Session 3
When Are We to Give?
Session 3 Videos
Testimonies
“It gives me great pleasure to endorse this curriculum, and I endorse it because of the two men who conceived and constructed it. I know few people who are so committed to truth and believe that God provides wisdom for every financial decision and every decision in life. Russ and Ken are two Giants of Faith and I endorse them in this curriculum with total confidence of its powerful message that will transform lives.”
“I’m grateful for Ken Boa and Russ Crosson writing their book, Leverage, which provides very practical ways of living and giving generously. What a blessing to also have this interactive Study Guide and video-based curriculum to encourage each of us in our own financial stewardship & generosity journey as we hear inspiring stories from people who are leveraging their time, talents, treasure, and influence to bring more of God’s Kingdom here on Earth as it is in Heaven.”
“What a wonderful joy and privilege to be a part of the Leverage series. The focus of this important resource is on the faithful stewardship of the resources God places in our hands in such a way that leaves a legacy of generosity while placing the spotlight on lasting, eternal values. This is such an important, timely, and helpful gift. So grateful for the emphasis and message of the Leverage series!”
Leverage Tips
The Power and Impact of Giving: A Spiritual Perspective
The discussion centers on the themes of generosity, blessing others, and financial changes. It underscores the importance of giving from the heart and the profound impact it can have on others. The conversation also touches on the significance of small acts of kindness, suggesting that even little things can be big blessings. It emphasizes that giving is not just about money, but also about time, effort, and love.
Read Stories of Generosity
Jeane & Gil de las Alas
How does a family’s faith shape their legacy of giving and stewardship?
"It All Belongs to God" - Jeane & Gil de las Alas
To whom much is given, much is expected. This familiar paraphrasing is from Luke 12:48: “From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
It’s a philosophy that Gil and Jeane de las Alas live by. It’s also a philosophy that reminds them of their modest background, of parents who sacrificed, and of their American dream realized.
Both from families who emigrated from the Philippines, the de las Alases had their own period of struggle as a young married couple raising children. They made the decision that Jeane, a physical therapist, would stay home to focus on raising their children, leaving Gil as the sole breadwinner. But they drew deeply on their own upbringing. “Both of our parents instilled in us this idea of giving,” says Jeane. “My parents constantly sacrificed for us six kids. We all went through Catholic school and I know that many times my parents were barely scraping by. They taught me the importance of tithing even when finances were tight. They gave wholeheartedly, even though they sometimes didn’t know where the money would come from.”
Adds Gil, “I try to be very reflective on the Luke passage. It really does all belong to God. We’re expected to be good stewards and give to help build His kingdom.”
Emulating their own parents, the de las Alases are very focused on how to impart the spirit of giving to their four young children, ranging in age from 1 to 10. They want to make sure that the children understand Gil and Jeane’s humble backgrounds and the values their parents taught. “It’s tough,” says Gil, “especially with societal influences and because now we are able to enjoy a comfortable lifestyle. We want them to know that giving is something that can ‘pay forward’ for generations to come.” As a way to instill the importance of giving, Gil and Jeane have the children participate in chores around the house to earn money and then encourage them to give a portion of the earnings as their tithe during Sunday School.A few years ago as the couple began looking closely at their finances, the idea that “everything is God’s — give with an open hand and He will give back to you” really resonated with them. As they were writing their long-term life and financial goals they didn’t have a firm grasp on how they would reach them. Over time they wanted to give away at least 15% of their income each year. Now, because of Gil’s career developments, they’re planning to re-set their goals — aiming even higher.
Gil spent 18 years at Kraft Foods on a fast career trajectory, where he ultimately was promoted to head of human resources for Kraft’s U.S. commercial business. The company went through a number of changes in 2015 and Gil decided to make a career move. “I loved Kraft and they were historically a company that had supported many causes through the Kraft Foods Foundation,” says Gil. “The company had a real spirit of corporate charitable giving, including encouraging employees to give with their time. That was very important to me and I knew I would feel the same way when evaluating a new job.”
His departure from his long-time employer wasn’t without uncertainty and stress. “My career, and what would come next, was suddenly a bit out of my control,” says Gil. “Before I got a new position Jeane and I discussed that we would never ‘pull back’ on our giving, which meant that we would always move forward with our original giving commitment. But the Lord had his hand in my job-seeking process and I was offered a wonderful new job.”
The de las Alases have given regularly to CRU (formerly known as Campus Crusade for Christ), a worldwide interdenominational Christian ministry committed to helping take the Gospel of Jesus Christ to all nations, and to World Vision, a Christian humanitarian organization that works with children, families, and their communities worldwide by tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice. They also support their church’s global church-planting mission and are focused on new ways to invest in Christian education. “The mission of our children’s school is to grow lifetime followers of Christ,” says Gil. “We want to help instill this in other children at a very young age.”
In addition to talking with their own children about giving, the couple wants to expose them directly to what they’re doing. When the de las Alases hosted a lunch at their house for a CRU missionary, the children were interested in knowing why a stranger was coming into their house and talking to the group. “It’s important that they see that giving is not always about just writing a check, but can include taking action to help others raise money for their ministries,” says Gil. “We all know that children learn as much from what they see as from what we tell them.”
Jeane, who describes herself as “thrifty,” says that her and Gil’s backgrounds keep them grounded. “We don’t want to live larger than we need to. And we know that we’re not supposed to lay up treasures here on earth. At the end of the day what do you want to leave as your legacy? We want our legacy to be giving to organizations that are going to bring life to other people. We have a budget for what we need to live on and the rest is going to God. It’s His anyway.”
Sherry & David Larson
How can a son’s selfless giving inspire a family’s legacy of faith and generosity?
"A God Jar, A Son’s Heart, A Legacy" - Sherry & David Larson
How much difference can a mere $600 possibly make in the world?
For Sherry and David Larson, and for thousands of people who felt the touch of their son, Brad, $600 in a “God jar” is a symbol of a son’s heart and of a sweet legacy that revolves around selfless giving.
Bradley “Brad” Jesse Larson was only 22 when he was killed in an automobile accident on an interstate near Indianapolis, Indiana in April 2006. Just weeks away from his graduation from Taylor University and planning to attend law school at the University of Wisconsin, Brad and four others died on their way back to school after setting up for a banquet to honor the university’s new president. The Larsons had always been “willing givers,” but what they discovered about their son after the accident led them to think differently about what’s in the heart of a pure giver.
It wasn’t just the $600 they found in Brad’s “God jar,” although that touched and moved them. “When our children were growing up, we asked them to save 10% of every dollar they earned and give another 10% to God,” says Sherry. “We found Brad’s God jar and savings jar from his childhood. They were just little glass artichoke jars labeled with masking tape. The savings jar was empty, which made us laugh, but the God Jar was filled with $20 and $50 bills stuffed in it totaling more than $600. That was especially precious for us to find and we knew it was meaningful to him — especially after we received notes from friends about his generous giving.”
The Larsons read, and saved, every one of the hundreds of notes and cards that came to them after Brad’s death. One in particular opened their eyes into Brad’s giving heart. The note, from a high school classmate who the Larsons didn’t know, recounted how Brad had given her some money for a mission trip: “I was constantly in the halls trying to sell candy bars and everything under the sun. One day during this time, Brad approached me with a card. Inside was $100 and a very thoughtful and encouraging note. He said this was his tithe money and he wanted to put it toward something he knew would do God’s work. I have never forgotten what Brad did. I want to thank you for raising such a thoughtful, God-fearing son. His life blessed my life.”
The Larsons knew of some of Brad’s giving — “Much to my dismay, Brad would put cash in the mail to a charity or cause he was interested in donating to,” says David. “He always said ‘I don’t want or need a receipt; I just want to make this
contribution now.’ Brad never had a job during the school year while in high school, so for him to give $100 to a classmate raising money for her mission trip was a lot of money and a very significant gesture.”
David and Sherry also discovered more about the inner workings of their son’s heart, almost by accident. About four months after the accident, Sherry noticed some spiral-bound notebooks on the floor of Brad’s closet at home and assumed they were notebooks he’d used in his college classes. But they were journals that Brad had been keeping since his junior year of high school, with the last entry a week before he died.
Included in the journal were letters he had sent to Sherry and David. Although first written as journal entries, Brad actually mailed the letters to his parents. In his first one, he wrote, “I know you guys have a lot of wisdom and knowledge and that is something that I would love for you to share with me. My idea is that I ask you questions about a variety of topics and you answer them separately, not collectively. Both of your thoughts and opinions could differ drastically on certain issues. I think this could best be accomplished in letters — mostly for my benefit. The letters would give me something tangible that I could always keep and treasure.
Instead of Brad treasuring these letters, the Larsons now keep and treasure Brad’s writings — they collected all of his journal entries and published them in a book, Brad’s Legacy: A Son’s Heart Discovered and donated hundreds of copies to
people they thought would be interested in reading Brad’s entries. The Larsons were particularly taken with an early letter from Brad asking, “Do you have anything that you would like to share with me regarding financial matters?” In it, Brad recounts how much a recent Bible study helped him learn about financial carelessness and being a steward for God. Unlike many his age, he even suggested that his parents stop sending him an allowance and stop paying for so many of his routine expenses.
Also included in the book are entries from a prayer journal — “Rich with so many wonderful insights and deeply moving prayers,” says David. “We included everything from his inner spiritual life. Nobody had ever read these journals — we didn’t even know they existed.”
Although the Larsons, like any parents who experience the sudden, tragic, and devastating loss of a child, grieved immensely and for many years for their son, they take comfort in their firm belief that God inspired Brad to write with such insight and introspection into life, generosity, family relationships, and faith.
“His words are a gift to us,” says David. “We came to know Brad better in his death than we ever could have known him in life.”
Resources & Links
