Tithe basketThe biblical principle of tithing is to give to the work of the church 10% of your increase (your salary). There are reasons why you one is encouraged to do this. But the one I like is to compare tithing to that of planting seed. It could go towards an Aids home for orphans, or a soup kitchen, or an outreach. So although your personal contribution might be small, when accumulated everyone’s small contribution adds up to a very big difference in someone’s life.
Why the bible lesson? Well, I found another wonderful example of tithing. Tim Smit, the co-founder of the Eden Project (which in itself is awe-inspiring) is working on his Tithing College. This is a campus where business leaders, artists, scientists, engineers and bureaucrats will commit to spending 5 days a year sharing their knowledge. “Tithing College is central to my manifesto,” Smit explains. “It will attract those who want to imagine a new beginning and contribute to the debate, What does ‘great’ look like, and how do we get there?”

I think that the possibilities for this type of college are phenomenal. What if all leading sportspeople, business leaders, doctors, musicians, artists etc gave 10% of their time, either annually or monthly to share their passion, knowledge, wisdom and experience with anyone who wanted to listen and learn? People could attend at no cost to sit at their feet and be inspired.
If you read about the Eden Project (www.edenproject.com) you will see that it’s a wonderfully collaborative environment. And that is what we need to foster – collaboration. Not a jockeying for power, position or wealth, but a way to share knowledge and resources – so that everyone’s small contribution adds up to a very big difference in many lives.
And isn’t that the real reason we’re all here?

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