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When you click the “Donate” button at right, you will be taken to Paypal where you can choose your donation. You can even set up a recurring donation.
When you click the “Donate” button below, you will be taken to Paypal where you can choose your donation. You can even set up a recurring donation.
Alternatively, you can also use the Paypal app on your smartphone to scan the QR code at right to make a donation.
And, of course, you can send a check made out to:
CSL Charlottesville TC
937 Canvas Back Drive
Charlottesville VA 22903
Thank you!
Traditionally, spiritual giving has been described in terms of “tithing” which means giving 10% of your income – the word “tithe” means one-tenth. But tithing is also usually mentioned in the context of giving in support of a church. And for many people, the idea of giving 10% to their church or spiritual community is quite a leap of faith.
Allow me to suggest another way of understanding tithing. It really falls to whether you are giving from “what’s left over” or “off the top.”
You see, giving from “what’s left over” is a scarcity mindset. It says “I have to make sure my needs are taken care of before I can give to anything or anyone else.”
The alternative is “off the top,” or what also has been referred to as “first fruits.” It says “I can joyfully give of my first fruits, because I know that my needs will be met. I have more than enough.” This is an abundance mindset.
I mentioned that tithing is usually understood as 10%. And yes, that is the recommended level of giving. I promise that when you give 10%, you are training yourself to live an abundance mindset. You are proving to yourself that you have enough, even after giving the first 10%. At first it may seem hard, but once it becomes habit, it… well… becomes habit. The 90% becomes the new normal. At that point you’ve experienced a shift in mindset – a paradigm shift that will begin to improve all aspects of your life, because now you’re living an abundance mindset.
If 10% seems like too much of a stretch, I recommend starting off at some percentage. You see, even if you start at 1%, you’ve made the transition from whatever is the smallest (or largest, it doesn’t matter) bill in your wallet – the “whatever is left” mindset – to a “first fruits” which is abundance mindset. Percentage giving is “first fruits” giving. Once you’ve proven to yourself that you can do 1%, you can graduate to 2%, then 4%, then 7% or 8%, and finally 10%. Doubling the percentage is less of a psychological leap than going from “whatever’s left” to “first fruits” percentage giving.
Training yourself into an abundance mindset is the real reason and benefit to tithing. It will permeate your thinking and your habits, and will transform the way you experience life. The Law of Attraction says (paraphrased) “whatever you put energy into gets bigger.” So, a scarcity mindset produces scarcity. An abundance mindset produces abundance.