Giving Tuesday: What Inspires Us to Give Back

Giving Tuesday: What Inspires Us to Give Back

by Roger E. BayramianNo Comments
November is a busy month of celebrations in America: Thanksgiving (eating), Black Friday & and Small Business Saturday (spending), and Giving Tuesday (donating). Donating in November has been associated with the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving, called "Giving Tuesday." It started in 2012 and was founded by the Belfer Center for Innovation & Social Impact in partnership with the United Nations Foundation. The day was created as a global generosity movement to encourage and celebrate charitable giving and philanthropy. Since its inception, it has grown into a worldwide phenomenon, inspiring acts of kindness and charitable donations across various countries and causes. Americans gave almost $500 billion to charities in 2022 ($3.1 billion was donated on Giving Tuesday). Why do people give to charity, especially on Giving Tuesday? What inspires people to give? I asked my friend (ChatGPT) why it thinks people should give during Giving Tuesday. The response was: Participating in Giving Tuesday can offer several benefits and reasons to get involved: Supporting Causes: It...
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Book Review: It Will Cost You Everything

Book Review: It Will Cost You Everything

by Roger E. BayramianNo Comments
When I was in seminary many years ago, there was often a critique of churches that taught "cheap grace" or "easy believism." The claim was that some were teaching that the only thing people had to do was to make a "profession of faith," ignoring a life of discipleship which included obedience and holiness. Although God's grace is freely given to the one who trusts Jesus, Christians are called to respond to a life of obedience and holiness. Is there a cost in following Jesus? Steve Lawson attempts to answer this question in his book "It Will Cost You Everything: What it Takes to Follow Jesus." The primary focus of this book is to walk through Luke 14:25-35 which he calls a "hard saying of Christ." In this text, Lawson wants to distinguish between true and false believers. Lawson began this book with an analogy of his life when he received an offer of a scholarship to play college football. The scholarship...
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Grace upon grace

Grace upon grace

by Roger E. BayramianNo Comments
One of our annual vacations has been a two-day camping trip over the memorial day holiday. We have camped with friends at Carpinteria State Beach for the last couple of years. The campsite is within walking distance of the beach and the city. There are train tracks nearby, so you hear the train whizzing by, while at night, you hear the sound of the crashing waves on the shore. A bonus (not really) are the crows that wake you up in the morning. One of my favorite times during the trip is waking up early in the morning to walk on the beach while the sun begins to rise. I like to reflect as I look out into the sea that seems endless, watching the wave goes back and forth. I feel a sense of peace and tranquility as I take in the sounds of the sea and the sights of birds overhead. A particular Scripture kept coming to my mind...
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Money, Exercise, and Motivations of the Heart

by Roger E. BayramianNo Comments
How do you combine money, exercise, and the motivations of the heart? Answer: Paceline Paceline is a new fitness app that gives rewards for exercising. This app is not the first to combine exercise with rewards, but it has additional benefits. The Paceline app is the first fitness app that I have seen which combines credit card rewards and the ability to receive a free Apple Watch (Series 7). How it works First, you download the Paceline app, which connects to Apple Health, Fitbit, or Garmin. Next, you will need a fitness tracker that includes heart rate tracking. The goal is to have 150 minutes of elevated heart rate (eHr) per week (maximum 50 minutes a day). For example, a brisk walk will track an elevated heart rate. You will receive a reward each week that you reach the exercise goal. These rewards include $1 Amazon gift cards and other offers for discounts on products and services. The real benefit to the program comes with...
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Do you have an iPhone, or does your iPhone have you?

by Roger E. BayramianNo Comments
I came across a news article this morning that talked about a Digital Detox Challenge. I am reminded about how much technology is part of everyday life. I am not against technology by any means, I was part of the generation that grew up when the internet was gaining popularity. I am in the age group that can be part of Gen X or Gen Y (Millennials), depending on whom you ask. Wikipedia is the authority on all truth, right? The article I read this morning talked about a contest where they choose people to take a 24-hour period without any technology. They will pay $2,400 and even supply a safe to lock up your devices! There is a lot to say about how gamification, financial incentives, and preventing access can be tools for temporary behavior modification. Long-lasting change comes by aiming at the heart, which I will cover in future blog posts. All that to say, this sounds like a...
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