The Power of Compassion and Generosity:
Transforming Lives Through Love and Action

Compassion and generosity are deeply interconnected qualities that reflect our ability to empathize with others and offer support, whether emotionally or materially. Here’s how they relate:

Generosity

Generosity is the act of giving, whether it’s time, resources, or energy, without expecting anything in return. It’s not just about material wealth, but also about sharing one’s attention, understanding, or love with others. Generosity can be seen in many forms:

• Material generosity: Donating money, goods, or services to help others.
• Emotional generosity: Offering love, encouragement, or simply being present for someone in need.
• Time generosity: Giving one’s time and energy to support others, even when it requires personal sacrifice.

How They Intersect

• Compassion fuels generosity: When we are moved by someone else’s suffering or challenges, compassion often prompts us to be generous in our responses—whether through acts of kindness, offering resources, or providing emotional support.
• Generosity nurtures compassion: The more we practice generosity, the more we open ourselves to the needs of others, which deepens our empathy and understanding of their struggles. Generosity is not just about material giving, but it can also be an expression of compassionate connection.

Compassion is the emotional foundation, and generosity is the practical expression of that emotion. When we act generously out of compassion, it can create a ripple effect, demonstrating the love of Jesus and leading others to follow Him.

Capital Compassion is a special place to invest your resources through generosity.

Yesterday I sat with John who walked through our door looking for help. He had been here on other occasions receiving food and supplies. This time, he said, “I’m ready to do what it takes to get off the street.” We started the process to get his ID, EBT card (food stamps), a phone, and an assessment with County services to be placed on a housing list. While talking with John, another man came in who had recently been placed in a tiny home for shelter but was still needing food and the spiritual and emotional support we provide. As I talked with John and Alfredo, I found emotion stirring in my soul. The three components of compassion were at work. Empathy . . . as I understood the challenges they were facing I began to share the feelings they were sharing with me. Kindness . . . the willingness to act kindly to alleviate their distress was bursting inside my heart. Patience . . . providing the time to walk this out over days, weeks, and months and the space to grow step by step.

Lives are being changed through Capital Compassion. Our team of volunteers make it possible for our reach to be broad and profound. With 45 partner organizations accessing the goods and services we provide, the impact is compounded. The individuals and families accessing our food pantry, diaper provisions, tents, clothes, hygiene kits, etc. continues to grow daily. Our vision is growing and the opportunities are vast. Every person we touch, like John and Alfredo, our eternal reward increases.

We need your help in generosity. Thank you for all you have done in the past year to establish this expression of Jesus’ love in our city. As Thanksgiving approaches, it is a wonderful time to express our gratitude to God for His blessings by sharing from those blessings to help others.

 I am praying for you to be blessed in these days of opportunity. In fact, I will leave the Blessing I shared at the end our services at Capital with you today:

Be blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and clear direction for life.

Be blessed with creativity, courage, ability and abundance.

Be blessed with self-control and self-discipline.

Be blessed with a great family, good friends and good health.

Be blessed with faith, favor and fulfillment.

Be blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection.

Be blessed with an obedient heart and a positive outlook on life.

Be blessed in the city and in the country, when you go in and when you come out.

Any negative word that has ever been spoken over you is broken right now.

Everything you put your hand to will prosper and succeed.

Have a blessed day,

Pastor Rick

Psalm 86:15 “But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.”

Thankful for Jesus

As we approach the week of Thanksgiving, I am reminded how Thanksgiving and generosity go hand in hand. At its heart, Thanksgiving is a time to come together, give thanks, and share the blessings we’ve received with others. It’s an opportunity to practice gratitude and to extend that gratitude through acts of generosity—whether it’s through giving to help those in need, volunteering, or simply being present and offering a kind word to those closest to us.

Thanksgiving may come and go, but the spirit of generosity doesn’t have to end with the holiday. In fact, Thanksgiving can inspire ongoing acts of kindness throughout the year. The needs do not disappear after the Thanksgiving holiday. On December 2, the Monday after Thanksgiving, Capital Compassion will have its doors open to serve the underserved. This is our calling and we love the broken people who are walking through our doors every day.

SEAN’S STORY

This past Wednesday, one of our unhoused friends needed to get to a temp job at the Convention Center downtown. There was not enough time for him to get there on public transit so I offered to give him a ride downtown. As he got out of the car, I felt prompted to give him twenty dollars for lunch. Later I learned that he stopped at a bank after work and reactivated his lapsed bank account with that twenty dollar bill. He was so proud of that decision. I was proud of him too. He made his way back to our office on public transit arriving at 6:00pm. As I drove him to a respite center that had just opened due to the bad weather, he told me how he had worked as an electrician. One of his first jobs was at Capital Christian Center when it was being built. He later worked on the crew building the High School campus at Capital. It was a full circle moment. Driving away from the respite center to head home, I had to choke back the tears that involuntarily welled up.

I arrived home that evening from a full day of responding to the needs of those placed in our path on a rainy wintery day. As I sat down for dinner in our warm house, Cathy said to me, “I wonder if Jesus is feeling cold and hungry tonight.” I was moved by the thought of how His presence abides in every human soul. How else can I interpret His statement, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me” (Matthew 25:40).

“I wonder if Jesus is feeling cold and hungry tonight.”

NOVEMBER STATS

Opportunities are growing for us to make a difference in our community. In the month of November we served :

• 78 individuals week one
• 59 week two
• 90 week three
• A total of 227 touches in Jesus’ name in less than month.

When you contribute to Capital Compassion, you are touching Jesus personally. It is a team effort and every person matters on our team. Thank you for being a generous contributor to the cause of helping the broken of our world. Miracles are happening. Lives are being transformed. You are making a difference when you partner with us to wrap our arms around those in need.

Consider a generous gift of Thanksgiving. True transformation happens when our generosity extends well beyond the holiday, continuing to impact lives and communities every day of the year. Remember the words of Jesus, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.”

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Pastor Rick