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My phone let me know there was a notification.
Oh no…
It’s a Google Drive shared document. That means work.
No, not already!
That’s not just a work assignment, it’s THE work assignment. The dreaded Pre-Shareathon Checklist.
On this Google document is a list of all the things that have to be done leading up to Fall Shareathon. It’s extensive. Every person on the LifeSongs team has stuff they need to accomplish on it. Honestly, just putting together this ridiculous list was a full time job that (thank God) I didn’t have to do. Credit goes to Julie, who is our master of all things organizational.
Boy that’s a long list …
Shareathon is like seven weeks away, but still, that sinking feeling is settling deep in my tummy. And it’s not just because I’m hungry. I mean I AM hungry, but that’s not what is making me uneasy.
It‘s a dream of mine that one day LifeSongs has enough consistent monthly givers that there is no longer a need for Shareathon – which, if you don’t know, is our bi-annual fundraising time. I hope that at some point in my lifetime, enough folks set it and forget it by giving monthly – that their/your giving is just the right amount to pay the bills and keep LifeSongs going strong in our mission to share God’s love with Southeast Louisiana and the world through authentic and uplifting radio. (Legit: that’s our actual written down mission statement)
If that ever happened, Shareathon would become a week of thanksgiving, testimonies and storytelling – one big party! Which it already is – but we could do it without the very uncomfortable task of asking for money.
Does anyone like asking for money? Does anyone like being asked for money? Of course not! But that’s how listener-supported ministries keep going. It’s awkward but necessary. It can be painful but also beautiful.
Imagine if Jeff Bezos – the richest man in the recorded history of the world – had called you up right before launching Amazon.com. What if he said “Hey, listen – I’m about to do something great and it is going to make me insanely rich. I was wondering – would you like to be a partner in this with me?”
That’d be great, right?
During Shareathon, the invitation to join the ministry through financial support of LifeSongs is like the spiritual and emotional equivalent of that. It isn’t going to make any of us $100 billion, but it is going to spread the Gospel of Jesus to a hurt and scared world. It IS going to bless you and your family and other families with the reminder that God is Good-All the Time.
It’s like a guaranteed way to invest in something God uses every day to shape this world in preparation for His coming Kingdom. That’s a pretty cool thing to be invited into, right?
Every time I’m on the air during Shareathon, without fail, I’ll be thanking the people who are calling in and then BAM! Someone I know has given. Someone from church. A close friend or family member. A face that goes with that name is floating around in my imagination grinning ear to ear because they know they just made my heart smile and they are participating in a ministry that I have poured my heart into for nearly 20 years.
It’s a weird, unique, wonderful family: LifeSongs. Thousands of families and churches and businesses all tied together under this banner of God is Good-All the Time. I love being a part of this ministry with you. I love the daily fun – and yes – I even love Shareathon, despite its challenges. Because it is an invitation to the party. You are invited to join in. And this family is pretty darn great.