“You are a very hard person to buy for. You have everything you need,” said a good friend looking at me as to say, “you’re spoiled.” Well, he’s right. I have everything I need. As a matter of fact I would go even one step further to say I have most things I want. Yes, I’m spoiled. While I don’t consider myself financially wealthy, I should since, by the world’s standards, most of us living in America would be labeled “rich.” So the question of the hour turned into a simple and yet practical one: What do you give someone who has everything? While the discussion was general in nature, it was clearly addressed at me. The more narrow translation would be “Maurilio, what can anyone give you that you either don’t have or wouldn’t go out and buy it for yourself if you wanted it?” So I thought for…

Ti’s the season for giving. There’s no question about it. My good friend  Sal Sberna raised 1.4 million at last weekend’s mission offering at his 4,000-member church in Houston, TX.  A lot of non profits depend on  December’s giving in order to survive the rest of the year. But no matter how often we give, there’s always the nagging question that seem to pop in the back of our minds: what if they misuse my money? What if instead of missions, my money goes to buy the pastor a new boat? Should the risk of my money being misused stop me from giving? The answer is a resounding “NO.” Most of us know not to give to churches, ministries or solicitors that are not familiar to us. At least I hope you don’t. Unfortunately, there are too many shysters who pray on gracious people, specially the elderly.  But if you’re…

I remembering seeing an episode of the Celebrity Apprentice where Sharon Ousborne was thrilled she was able to secure a 15 thousand dollar gift from a wealthy donor. She was ‘shocked’ because according to her, she had never seen anyone give that much money away before. Well, I was shocked but for a different reason. First, her reaction told me a lot about Mrs. Ousborne generosity quotient or lack thereof and then it reminded me how many truly giving people I have met over the years. People who have given a lot more with a lot less money. So during this giving season, what does it mean to be generous? Here’s a few thoughts about generosity: It’s not an amount. a 15 thousand dollar gift might not be as generous as a 15 dollar one.  Remember the story of the widow’s mite? It’s not about money. Sometimes your most generous…