Do you do any charity/volunteer work?

[lamplady]

What do you do and why?

Would you help HIV/AIDS victims?

 

[stovebolts]

My wife and I do a fair share of charity work.

Why? Well, really it's a simple concept. God blesses us so that we can be a blessing for others. In other words, it's God who has given us our "stuff", so really, we're just taken care of His "Stuff". We like to have the idea that we've "Worked" for what we've got, but really, if we're doing everything for the Lord, then isn't it all his anyway?

I just get the idea that we're supposed to help each other out when we can. Ohh, and everything got to balance out. In other words, God comes first, then my wife, then my children, then "others".


It all works out

P.S. I'm sure I would help out a person with HIV/Aids if confronted with the need.

 

[handy]

My brother-in-law died of AIDS...I hope that all Christians would do whatever they could to ease the suffering AIDS brings or to prevent it in the first place.

As for our personal charity/volunteer work, I give a lot to food and clothing sharing places...some to low cost "thrift stores" but especially to places that allow for trading clothes or even free clothes. For some, even $2 for a pair of jeans is too much. And, whenever and whatever we can, we get to food banks. We do so need to make sure that people have basic necessities like food and clothing.

 

[Mike]

Personally, I'm leery of saying what I do. I'm afraid of crossing the line laid down by Christ. I don't like it when names are listed in our church bulletin thanking people for volunteering.

Mat 6 (NIV)
Giving to the Needy

<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23284">1</sup> “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23285">2</sup> “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23286">3</sup> But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23287">4</sup> so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

I'm certainly not saying anyone has done, or will do, this. I'm just saying more prideful motivation might be there for me than I'd like or even am conscious of. I will say, for what I do, I don't do enough. I don't beat myself with guilt over it, but I definitely see areas that I could and should do more. Actually, helping out the needy is very humbling. Seeing their attitudes of gratefulness for the simplest thing is convicting when we've recently been discouraged because we can't fit new furniture (or something like that) into the budget. Not all of them are overly thankful, but enough so that it does put me in my place.

 

[lamplady]

My wife and I do a fair share of charity work.

Why? Well, really it's a simple concept. God blesses us so that we can be a blessing for others. In other words, it's God who has given us our "stuff", so really, we're just taken care of His "Stuff". We like to have the idea that we've "Worked" for what we've got, but really, if we're doing everything for the Lord, then isn't it all his anyway?

I just get the idea that we're supposed to help each other out when we can. Ohh, and everything got to balance out. In other words, God comes first, then my wife, then my children, then "others".

Should there be a hierarchy - surely it's who's in need we help? If two people were crying would only help one?


It all works out

P.S. I'm sure I would help out a person with HIV/Aids if confronted with the need.

My brother-in-law died of AIDS...I hope that all Christians would do whatever they could to ease the suffering AIDS brings or to prevent it in the first place.

I use to be condemning of people with this condition thinking it was self-inflicted and it is, for some, to a certain extent. And I use to think it was God punishing them. Now I think however it came about; no matter, there are lots of 'conditions' that are preventable but everyone should still help as God sends his love to ALL.

As for our personal charity/volunteer work, I give a lot to food and clothing sharing places...some to low cost "thrift stores" but especially to places that allow for trading clothes or even free clothes. For some, even $2 for a pair of jeans is too much. And, whenever and whatever we can, we get to food banks. We do so need to make sure that people have basic necessities like food and clothing.

Personally, I'm leery of saying what I do. I'm afraid of crossing the line laid down by Christ. I don't like it when names are listed in our church bulletin thanking people for volunteering.

I'm sort of wanting know what's out there so that I can decide how or who to help

Mat 6 (NIV)
Giving to the Needy

<sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23284">1</sup> “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23285">2</sup> “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23286">3</sup> But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, <sup class="versenum" id="en-NIV-23287">4</sup> so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."

Not every charitable thing you do can be 'done in secret'. If people go with the attitude that they're showing off to others then it's on their conscious and God knows their heart. Many do what they do because they genuinely want to help.

I'm certainly not saying anyone has done, or will do, this. I'm just saying more prideful motivation might be there for me than I'd like or even am conscious of. I will say, for what I do, I don't do enough. I don't beat myself with guilt over it, but I definitely see areas that I could and should do more. Actually, helping out the needy is very humbling. Seeing their attitudes of gratefulness for the simplest thing is convicting when we've recently been discouraged because we can't fit new furniture (or something like that) into the budget. Not all of them are overly thankful, but enough so that it does put me in my place.

'leery'??? loool Do you mean 'wary'?

 

[stovebolts]

Mike,
A good friend of mine has a fantastic ministry that he gives to those in need. He cruises both Rochester Hills and Bloomfield Hills the day before garbage day picking their "Junk". (Yes, he has the garbage schedule lol)
He specifically picks tread mills, Ellipticals, and other various "exercise" equipment out of the trash. But he also picks up a lot of lawn mowers and even a riding mower now and again. Most of them in "like new" condition. He figures that when some of these people move in, they have high aspirations of actually mowing their own yard (or working out LOL), but then end up hiring it done, so the mowers get kicked to the curb.

 

[stovebolts]

I just get the idea that we're supposed to help each other out when we can. Ohh, and everything got to balance out. In other words, God comes first, then my wife, then my children, then "others".

Should there be a hierarchy - surely it's who's in need we help? If two people were crying would only help one?

I have seen, and I know of people who put so much time into charity work that they neglect their spouse and even their children. What I'm saying is that you can't possibly help everyone that comes to you, nor can you help out everyone that you see that has a need.

If two people were crying, I would not cause a third or fourth to start crying because I was spending my time with the two that were crying. Instead, I would tend to one that was crying, let somebody else take care of the second that was crying, and as a result, not to cause additional crying by a third or forth elsewhere because of an extended absence or neglect.

The way I understand the world around me, life is a balance, and calls for discernment.

 

[stovebolts]

I'm sort of wanting know what's out there so that I can decide how or who to help

That's noble

I know that I'm at my best when it's something I'm passionate about. So maybe if you let us know other things that your passionate about we can all brainstorm a bit!

It looks like your passionate about HIV/AIDS patients and I think that's great! Maybe you can get a list of patients that need assistance, like making meals, or doing their laundry, or just going shopping for them. I'm sure you have something that you take for granted that would be very helpful to somebody with that kind of need.

Hey, I'm a guy, so I'm more inclined to fix a roof, or work on a car (Not saying you couldn't do a set of brakes or repair a roof.)

 

[ProphetMark]

What do you do and why?

I do conservation work, to get out and meet people mainly.

Would you help HIV/AIDS victims?

I don't see why not.