be a powerful antidote to the strange sense of irresponsibility and even guilt I have sometimes felt when I wonder if I've been taken advantage of, or been foolish in my willingness to give.
Nate
I like the three areas you considered and I appreciated Jackie talking about it this past weekend. So much of what we hear in church can be applied to all areas of our lives or in the least cause a re-examination of them. Not that its easy. Also, I'll take this opportunity to say I'm glad Jackie is on the teaching staff at IBC. The last two weeks she has brought messages distilled from scripture and delivered in a way that got me thinking further.
russware
And now I have an example. We just had a pastor and his wife here for a few days for a personal retreat. They were leaving the church in Indiana where they had been for 20+ years to pastor a church here in Colorado. This pastor's father passed away somewhat suddenly as well a few weeks ago. They called up looking for some quiet space and we were able to provide such on the margins of what we normally do here at the camp.