Follow the Money or Where Your Treasure Is

I might be mistaken, but I believe I am the only member of The Twelve who regularly asks people for money.

I’ve learned asking isn’t begging and giving brings joy. Asking and giving aren’t necessary evils but wonderful parts of our spiritual lives. Want to find out what you really believe in? As the man said in that Watergate story some years ago, “Follow the money.” Or as Jesus said, “Where you treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Where is your heart?

I want to share two fundraising axioms based on my experience.

• The first is that “people give money to people they know and trust.”

If that’s true, the question for you is: “Do I know and trust the writers of The Twelve?” We’re a small enough community that many of the readers and writers know each other well. But we’re a large enough community that I don’t know everyone personally. Yet I find that through their contributions to the blog I do know them in a way, and I trust all of them. I know they are people of integrity and genuine faith.

And because I’ve served on the Board of Editors for the last several years, I know enough about the inner workings of this operation to assure you nobody’s getting rich here. We are all volunteers. This is not only a “not-for-profit” venture; it’s often a “not-for-expenses” venture. Yet modest sums of money are needed to keep us afloat, and we look to you, dear reader, to help us do that. Will you?

• The second axiom is “you can’t ask others to give to something you don’t personally believe in.”

My life is enriched by The Twelve and the print issues of the magazine formerly known as Perspectives and now known as the Reformed Journal. I read it every day, and it has a formative influence on me. With the exception of myself (who has been known to wander into stories about blue-haired rock stars), the writers are seriously grappling with what it means to live out their faith on a daily basis. This enriches my faith. It deepens my thoughts. It quickens my soul. It is a daily measure of God’s good grace in my life. Is that worth something? It is to me. I hope it is to you, also.

So press the little button and give a gift that will keep us going for another year. Thanks!

Click on the box above to donate, or use the blue “Donate” box in the upper right-hand corner. It is there everyday.
Checks may be sent to Reformed Journal, PO Box 441130 #94102, Detroit, MI 48244-1130.
Thank you very much!