Americans gave more to charity last year than in any year in this country's history — over $600 billion for the first time, outpacing inflation two years running. Keith Koo starts with gratitude for that number. Then he goes looking for where the growth actually came from. Giving from living people rose about 1% after inflation. Giving from estates rose about 17%.

Segment one is about builders — people who are very good at building and never stop to ask what they're building for. Sarah Winchester adding rooms to a San Jose house until the day she died. Emperors stitching walls together. And a man in Luke 12 whose harvest outgrows his barns, who does the entirely sensible thing, and gets called a fool for it. The sentence most sermons leave off the end of that parable turns out to be the whole point: "so is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." Keith walks through what that man is never actually accused of — and why Joseph built barns too.

Segment two goes quieter. Roughly one in six American households stopped giving anything at all over a decade, and income explains only about a third of it. Drawing on his own nonprofit board experience, Keith gets at why — and then draws the line the whole episode has been circling: the difference between giving that's intentional and giving that's passive. Money that has been given, and never directed.

Then the turn. God didn't send an inheritance. He showed up.

One question for the week: what have you already given that you've never actually directed?

More at xtalents.com. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Americans gave more to charity last year than in any year in this country's history &mdash; over $600 billion for the first time, outpacing inflation two years running. Keith Koo starts with gratitude for that number. Then he goes looking for where the growth actually came from. Giving from living people rose about 1% after inflation. Giving from estates rose about 17%.
Segment one is about builders &mdash; people who are very good at building and never stop to ask what they're building for. Sarah Winchester adding rooms to a San Jose house until the day she died. Emperors stitching walls together. And a man in Luke 12 whose harvest outgrows his barns, who does the entirely sensible thing, and gets called a fool for it. The sentence most sermons leave off the end of that parable turns out to be the whole point: "so is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God." Keith walks through what that man is never actually accused of &mdash; and why Joseph built barns too.
Segment two goes quieter. Roughly one in six American households stopped giving anything at all over a decade, and income explains only about a third of it. Drawing on his own nonprofit board experience, Keith gets at why &mdash; and then draws the line the whole episode has been circling: the difference between giving that's intentional and giving that's passive. Money that has been given, and never directed.
Then the turn. God didn't send an inheritance. He showed up.
One question for the week: what have you already given that you've never actually directed?
More at xtalents.com. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Everyone has something unique to offer the world, Ten Talents wants to help people discover their gifts and use them to make a difference. Join Host Keith Koo for Ten Talents a ministry program bringing you interviews with some of America's premier leaders in finance, technology, sports, entrepreneurs and ministry. Learn how Jesus is using these individuals to change lives, and you just might be encourage in how Jesus wants to use you. 

Everyone has something unique to offer the world, Ten Talents wants to help people discover their gifts and use them to make a difference. Join Host Keith Koo for Ten Talents a ministry program bringing you interviews with some of America's premier leaders in finance, technology, sports, entrepreneurs and ministry. Learn how Jesus is using these individuals to change lives, and you just might be encourage in how Jesus wants to use you.