One poor widow came up and put in two small coins... Jesus said, "All the others gave what they will never miss; she gave extravagantly what she couldn't afford - she gave her all"  Mark 122 : 42-44 

The widow gave two mites - the value of a mite or Lepton is accepted to be 1/400 of the wage for a day's labor - maybe a quarter, but it was all that she could give. That would be her grocery money.

   We too can give our money extravagantly (10% plus) , even that would not reduce the level of spending on ourselves for most of us.

   Another form of extravagant giving is of our time and talent! If we consider the needs of others, we must consider the spending of our time and extravagantly give of our time and talents (a "talent" in Biblical days was equal to about 3000 days wage). We can give this time to Church School teaching; food pantry; church upkeep; mission work; visiting the sick, needy, or imprisoned; electing good government representatives and influencing them to do the right thing in God's

eyes ...

   We live in an extravagant society and are extravagantly blessed - we must consider the use of those blessing, even if we are inconvenienced - a little bit like the widow must have been.

~Dick Stone