While many churches are slashing budgets, laying off staff, and discontinuing free donuts before the service, 12Stone Church in Lawrenceville, GA spent $350,000 this Christmas on single moms. Did they do this because they have discovered an unlimited ATM located beneath their beautiful campus? Absolutely not. Nor did Richie Rich donate the funds to do it. 12Stone did it because they profess and practice “giving ourselves away.”

The reasoning was simple. The best thing that BPC could do for the community was to get out of the way and bring in a more qualified (i.e., “black”) church to meet some of the needs of this particular community.

Imagine my excitement, as a 7 year old little boy in Spiderman PJs, to wake up before dawn on Christmas morning to see that huge white box beside the tree with an electric racetrack inside left there by Santa himself! It was “amazing” with “3 super fast race cars included.” I couldn’t wait to get it out of the box and start racing my dad. That was the absolute greatest Christmas present I could ever imagine (and at least 157% better than the gray bathrobe my parents also gave me).

What’s interesting is that for the life of me I can’t remember ever playing with that “amazing” toy after Christmas day, and I have no idea what ever happened to it. All I can remember about it was that you had to slow down around the curves or the cars would fly off the track.