Thank you for visiting this website which is designed to discuss the creation of Sharing Our Wealth Community. You are invited to participate by expressing and contributing your thoughts. Please add your comments and create your own thoughts by joining us.
WHAT
The objective of Sharing Our Wealth Community is to raise the awareness of the many needs in the world and to help individuals to respond by sharing their wealth. What is wealth? Wealth, from the old English word “weal” which means “well-being” or “welfare” or “wholeness”. The term was originally an adjective to describe the possession of such qualities. Over the years wealth has come to mean an abundance of items of economic value, or state of controlling or possessing such items, and encompasses money, real estate and personal property.
The focus of the SOW Community is to recognize wealth as a spiritual gift, both internal and external, and discover ways to share our personal gifts and talents with those in need. The witness of Mother Theresa is a very good example of Internal Wealth. She had little or no material wealth, but by caring deeds of kindness and compassion shared her life each day to help others. An example of External Wealth is demonstrated by making a deliberate effort and intentionally taking action to address those in dire need by contributing a portion of one’s material wealth (such as donation(s) of goods, money, stock, or property) to a charity or a cause of your choice.
Most major religions (Hebrew, Christian, Muslim, Buddhist) teach their followers to share their wealth with those in need.
WHERE
The action of helping others to make a difference in the world can take place anywhere; in your home, neighborhood, city, country, world.
WHEN
The time to take action is a daily practice.
WHY
- To help sow seeds of kindness, generosity, compassion, and caring to others in need.
- To help make changes for wholeness, well being, and welfare in our life and the lives of others.
- To help make the world a better place for all to live.
- To demonstrate to others that one can make a difference.
HOW
- By joining the Share Our Wealth Community.
- By inviting others to participate.
If you are interesting in participating in developing this community please send your response this welcome and sharing your own experiences here.
Jim Bennett, Moderator
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My husband and I have hepled several people in out church from moving cleaning out their house, mowing, washing out ref that had been turned off for three months. Taking food, shared our furniture from giving away washer and dryer, beds chairs even a tv. There is much need right here in our home town that people truely don’t know about. Thanks Uncle Jim for sending this to us and caring for others. Be looking forward to hearing more from caring, loving people. We are to be Jesus to others..
Candace and Todd Jones -
Thanks, Candace and Todd, for your participation in the SOW Community. Your comments are a reminder to all of us of the many ways we can be helpful to others without a lot of fanfare. And, you are correct, there are a lot of needs close by that we can do something about. All we need to do is take the initiative to learn where they are and act on them. The SOW Community is young, but the action of helping others in need is ‘ancient’. To broadcast this ‘action’ I suggest printing the brochure from the Sow website and pass them to others. Uncle Jim
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Hi, Jim. This is a great idea and a very well-done website. The idea of sharing wealth in a variety of ways, emphasizing relationships and bottom line sharing of compassion is strongly compelling to me. Thanks for what you are doing.
- Carl -
Sharing our wealth seems basic to humanity, loving others as we love ourselves.
I have been engaged in some environmental efforts and have been trying to keep the emphasis on working in areas that will be most effective. We are changing light bulbs instead of concentrating on inefficient cars and power plants that account for most of the pollution.
In this same vein, I have felt that Mother Teresa could have done so much more by concentrating on the political area. I feel that she embraced suffering, the dying Christ, instead of rejecting it. She surely helped many in Calcuta and other cities but I feel that she could have done so much more through the Indian government, the US government and the UN.
Just an excuse to avoid sharing?
I hope that I have done enough and am doing enough to squeeze in to heaven, we shall see.
I know “grass roots”.
Isn’t working for “Move On” and electing a caring administration more effective than serving breakfast to the homeless?
YES, we can do both, and should. -
Thanks Jim for your hard work on this web site. In my busy life sharing is something I don’t think enough about. By putting you all on my “favorites” list I hope to have sharing as a focus more often than not.
Susan -
Bud,
Your comments made me reflect on the church service I attended this Easter. It showed a movie clip from “Saving Private Ryan”. As Tom Hanks was dying, he said to Matt Damon, “Earn This”. Then it shows Matt Damon as an old man visiting Tom Hanks grave. He turns and asks his wife “Have I lived a good life?” He was trying to figure out if he “earned it”.From my Christian perspective, the truth is that no one “Earns” their way to heaven. It is a gift that God has given us through his son. “For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world should be saved through him” John 3:17.
My thoughts are that Sharing Our Wealth is not about doing good things for others so that we are saved. It is about sharing the blessings and gifts that God has given us with the rest of the world. It is about letting the light of God show through us by giving of our time, talents and treaures.
It sounds like you have experience and knowledge about things that you are sharing with the world. Your efforts to improve the environment and impact our country through political involvement is so crucial. Each of us gives what our hearts and minds tell us to give.
I personally hope that this SOW community can guide me in sharing the blessings I have been so fortunate to have recieved with the rest of the world in the most impactful and meaningful ways possible. It is with great Joy that I continue to search for ways to share my wealth.
Wendi
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Hello Jim Bennett! Your daughter sent me the link to you site and I have to say that I love it! You are so right… if we don’t share our own personal wealth (money, love, caring, concern, inspirations, joy) then what on earth are we here for anyway? I also just started a website/blog and hope to be able to inspire many, many people on a daily basis. Please visit me everyday at http://www.joyuslion.com! Much success to you as you endeavor to help humanity!
joyuslion
ps… Remember this: One joy scatters a hundred griefs. – Chinese Proverb
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This idea and webpage come straight out of the heart of the Gospel.
William Cowper once said, “I was a stricken deer that left the herd.”
There are so many who have been stricken, by disease, misfortune, war, hunger, despair, crime. There are so many in desperate situations.
Every effort to help, tiny or titanic, turns things around however.
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Albert Schweitzer was a world expert on pipe organs, and Bach. He was a theologian, philosopher, and a doctor. He spent the middle and later years of his life as a medical missionary in Africa at Lambarane. When he got there, nothing went right. His patients ate the salve he gave them. They drank the medicine in one gulp instead of doses over a period of days. They wouldn’t stop drinking the polluted water around the compound. When they were brought to the hospital, their own families wouldn’t stay and help nurse them. But none of that stopped Schwseitzer. He didn’t sulk or pout. He didn’t complain. He didn’t quit. He didn’t say they weren’t worth his time or effort and go home. He went there to help, and that is exactly what he did.
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An ashram in Vrindavan is paying widows to chant mantras in praise of the Hindu god Krishna. They do this for 6 hours a day, 7 days a week. They are paid $4.50 a month.
The ashram is funded by rich Hindus in Delhi, a place known for its extensive hoard of gold.
This is not what I would call Sharing the Wealth.
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As described in the “What” section of the above “Welcome” statement, wealth encompasses many iterations of meaning. Our current economic times may prevent many Americans from contributing additional financial resources to others, but we still have wealth to share. For example, I recently cut about a foot of my hair to donate it to locks of love for children with alopecia. Blood banks are another way we can share our wealth within the community, type O is always in great need. And one of my favorite organizations is RFB&D, or recording for the blind and dyslexic. Our presence in Iraq and other nations has left larger numbers of Americans blind or nearly blind than we’ve had in the past. By recording books or directing recordings for RFB&D, you provide the blind with greater opportunity to read both for enjoyment and for education. Learning topics in Braille like geometry is easier when the student is able to hear the text while following along with the book. These are only a few examples, but I hope they will inspire us to think of others.
On a side note, Gramps, everyday I look at your Lifetime Achievement Award from Habitat for Humanity and it reminds me how truly fortunate I am for no matter how much money I ever have I will never be poor as long as I live with loving kindness in my heart.
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Newly designated governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, John Winthrop, embarked for Boston aboard the Arbella in 1630 with other settlers.
On the way he gave a sermon “A Modell of Christian Charity.” He cautioned the settlers against the Lord’s wrath.
He said, “Now the onely way to avoyde this shipwracke, and to provide for our posterity, is to follow the counsel of Micah, to do justly, to love mercy, to walke humbly with our God. For this end, we must be knitt together in this work as one man.
We shall finde that the God of Israell is among us, when tenn of us shall be able to resist a thousand of our enemies; when hee shall make us a prayse and glory that men shall say of succeeding plantations, ‘the lord make it like that of NEW ENGLAND.’
For wee must consider that wee shall be as a City upon a hill. The eies of all people are uppon Us.”
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Uncle Jim, I have to say that this is such a wonderful site to get on and read of all the wonderful things people pass forward. I would like to tell of a wonderful group of people who help Kids with cancer in our county. My grandson of 3 has a brain tumor that proved to be cancer. Many years ago two young kids decided to start saving pop cans for their cousin who had cancer. To this day they have collected thousands of dollars. Some of that has gone to Kaid and his mother.
What a blessing this has been to know children who followed their heart and did this awesome thing. By the way Kaid is doing well but is still doing chemotherapy. I failed to mention the name of the organization is Kans for Kids and it is located in Baron County, Kansas If anyone would like to donate you can go on line and bring it up. Thanks again for the love, prayers and kindness all have done. P.S. Kaid is Jim Bennett’s great great nephew.
Candace Jones -
This is what Gregg talked about this morning in church. He believes we shouldn’t wait until the final “coming” to stop our sinful ways, but to do a day by day care for others and “sharing our wealth”.
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Jim,
I watched the interview of Buffett, Gates and Turner. Their reasons and approaches for sharing their wealth are quite interesting and different. However, they all want to make the world a better place by helping the needy. I was intrigued to hear that Ted Turner lost much of his fortune during the financial crisis, as did many others. I assume he has recouped most of it. People with huge fortunes such as these can help solve some long range and worldly problems such as nuclear disarmament.
Those of us with smaller amounts of money can still help (and we should) by giving to needy people and by doing things where material wealth is not required such as giving our time and love to others and standing up for justice for all. As Melinda Gates said, we need to treat all people as if they are equal. As you know, Linda and I took a mission trip to southern Africa ten years ago and saw first hand the needs there. And these same needs exist all over the world. Our family donates a heifer annually to Heifer International. When we were in Tanzania a few years ago, we visited a small farm where the people had received a heifer and some bees from HI and had become self-sufficient and shared with others by producing milk and cheese and honey. They also were growing coffee beans. Our experience has been that we are the ones who gain when we help others.
You can use this on your web site if you want.
Charlie -
We should always share what we have with those in need. More people than ever need help now. Let’s don’t let them down. They will be grateful and we will reap the blessings.
Charlie -
to give to others is to give to yourself!!!! bright light to you!
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