Suffering Boy Given an Extravagant Gift

In his book Everybody's Normal Till You Get to Know Them, John Ortberg tells of a young man named John Gilbert. At age five, John was diagnosed with ...

Dave Barry on Christmas Giving

Your standard man, at this point in the Christmas season, has purchased zero gifts. He has not yet gotten around to purchasing an acceptable gift for ...

Needy Woman Gives to Others

Gary Waddingham, rector of St. Luke's Episcopal Church in Billings, Montana, tells this story:

Several years ago, when I was ministering in a small ...

Man Donates Kidney but Ignores Family

Rob Smitty donated one of his kidneys to a stranger. It was a noble and generous sacrifice. While browsing the Internet, Smitty developed an interest ...

Tony Campolo Answered Prayer with an Offering

Author Tony Campolo tells how he disembarked from a plane only to discover he was scheduled to speak to a group of women at a World Day of Prayer event ...

Broken Bottle Demonstrates Extravagance for God

Text: "'Leave her alone,' said Jesus. 'Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me.'" (Mark 14:3–11). ...

Pennies Amount to Something

Pennies are a dime a dozen (to coin a phrase). Without much effort, one could find a penny on the floor or in a parking lot. We may even pass one without ...

Michael Phelps Gave Teammate a Chance for Glory

Michael Phelps had already won five gold medals in the 2004 Athens Olympics. He seemed certain to secure one more in the 4 x 400 medley relay. Phelp's ...

Waitress Receives a Car for Nothing

Franchesca Renderos, 22, was working as a waitress on an ordinary Wednesday night in Houston when she was stunned by grace.

At one of her tables sat Doug ...

The Feast That Cost Everything

There's a wonderful story by Isak Dinesen called Babette's Feast, about a strict, dour, fundamentalist community in Denmark. Babette works as ...