Igniting a Life of Generosity

Chris McDaniel -

Igniting a Life of Generosity is an engaging 21-day devotional aimed at igniting your desire to be a generous giver, developing a practical and personal theology for generous giving, and transforming your stewardship journey. Using real-life stories, Scripture, and practical applications, space is also provided to write in the book to help you process and journal about what you've just read. McDaniel aims to make giving a way of life for anyone who reads this power-packed little booklet.

Features and Strengths

Format.  This easy-to-read devotional is divided into three segments:

• What does God want you to know? In this section, McDaniel is tackling questions about ownership, why God makes such a big deal about giving, can God be trusted, and for that matter, can you the giver be trusted.
• What does God want you to do? In this section, McDaniel begins with meditations on the wisdom of not storing up treasure on earth, and then guides the reader through a plan to give - sacrificially, faithfully, quietly, prayerfully, and generously.
• Ignite the Fire. And in the final section, McDaniel invites the reader into an "adventure of a lifetime" - laying out our kingdom assignment, and challenging the reader to be very in tune with God's plan for why we are here on earth.

Practical.  McDaniel takes the reader through the logical steps of asking what exactly God is trying to tell you about giving, what you're supposed to do with that information, and how to go about it. Every day in the devotional ends with excellent reflection or "rate yourself" questions.

Stories.  Good stories open the heart and set the stage for making generosity principles more real - not merely an abstract idea that readers may agree with in theory. For example, in one of the readings entitled "What Are We Here For?" McDaniel opens with a gripping story of his family on vacation in St. Louis to visit the grandparents. Their 7 year-old son Josh fell 20 feet out of a tree and was sobbing with a gruesome bump below his eye. Later at the hospital, the doctor shook her head in disbelief that there was no damage to their son's skull or neck. Realizing that Josh very well could have died, McDaniel and his wife teared up on the ride home discussing, "Why is Josh still here?"

Groups.  ECFA makes it easy to purchase this book in blocks of 5, 30 or 100 to pass out to church members, study groups, or friends.

Stewardship.  McDaniel provides fresh perspective on what it means to be a good steward. He writes: "[God] entrusts us with people and possessions...and counts on us to make decisions as He would, before he asks, "How are you doing as His steward or trustee?"

Easy Read.  At only 60 pages, this book could be read in its entirety in about an hour or two. But to get the full benefit, readers are encouraged to use it as 21-day devotional, taking time to not only read the content, but to ask the Holy Spirit to help the reader absorb it and apply it.

Things to Be Aware Of

Although written by a leader of a Christian nonprofit organization, Igniting a Life of Generosity steers clear of being a "commercial" for McDaniel's organization. In fact, the book is published and distributed by the Evangelical Council of Financial Accountability (ECFA), a neutral accreditation agency serving numerous ministry organizations nationwide.

Available at:  ECFA