Preparing a message on the subject 'Why We Give' made me think of a story that Dennis Hensley told on himself.

Working as a chaplain's assistant at the Fort Knox Reception Station, he says that he got used to countless new recruits coming into his office with complaints on adjustments to Army life. During this initial week the recruits had to "donate" a pint of blood. One afternoon a man came storming into his office yelling, "I can't take it! They cut off all my hair, took away my civilian clothes. I mean, what do they want from a guy--blood?"

"Oh, no," Hensley assured him. "That's not until tomorrow." (1)

When you announce a sermon on giving, somewhere there is a silent scream in the congregation: "What do you want from a guy--blood?"

An Indiana pastor had a creative way of approachi…