Once again, no one is saying that talking about money is easy. But it doesn’t have to be nearly as scary or hard as it seems. Money, and how we use it, is a discipleship issue. I’m sure you want nothing more than to have faithful disciples.

Plan when you’ll compose those personal notes versus sending an email blast (and yes, keep hand-writing those first-time visitors). If nothing else, a handwritten card will delight and surprise in ways you may never expect.
 
Consider it your ministry of blessing others.

An email will be seen once for a few seconds (or accidentally deleted) as opposed to a hard copy letter that will be opened and left sitting around for a spouse or other family member to see.

A wedding, a newborn baby, the singing of an old spiritual, a meal shared in community, a beautiful sunset…these give us the energy to move on. To take up the mantel of hope. MLK’s dream, so eloquently revealed way back in 1963, cannot come about if we despair.
 

This calendar can be used in a variety of ways:

• Inspiring you to create a culture where gratitude is at the forefront and talking about money is not to be feared.

• As a jumping off point for you to add your own creativity.

• Keeping you on track to do certain things at certain times of the year.

We’re not ready to put 2025 all the way in the rearview mirror just yet.
 
There are old blog posts to review. It’s a good thing too – maybe you missed one. Maybe you deleted the post – by mistake, of course. Maybe, in the re-reading, you’ll be inspired to try something new this year.

Keep your congregation or nonprofit front and center. That last email you send may be just the encouragement someone needs to make that all-important gift.

Over the years, Thanksgiving has morphed into a time to express gratitude. And that is a beautiful thing. But maybe it’s also time for lamentation. Remembering those who came before us. Remembering whose land we are on. Remembering the harm that has been done.
 
And it’s time to tell the people around the table what they mean to us. Time to acknowledge all the good that is happening in the world. Time to thank the Creator for giving us another day to be of service.

Sitting down and writing a thank you letter takes time. It takes thought. It takes effort.

But to the person you are writing to, it might be just the note they need to read. It might become a cherished validation of who they are and what they mean to you. It lets them know they matter.

Sometimes I long for the day when giving was simpler. Write me a check! Put your cash donation in the giving envelope! But even as I wish it were so, you and I need to know about this because other non-profits are making it their business to understand and promote other (and sometimes financially smarter) ways of giving.