I Gambled Away My Missions Offering
That’s right, true story. You heard it here first on Connective Tissue. This is the first time I’ve confessed this to more than a few people, but it’s time to come clean. I took the money that had been set aside for the Christmas Missions Offering, and I lost it in a poker tournament. But you need to know two things:
- I was five.
- My 17 year old brother made me do it.
It seemed like a great idea at the time. My brother (awesome Christian now, not so much at the time) was going to teach the little man how to play poker. Little man had no money of his own, but he did have a jar of pennies, nickels, and dimes for Lottie Moon (what we called the CMO back in the day). David took the shirt off of my back, as well as the change from my jar, and not one red cent was left over for the missionaries.
Oh sure, that’s a funny story (and did I mention 100% true?), but we do the same thing today…
- “I wanted to give, but with the economy being what it is…”
- “I intended to give, but then the transmission went out…”
- “What offering? Hang on, I’m placing the order for my Venti non-fat caramel brulee latte.”
- “I need that money more than the stinkin’ missionaries.”
I said on Sunday that we are the richest people on earth. We not only have a responsibility to give, we have a mandate to do so. Maybe you have been a victim of the economy or your transmission did go out or you did spend all your disposable income on lattes or whatever. But now is the time to plan for next year.
Please don’t hear this as a legalistic rant. We don’t give to missions so that God will love us more. We don’t give to missions so that the Campus Pastor will yell at us less. We give to missions out of the overflow of what God has given to us. We plan for it, we sacrifice for it, and we envision what God can do when your dollars and my dollars combine to leave the Summit and go to the darkest places on earth.
You can give to the CMO online throughout the month of December, as well as give in our worship services (make sure your envelope is clearly designated). 100% of the funds given goes directly towards local, national, and international church planting and relief efforts.
But please, don’t try to double your offering in Vegas. Take it from me, it doesn’t always turn out that well.
