Apr 28, 2020
by Ben Calhoun
I grew up in a giving family. My parents (George and Lannette Calhoun) taught me the value of giving to the Lord first with my time, attitude, attention and money. 10% of your earnings goes to the Lord first—to your local church or to a missionary overseas (for example). To choose to give to the Lord first is the best business plan. He will multiply your efforts. They also taught me the value of hard work while utilizing my strengths and committing to a project until it’s finished (which goes hand in hand with tithing in my humble opinion). These are simple truths that I’ve carried with me my whole life. Great rewards require sacrifice and risk. According to our world, it sometimes seems contradictory to give away our hard-earned money, especially if you don’t know where your next paycheck is coming from. But that is the principle that we as believers hold to. Our economy is not only dollars and cents but of a holy obedience to the Lord and believing His promises of super-natural provision. Growing up in a minister’s family, I remember my parents celebrating the fact that their bills were paid for that month to the exact penny by anonymous givers who simply put cash in our mailbox. The Bible says in Proverbs 11:25, “A generous man will prosper. He who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.” I saw this played out in my parents’ lives, as both givers first and as receivers. I can attest to it being absolutely true. The Bible suggests that our Jehovah Jireh (our provider) is jealous of that role as a Father, Protector, and Sustainer of his family. The Bible states…
“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” —Malachi 3:10
As a business owner and a musician in full-time ministry, this principle of tithing and giving sacrificially has opened doors that are impossible to open otherwise. I started a nonprofit ministry called Generosity Rocks to serve two purposes. The first is to give 10% of all of our merchandise sales at every CITIZEN WAY show to a local ministry. When I show up in the morning to the venue, I introduce myself to the pastor of the local church and the promoter, asking them what the need in the community is. We figure out who to give to and the emcee advertises the process for us when they introduce CITIZEN WAY on stage. During the right moment in our set, I talk about it as well. I explain how Generosity Rocks seeks to empower musicians to go proclaim the Gospel and inspire generosity in Jesus’ name. Musicians like CITIZEN WAY. I then restate the fact that 10% of our merch sales goes to the chosen local ministry of the day. It opens people’s hearts and inspires them to be generous. Where they might not have bought merchandise before, they do now. Where they might have paid the asking price for a T-shirt, they now tip a little bit more on top of that. That 10% typically goes to food banks, homeless shelters, pregnancy centers, and even a family in need. There’s always a need wherever we go locally and it is genuinely exciting to help meet those needs. It’s easy and it works. It never ceases to amaze me how exciting and fun it is to give whatever amount of money to someone in need right then and there. I actually write them a check and take a picture with the ministry rep. It totally revives me and reminds me of why I leave my family and comforts of home for a sometimes brutal road experience— haha (see our bus burning down last year).
The second aspect is giving people the opportunity to continue giving toward CITIZEN WAY through GENEROSITY ROCKS online. Just like a missionary raises money for their livelihood, so do we as musicians in ministry. We call ourselves “Musicianaries.” People all over the country now support me and my family and CITIZEN WAY through regular monthly giving or one-time gifts. We even raised enough money to pay for our latest record of which donors joined us in the studio as we recorded it. It was uniquely special. Our bus was also provided for us. It burned down accidentally at a show and new sponsors rose up to help us get a new one. A bus is crucial for a touring band. Donors even helped my wife and me by buying us used vehicles when we moved to Nashville and had car troubles. It’s humbling and inspiring at the same time.
Give to the Lord first. That’s what I’ve learned. Just do it. Find a ministry your heart burns for and give sacrificially. Find a need and help meet it. It’s simple. Time. Attention. Prayer. Money. It’s all valuable to the Lord. He will always always always make good in His promise to multiply it. Remember that story of Jesus feeding all those people with 5 loaves and 2 fishes…? Yea…that, haha!
I’ve been totally blessed by being obedient to serving the Lord this way. If you’d like to bless my family, CITIZEN WAY, or any of the other artists we serve, you can visit www.generosityrocks.com and donate today. Your gifts are tax-deductible and any amount is appreciated.
To those of you who are a part of our donor family…wow! Thank you! You have no idea…
I am a proud SDB. We sing and we serve. Great combo. Thank you all for inspiring me to keep fighting the good fight.
In Jesus’ name,
Ben Calhoun
