Inside Giving: Inspiring Stories of Biblical Generosity

In this latest episode, John Christianson, a member of NCF’s Generosity Council in the Pacific Northwest, shares powerful insights from when he first started working as a professional advisor. What he discovered was that people coming into wealth often felt overwhelmed by it. So, he decided to look at it by phases, examining the different needs that accompany each stage. And each stage helps create the roadmap for the next step, establishing clarity and confidence rather than despair and confusion.

In the aftermath of September 11, Jeremy Courtney of Preemptive Love Coalition moved to the Middle East to serve in the midst of chaos and violence that would make most of us run the other way. Instead, his family chose to move toward the devastation, to be neighbors. Jeremy joined us on our Inside Giving podcast several months ago to give us an up-close and very personal look from the neighborhoods that are on the front lines in Syria and Iraq, where war and violence had destroyed whole towns "street by street by street." But, Jeremy says, “Violence doesn’t get the last word. We do. It seeks to drive us apart through fear. That’s why we have to show up on the front lines of conflict and love anyway.”

You may remember NCF givers John Cortines and Greg Baumer from a past Inside Giving episode, when they shared about their exploration of faith and money. Now, they’re back with their wives to talk about how God sparked the idea, early in their marriages, to dedicate themselves to being generous.

This episode of Inside Giving features a guest all the way from Egypt: Magdy Bassaly. As the President of Better for Kids, Magdy ministers to some of the most vulnerable children in the world. Magdy shares alongside his friend, Todd Harrison, an NCF giver who founded his ministry. After a divine encounter, Todd and Magdy realized they shared a vision to love kids in need of rescue. So they started Better for Kids Christian pre-school academies. Twelve years later, they’ve seen the lives of more than 5,000 children transformed across 10 countries, where very few Christian ministries are present. Listen to hear firsthand how Magdy and Todd see God working miracles every day in the heart of communities around the world.

Can you imagine being part of a community so generous that someone was moved to give one of his kidneys away to save a stranger’s life? That’s a generous community! And that is what you’ll hear about in this new episode, featuring Kendra VanderMeulen, member of our National Board of Directors and President of our NCF Northwest office in Seattle. Over the past several years, Kendra has seen an exciting movement of generosity taking shape in the Pacific Northwest. Listen as Kendra shares how NCF is coming together with one of our key partners, Generous Giving, to create a more generous world, and learn how you can do the same in your community.

Jeanne McMains, Vice President of NCF's Complex Gift Solutions team, has a unique perspective when she comes alongside NCF givers as they make complex gifts such as business interests and real estate. Listen as she unpacks why each transaction is a holy encounter and opportunity to see God move in the lives of the givers we serve.

In this episode of Inside Giving: Inspiring Stories of Biblical Generosity, you'll hear meaningful insight from Jay Bennett, Chairman of NCF’s national Board of Directors and CEO of our Twin Cities office in Minneapolis. Jay shares how a pivotal health crisis at the height of his successful career opened his eyes to greater surrender to God and a renewed purpose to serve Him.

For NCF giver and former IBM executive Lee Torrence, giving appreciated stock instead of cash is a smarter way to make an impact. In this special episode, Boyd Bailey, President of our NCF Georgia office, joins Lee to discuss the steps Lee takes to maximize his tax savings and send more to his favorite causes.

Jamie and Sarah Baessler decided early on to pursue a life of generosity both personally and through their home-building business. To inspire giving at work, they adopted core values that invite their employees to be more generous. And they turned to NCF to help them donate appreciated real estate and even water rights, which reduced their tax burden and sent more to the causes they love.

Last year, NCF helped John and Cindy make an innovative gift when they sold a portion of their business. This gift allowed them to help fund an emergency field hospital – positioned a short distance outside Mosul, Iraq – through Samaritan’s Purse. Not only were John and Cindy able to give more to ministry through the gift, but they had the opportunity to learn how their gift is sharing the love of Christ in the face of extreme terrorism.

 John Cortines and Greg Baumer, two Harvard MBAs, were on the fast track to wealth and success when they began an earnest exploration of their spiritual questions about faith and wealth. What they learned along the way transformed their thinking about money and how to give wisely. In this podcast, these two young professionals share what it means to pursue radical generosity with their growing families and how their Giving Funds with NCF are a key part of their strategy to living a generous life.

Five years ago, NCF giver, model, and author Lauren Scruggs Kennedy survived a tragic plane propellor accident that took her left arm and eye ... and changed her life forever. But through her faith in Christ and her family's support, she persevered and has become an advocate for other women who have suffered limb loss. Lauren's passion compelled her to open an NCF Giving Fund called the Lauren Scruggs Kennedy Foundation, with a mission to to provide funds for women and girls to receive a beautiful, silicon covering for their prostheses.

Why would a pair of innovative software engineers prefer to spend an almost sleepless night once a month with Seattle's diverse homeless population? NCF givers Craig and April Chapman know what it how to give beyond the check, and not just because they give private stock. Now they’re investing their time by doing hands-on ministry, and it's brought more adventure and joy than they imagined.

When NCF giver Kim King recommended what she thought was a small grant from her Giving Fund and soon-after received a huge "thank you" call from the ministry's CEO, she knew something wasn't right. Kim did some research and found that she had mistakenly entered a comma instead of a decimal online, which made a huge difference in the amount of her grant ... and her impact.

Keith and Terri Davidson are NCF givers and owners of a prominent apartment management company in Atlanta, Georgia. Early on, their like-minded financial advisor developed a comprehensive plan that included giving appreciated stock – instead of writing checks – to their Giving Fund at NCF, which helped them save in capital gains taxes and make a bigger impact in their community.

Casey Crawford, founder and CEO of Movement Mortgage and former NFL player, started a mortgage company during the financial meltdown of 2008. His motivation was simple: he needed to feed his family. But then he heard from the Lord. The purpose of his business wasn’t to grow Casey's kingdom; it was to grow God's Kingdom. So he decided to move the profits primarily into ministry work and invest in his community and others around the world.

Missouri businessman Clyde Lear and his wife Sue made a covenant with God to invest in others by leveraging their time and treasures. One way they accomplished this was by giving part of Clyde's business to NCF before the sale, which sent more to their favorite ministries ... read more of their inspiring story.