When it comes to managing money, I struggle to know whether I’m doing all of the right things. Maybe that’s why I frequently peruse the latest financial advice and find myself asking what would Dave Ramsey do? Finance is one of those no-one-right-answer topics, along with relationships, career, parenting, and so on. Because of that, I know there is no way to prescribe some miracle pill of financial advice—especially at the ripe age of 22. However, one thing I do know is that giving is important (and fun!). But being the left-brained, analytics data junkie that I am, I crave practicality. I get it that I am supposed to give, but tell me when, where, why, and how. I love being told that I should live simply so that others might simply live, but when it comes to the dollars and cents, what does that even mean?

It gets lonely when you stop trying to keep up with the Jones’. This world of advertising bent on reducing the typical human into a materialistic vacuum makes me cry out like Charlie Brown: Does anyone know the true meaning of generosity?! In the following words, I am purposefully laying my financial heart bare. I just want others to know that you aren’t the only one struggling to be generous. So come along with me as I tell of some of the ways God has blessed me so that I can bless others. If we don’t encourage each other to find the true meaning of generosity, who will?

Compassion Kids
When I was a freshman in college, my local college ministry had a Compassion event. If you’re not familiar with what that is, it’s when they handle out packets of information about children who make the “struggle bus” look like a Rolls-Royce. They might as well play In the Arms of the Angel and give out free puppies with each purchase. That night, I was unable to prevent myself from feeling pain with them; I had fallen victim to compassion. I walked over to the table to peruse the pretty little faces on those cards. It felt like trying to pick a new best friend. I landed on little Joseph from Ghana. There was nothing special about him. He didn’t have puppy dog eyes or a cleft palette. He just so happened to be where my finger landed. To sponsor to Joseph, it would cost 45 dollars a month. As a college freshman, it felt like I was giving away my fun money; now I know it’s barely a water drop in the ocean of material blessing that I swim. Ever since then, I’ve ponied up the monthly payment and tried my hardest to remember to write little JoJo a letter every few months. I can tell you now that it was one of the greatest investments of my life. I can’t explain to you what it feels like to be responsible to for the physical, spiritual, and economic development of a human being that you have never me; Often times, I’ve felt the full weight of the joy of the Father.

On May 18th, I married my beautiful wife, and we committed to another compassion child: Dayana, born on May 18th. We plan on adding to our compassion family for each biological child that may come our way as well, each one bearing the same birthday as our child. If you don’t sponsor a child, then you have no way of understanding this joy. You’re missing out.

A Holy Investment
Right before marrying Rachel, we asked God to show us how to honor Him with our money. His first answer was to add a compassion child for each significant life event, as described above. His second was the following: For each year Rachel and I are married, we will increase our tithe 1%. Right now, we haven’t even been married a year, so we only give 10 percent of our pre-tax income; after 10 years of marriage, we’ll be up to 20%; after 50 years—you guessed it—we will be up to 60%. I think it’s just as crazy as you do; trust me. But I guarantee you that at the end of my life “I will never say that I gave too much.” Will I succeed at this daunting financial waterfall? I have no idea. But I know that God is faithful so that means I can be too.

Operation Christmas Child
Rachel and I just filled our Operation Christmas Child boxes with toys and our hearts with joys. I don’t care how cheesy that statement was, it’s true.

Epic Meal Time
While piling 20 cheeseburgers onto a bacon covered pizza like the epic meal time guys is fun, giving up 20 cheeseburgers so that others can have 4 times as much is an even better time. Through organizations like Feed My Starving Children and many others, it only costs 25 cents to provide a meal to someone without one. That’s 4 meals to a dollar; beat that McDonalds! Become a real dollar menu-naire and give up a meal so others may have many meals. If you’ve never fasted before, then try a new way of “hungering and thirsting for righteousness”. The thankfulness you feast on far outweighs the pain in your stomach.

Here’s a Tip
How can it be that some Christians are the worst tippers in the world? It’s amazing what an extra $20 on top of a tip can do for someone’s life. Rach and I love writing a quick prayer on the back of the receipt, leaving a Samson-sized tip, and explaining that because God loves us, we can love them.

Pay It Backwards
This one is just plain fun: go through the drive-thru and pay for the person’s meal behind you. See if you can find a Chevy Tahoe filled with a stressed soccer mom and her 6 kids to bless. The great thing is you can get the drive-thru workers to join in on the fun. If you’re lucky, they’ll continue the trend. God’s love multiplies


Every time I give money, I never regret it. Go do something you won’t regret. Go invent other creative ways to give and tell me about them. Let’s teach each other how to give and spurn each other to love with our money.