Giving From a Heart of Generosity

Giving from God’s perspective and power is motivated by a vision for His kingdom.

By: Brendon O’Dowd, head of school

Thank you for your investment in the Perimeter School mission. It is a partnership rooted in discipleship that equips families to think biblically and live redemptively. It does this by boosting the horizontal elements, like thinking and living, with the vertical components of God’s Word and God’s power.  

Know Our Savior. Know Our Students. Know Our Subject.

How do we ensure that Perimeter School will continue equipping families for another 40 years? In military terms, how can we continue to be “mission capable”? I believe there are three key commitments for our faculty and staff that will ensure we are mission capable. First, we are committed to Know Our Savior. Our priority must be following Jesus and growing in our ability to flourish in His Kingdom above all other tasks. Second, we are committed to Know Our Students. Our small class sizes and prioritizing discipleship help foster a relationship where students are seen and known. Third, we are committed to Know Our Subject. Our desire is to grow in our ability to teach skills, knowledge, and understanding from a biblical framework with a Charlotte Mason emphasis that inspires students for life-long faith, work, and service.

Eternal Investment and Transformational Giving

We want to invest in the next 40 years. This type of investing is different from the world’s perspective that emphasizes the latest quarterly earnings statements. Three or four months of data cannot give a long-term perspective about a company’s viability and sustainability. Wise investors have the courage to look beyond the short term and develop a vision to see what could be.  

Let me share another vision of what could be by way of transformational giving. Typically giving is about the “to” as in giving “to” an organization or cause. I think the Bible is much more concerned about giving “from” our hearts.  

 “In the presence of the Lord your God, in the place he chooses to locate his name, you must eat from the tithe of your grain, your new wine, your olive oil, and the firstborn of your herds and flocks, so that you may learn to revere the Lord your God always.”
Deuteronomy 14:23 

Did you catch that last part? Giving is about God’s choosing the place and time but more important it is about learning to fear the Lord when we give. Fear of God is in fact used to motivate a commitment to the rhythms of life elsewhere in Deuteronomy (4:10; 17:19) and in the New Testament (Philippians 2:12-13). Though we live in New Testament times, the principle remains the same, giving and the ritual of giving are shapers, or transformers, of the heart. It is not what we give but why we give that matters. 

To make this practical, let me share two key questions I recently heard that impacted me. “What is the gift you would make that transforms you and your relationship with God? What is the gift that brings glory and honor to God in a way you've never done before?” These questions may feel scary because we usually think in terms of giving a percentage or our income. But giving from God’s perspective and power is motivated by a vision for His kingdom that capitalizes on an open heart to “see” what God is doing and join Him in that work. It ensures we will be mission capable.  

Perimeter School has thrived for over 40 years because people have given “from” the heart for scholarships that keep tuition affordable and to support our teacher development. As we enter into this year’s fundraiser, the Perimeter School Fun Run, please consider how your family could support our school through a heart of generosity.