Generosity - "Gimee all you got!"

One of my favorite scenes from the movie Heat is when Vincent Hannah (Al Pacino) goes to shake down car thief Albert Torina (Ricky Harris). He goes to his secret chop shop and starts questing him. It quickly becomes obvious that Torina is holding back information and this really get Hanna going. In classic Pacino form (see Godfather II - hotel scene with Kate) he flips out, grabbing the table and shaking it like a mad man he yells out "Gimee all ya got! Gimee all ya got!" I love the passion and intensity. The freaking thing is how quickly he can throw the switch.

I think that many of us see a Pacino like character when we hear the word generosity. We think of a pastor behind a hand carved giant wood pulpit commanding that we "give all we got". OK, well maybe that's just me. The point being that we have a very non-Bible based view on a very Bible based idea. Jesus wants everything. Not that he takes everything away from us, but we are driven by the passion of our heart. If something has a grip on the strings of our hearts it may be this thing we follow and not Jesus. So when he asks for everything it actually is much more simple than we think. Give the heart and the rest will follow. (be color blind, don't be so shallow) Sorry about that.

I was thinking about a way that we can express actual love for other people. I have decided we need to employ the "Pacino Principle".

Eyes: How many conversations have you been in where you could see the other person looking past you, as if waiting for someone worth talking to? For some reason, our eyes are very powerful. A focused eye can communicate deep things. When someone is hurt, a focused eye can say, "I sincerely care about what you and what you are dealing with." It also can simply say, "You are a person worth my time and energy." If we have initiated the first command, to love God, then the second should follow, love others. We can demonstrate love through our eyes. Give em all ya got.

Ears: When we focus our eyes, our ears follow. Although our brains may fight for control of the ears. I find that when I let my mind wander during a conversation my ears get shut off to fuel the thinking. Once we have engaged our eyes and focus on the person, we have to listen. Careful listening increases memory retention. Focused attention, careful listening and memory will impact the depth of our relationships. (BTW - not good at this at all, this is born out of my own reflections) When you are listening to someone, LISTEN. Give em all ya got.

Arms: #1 - I am not a huggy guy. #2 - I am a huggy guy. Funny isn't it. I hug those I am close to and I am closest to those I hug. One allows the other, but the other fuels the one. There is something deeply spoken from person to person in a simple hug that can not be said with words. Now don't get me wrong, I am not in to freaky hugs. I am cautious about who and how I hug. But I know I need to be more generous with this non-verbal expression of true care. Tell someone today that you truly care. Give em all ya got.

Time: Time is a precious commodity in our culture. Do you invest yours wisely? If I have no time to invest in other people then I am in desperate need of restructuring my investments. When we leave this planet we will take two things with us: Our relationship with God and other people. There is nothing more valuable to my time than those two. Let's not get in the habit of short changing people, set aside adequate time to demonstrate true care. Give em all ya got.


Every day God brings people into our lives and gives us, yes gives to us, opportunities to be an influence. Be generous with who you are. Give your self away to the people around you. Let them in to see who you really are.

Give em all ya got.