Be rich in good deeds, be generous and willing to share. It's more than a directive, it's a way of life. We never look more like our Heavenly Father than when we are generous. But we aren't called to just be rich, we have to be rich with a purpose. We have been entrusted with an incredible story of grace and love. Are we purposefully sharing that story with the choices of our lives?

Once a year Mill Creek undertakes an extravagant generosity campaign where we give away all of our financial gifts for one week to better our communities. The motivation for this comes from Scripture where we are called to do good, to be rich in good deeds, to be generous and willing to share.

Life has its inherent risks. It's why we buy insurance and it's why we spend time with a financial advisor learning the ins and outs of investing. High risk can yield high rewards but it also brings the possibility of high disappointment. Being generous brings risk but that risk is often an issue of the heart and it really boils down to trust. Do I trust God?

Generosity changes things - it changes people - it changes situations. It makes the world better. Generosity also changes us. It gives us pleasure and opens the door to God's favor and blessing. Would it be selfish to know that? Would it be selfish to be motivated to give for the reward that comes from God? According to Jesus, this is exactly what should motivate us - knowing God blesses those who live generously.

Being a generous person is not something that comes naturally to a lot of people. Most of us are trained to look out for ourselves rather than the needs of others. But few people would deny how important it is to see generosity in the world. While we know how much generosity can help others, it also does something for us! As we kick off our annual generosity campaign, we find beauty in giving.

The principle of the path states that direction, not intention, determines destination. The direction of our life matters. Equally important are the relationships of our lives. If the people around us are moving in the opposite direction we know we want to go, it will be next to impossible to follow the right direction. Scripture warns us to be careful about who we are inviting into our lives and families.

The best way to predict your future is to pay attention to where you’re headed. But sometimes it’s easy to get distracted by what’s on the path. The appeal of money, acceptance, or security can lower your defenses and lead you away from the path you want to be on. How do we change course when we realize we’ve chosen a path that leads us to what’s appealing instead of what’s ultimately satisfying?

Direction determines destination. But what is it that influences direction? What is it that starts us on our course, either for the places we want to go or the destinations we'd rather avoid? If we could determine what this is, then we could change our course upstream and save ourselves a lot of time, money, and heartache. Discover what this is and how you leverage it to reach the destinations God desires for you.

What is the key to making great decisions? Most people would likely agree that having the right information is crucial to making decisions. But while information is very important, it is not the most critical factor in guaranteeing you make the right choice. In fact, if you think about it, you know some really smart people who have made really dumb decisions. So what is?

We've all ended up places we never meant to be--where life was complicated and there were seemingly no good options. And looking back we saw the warning signs. We just chose to ignore them. But it doesn't have to be that way. By looking back at an old wisdom saying we'll learn to look ahead and avoid the danger the lies in wait for us down the road.