Archive for 2017
Be Like Scrooge?
In the last few weeks most of us have encountered some version of ‘A Christmas Carol’, Dickens’ classic tale of Ebenezer Scrooge. In the initial run-up to Christmas, I must admit I am often a bit of a curmudgeon myself. Perhaps it is hearing ‘Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree’ in November. Or perhaps it is…
Read MoreA Practical Legacy
Inspired and adapted from “Leave a Legacy” A Lasting Impression We all want to be remembered for contributing something to the world. Those in positions of great power go down in history for the things they accomplish. But for the rest of us, it isn’t so clear. Most of us won’t change the world on…
Read MoreGrateful Today
Festive decorations are out and the blank spaces on my calendar have filled up fast. Checkouts are lined with people with their lists of gifts for family and friends. That’s where we all get asked the perfunctory, “How are you today?” Most customers will respond with the innocuous ‘Fine’ or ‘Okay,’ and some will be…
Read MorePlant a Giving Tree!
A young couple plants a honeycrisp tree and dreams of their children swinging from its branches. A family plants a backyard crabapple looking forward to jars of jelly. A retired couple landscapes the lawn of their third home with a stand of Goodland saplings. They all know they’ll have to wait several years before they…
Read MoreSpontaneous Generosity
Inspired by and adapted from blog On Assignment by Edwin Friesen Most Canadians take little joy in shoveling the snow off of our driveways and sidewalks in winter. It’s a task we do because we must. However, this mundane winter chore proved a catalyst for ongoing generosity in one Calgary neighbourhood. No Way Out The expectant…
Read MoreA Legacy of Giving
A few weeks ago, we welcomed our first grandchild into the world. Amidst my great joy, I have recently found myself reflecting on the incredible responsibility of raising children. Scripture advises that if we “train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it”…
Read MoreLegacy Giving
You can make a difference during your lifetime by giving generously. In the same way, at the end of life, you can leave gifts with the people you love and with the causes you care about most. Abundance Canada makes it easy to give now and through your will. Using Abundance Canada to distribute your…
Read MoreLeave a Legacy
“John” was an Abundance Canada client who was passionate about supporting charities that he loved. To ensure their support after he was gone, his will earmarked a significant portion of his estate for these charities – distributed over a period of 20 years. He also set up undesignated charitable funds stipulating that his children would…
Read MoreGiving as Protest
The word protest often evokes strong positive or negative emotions. Like it or not, we seem to be in a time marked by protests of one kind or another. Beyond giving as duty, the Bible offers us an array of metaphors for giving that can move us to live more generously. The story of the…
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