I am interested in hearing people's feedback and sharing ideas about Ruth Hayden's presentation...

I really enjoyed her talk. I appreciated how she broke out the categories of earning, spending, saving, and giving, and emphasized taking responsibility for living according to your values, and taking care of your present and future self with your financial decisions. She also said that, for her, giving is not motivated by God's need to receive, but by the human need to give. That resonates with me. I don't believe a higher power needs our money. She said giving helps us feel empathy and connection, and that most of us let our giving trickle out with small donations here and there, never really feeling the full impact of our generosity.

This reminded me of thoughts I have had about our church giving away the plate. What if all our donations were given within a mile radius of the church? Or more money given to fewer organizations? What kind of community impact would that have? It's true that our church and its members support global initiatives that advance our values, but I think a tighter focus for our ministry of generosity might have stronger impact.