A Cup of Generosity is a monthly letter from Pastor Dana Karen Reardon and the Grand Canyon Synod Stewardship Team. Feel free to use the posts or PDFs in congregational newsletters, sermons, programming, or any other use. View our archive page, or view our main stewardship page here.

I read an article the other day that suggested that generosity is an early sign of Alzheimer’s. My first reaction was to laugh, because I have often told people that God has early Alzheimer’s. I say that because it tells us in the psalms that God not only forgives our sins, but also forgets them. That is one way that God is generous to us. And that is a good thing.

After I stopped laughing however, I decided that this is something I should think about seriously. It is true that when people begin to have memory deficits, they often change their usual patterns and are susceptible to being taken in by people who prey on their confusion.

And while generosity should always be a part of how we operate, being good stewards of what God has given us means thoughtful careful generosity.

I want to invite everyone of every age to be thoughtful and prayerful about how we use and share what God has given us. If we are intentional about this, we will have an idea about where it is good to give and where it is foolish and even dangerous to give. As Jesus taught us, “Lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.”

Thinking and planning and praying about it now while we can think clearly may help keep us from being taken in and being robbed of what we have and therefore our ability to share what we have where God would have us share.

I often lift up LSS and LWR and LDR and LIRS because I know that what we give will be used well and that a high percentage of what we give actually goes to helping. God may touch you hearts to help people in other ways and through other organizations and that is good but check them out. Ask for advise and prayerfully take it.

Knowing that generosity can be an early sign of dementia is not the same as saying that everyone who is generous has dementia. Establish your generosity on God’s generosity and give graciously where you are sure that God people can be helped the most.