Plastic Donuts: Giving That Delights the Hearts of the Father

Summary: Quick read about the things that are important to think about when we think about Christian giving.

Giving is something that church staff fear talking about and most Christians have at least some guilt about.

On the staff side, no one likes to fundraise or ask people for money (although some are good at it.)

And almost all Christians have at least some guilt feelings because when we are honest with ourselves we all could give more and give less selfishly.

Jeff Anderson has a quick read (single plane ride length) that is low guilt, high illustration.  Anderson avoids a lot of the distracting issues (should we tithe, is that part of the old covenant, gross vs net, etc.) and concentrates on the role of giving to our relationship to God.

The central illustration of the book is the joy Anderson felt as his 18 month old daughter brought him a plastic donut.  As Anderson ‘ate’ the donut and express appreciation to his daughter for the gift he understood in a new way how God views our gifts.  God does not need our money. But God wants our heart.  So as Anderson appreciated his daughter’s gift (which led her to bring more) God appreciates (but does not need) our gifts.

The end result of the book is that Anderson suggests that we should remember 5 principles when we give:

1. The Amount Matters (to us, not God, so we should give an amount that matters)
2. We Determine The Amount
3. We Give According to Our Ability
4. The Heart Makes the Gift Count (same gift from different people means different things.)
5. Your Gifts Can Delight the Heart of God

This book would make a good discussion book for a small group or couple to work through how and why they should give.

Plastic Donuts Purchase Links: Hardcover, Kindle Edition, Paperback

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The author provided 2 copies of this book for review. I gave away one copy to a friend and the other I will give away here.  Please leave a comment below and I will randomly choose a winner on June 20 at 10 AM EST.