Giving-The Sacred Art: Creating a Lifestyle of Generousity

by Lauren Tyler Wright MDiv

Overview

Practical tips and inspiring thoughts for living a life of abundance and spirit-filled generosity.

Giving of your resources is a profound act that can change your life and the lives of those around you. With gentleness and wisdom, this practical guide outlines the ways in which cultivating a lifestyle of generosity can be a source of personal transformation, spiritual renewal and deep joy. You will learn about:

• Giving as Worship—how the major faith traditions offer reverence through giving
• Giving as Stewardship—managing resources for maximum benefit
• Giving as Charity—providing for others out of a sense of compassion
• Giving as Justice—creating righteous equality in our world

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594732249
Publisher:	TURNER PUB CO
Publication date:	07/01/2008
Series:	The Art of Spiritual Living
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.50(d)

About the Author

Lauren Tyler Wright, MDiv, former program manager at the Lake Institute on Faith & Giving at the Center of Philanthropy at Indiana University, is a researcher and seminar leader on the topic of generosity in faith communities.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Giving as a Sacred Art? ix

1 Giving as Worship: Responding to God's Generosity with Joyful Gratitude 1
2 Giving as Stewardship: Managing Our Abundance 21
3 Giving as Holy Obligation: Transforming Identity through Discipline 57
4 Giving as Redemption: Restoring Money as Life-Giving Legal Tender 77
5 Giving as Charity: Providing for the Needy with Compassion 95
6 Giving as Justice: Believing in and Working toward Righteous Equality 113

Appendices 131
Appendix A—How Much Money Do I Receive Each Year? 132
Appendix B—How Much Money Do I Spend Each Year? 133
Appendix C—What's Left? Debt or Extra-abundance? 138
Appendix D—Creating a Budget 139

Notes 141
Glossary 149
Suggestions for Further Reading 153
Resources 159
Acknowledgments 168

Editorial Reviews

"A bountiful resource for anyone interested in nurturing a lifestyle of charity and justice, as well as joy and discipline in response to God's own spirit of generosity. [Offers] plentiful treasures from many faith traditions, practical wisdom and questions that will challenge any reader to think and act afresh about God’s abundance and the art of giving."
—John R. Wimmer, program director, Religion Division, Lilly Endowment, Inc.

“Elegantly and thoroughly demonstrates that giving is a boon to both the giver and to the receiver, that both acts affect not only what we do with possessions and money but also how we interact with other people, from the most mundane encounters to our broadest goals in life. An enriching feast for us all!”
—Rabbi Elliot N. Dorff, author, The Jewish Approach to Repairing the World (Tikkun Olam): A Brief Introduction for Christians

“Profound knowledge may accompany a university degree, however, it always accompanies the one who is generous. Generosity as a spiritual discipline will bring you home to your full humanity. [This book] creates the most direct path! Enjoy!”
—Nancy Corcoran, CSJ, founder, grass/roots: Women’s Spirituality Center; author, Secrets of Prayer: A Multifaith Guide to Creating Personal Prayer in Your Life

“For anyone who has ever thought about 'giving back’ out of their abundance, but has put it off…. Helps us see that by intentionally attending to why and how we give (or not), our giving can become much more than a duty. Offers plenty of helpful advice and strategies in this eminently readable book.”
—Timothy Sandoval, PhD, author, Money and the Way of Wisdom: Insights from the Book of Proverbs; assistant professor of Hebrew Bible, Chicago Theological Seminary

From the Publisher

It is hard to make individual philanthropy, a sacrificial virtue mandated by theA major world religions, sound enticing, inspirational and even occasionally pleasurable-but this book often succeeds in doing just that. "Generosity can give you joy," asserts Wright, a researcher on faith and family at Indiana University. In this refreshingly candid volume on the transformative power of sharing one's material, emotional and spiritual wealth, the author ponders the theological, psychological and social significance of giving. It is many things, she says: worship, stewardship, discipline and anA actA of redemption, charity and justice. Less a scholarly tome than a practical treatise, Wright's book offers multiple resources, including worksheets, exercises, quotations from some of the world's faith traditions and a bibliography. Readers of all faiths, or none, will find many useful suggestions for incorporating giving into their lives. The writer's willingness to share specific examples of change from her own life is both helpful and provocative, underlining her assertion that giving offers the potential to change not only the individual but ultimately the world. (Sept.)

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