Do you want to be happy? Well, who doesn’t? I mean what kind of scroogemeister goes around with the desire to be “humbug?”

It’s puzzling isn’t it? All around us we are besieged with the messages of what makes us happy. Zoom, zoom—the car. Friends watching the game at the bar—“hey, we don’t want to leave.” The refreshing taste of a cold one. The newest ... read full post

I’m coming off two successive weekends of graduation ceremonies. My daughters Ashley and Jessica are now both part of the degreed community. Each ceremony was marked by the usual pomp and circumstance march, welcomes, keynote speakers, and graduation marches.

But why the ceremony? I mean let’s face it, how many people want to sit through yet another graduation speech. As Garry Trudeau, of Far Side ... read full post

As a giving ministry, we take our mission to heart in countless ways, and many members of NCF's team apply the generosity message in their own lives through Christ-focused mission trips. Here on our blog, we share our stories about these trips and other ways we're giving back, so you can get to know us better. Here's a story from someone you might recognize from her cheerful greeting when you call Nancy Carter

I know that my two car garage sometimes affords me the quiet luxury of avoiding my neighbors, and worse still the closing of the garage door can be my signal that the day has ended. Yet it has not really.

All around the world, there are other places where there is no garage door, no door even. Perhaps at best, it is a shack that will help keep out the rain and provide some shelter from a blistering sun. It is ... read full post

The following article originally appeared in The Wall Street Journal, noting National Christian Foundation as a good option for donors looking to give more wisely.

Heaven help us.

Jim Bakker, the disgraced 1980s televangelist whose "PTL Club" television empire was laid asunder by dual sex and money scandals, is out of prison and renouncing the prosperity gospel he once ... read full post

There they were. Cheerios—they were in a nice little container with a plastic lid. It was just enough for a couple of baby sized fistfuls or maybe little fingers still learning to pick up and find a mouth.

I have to say that I was amazed because these Cheerios were at Chick-Fil-A. Now we are long past the toddler stage when Cheerios mattered. But I remember those days when a little tub of Cheerios was ... read full post

In a tight economy, more and more donors find it hard to make some of the cash gifts they made before the recession. But some are thinking creatively.

More than ever, they are turning to their stuff. The Fidelity Charitable Fund reported that last year gifts of alternative assets rose by 9%. For five years running, the National Christian Foundation has seen gifts of alternative assets—things like real ... read full post

We're hosting our Spring Generous Giving event next Wednesday, May 2, and I'm looking forward to it! Here are my top 3 reasons why I think you won't want to miss it:

1. The stories you'll hear. I heard James and Kristin share their giving journey at an event last year, and I'm pretty sure their testimony will be one of the most touching stories you'll hear all year!

2. The connections you'll ... read full post

This past weekend I stayed in my parents' home in Dallas. On the shelf in the upstairs bedroom was the book Born Again by Chuck Colson. It was the version with the original black and yellow jacket cover. The one that shows Chuck's profile in black and white on the left with the White House in the lower left-hand corner. On the right side of the jacket is Chuck's profile in color. The contrast from left to

A new study by Grey Matter Research says that 81% of people who haven't gifted in the last year believe those who "have a lot of money" should give more, so they don't personally have to.

This research was released as part of a study that looked non-donors perceptions of giving and nonprofits. It excluded giving to houses of worship.

The perpectives varied based on age and income. The study found that ... read full post