i've moved to davidleong.info

mother's day came and went, but i did manage to make my first purchase at living generously, something i hope will become a more regular habit with all the gift buying occasions approaching soon. considering the numerous weddings, birthdays, and other such consumer driven activities on the horizon, i may have a whole flock of livestock before the summer is over!

i bought my mom a goat for a ugandan village, a gift that i'm told will keep on giving for years to come before it ends up in a stew. it will produce milk, fertilizer, and other goats for bartering... or more stew. yesterday i received the gift card and informational brochure from living generously, and i was impressed with the simple, but well articulated vision of this organization:

'hurricanes hit america. earthquakes shake asia. aids orphans africa. we feel helpless. we give what we can. but as soon as the image fades from our tv screens, we return to our daily lifestyles. what would happen if we chose to change; to make generosity a daily principle instead of a reaction to crisis? living generously aims to challenge, inspire, and empower you to make a difference in the world by making small changes to the way you and your friends live your lives. in europe alone, $355 billion is spent on christmas presents each year- why not create a gift list with a difference? instead of accumulating more stuff, you will know you have given something that matters to someone somewhere who really needed it. by giving up on getting, you get to give so much more.'

in a culture where we are so often esteemed by the frivolous accessories we've accumulated in life, it's my prayer that living generously would be one among many ways to help us remember the importance of simplifying our lives, caring for those in need, and embodying compassion and justice. imagine if just one church for one year chose to buy gifts for those who really need them the most... what a powerful witness that would be to a world in need.

'we make a living by what we get... we make a life by what we give.'